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odd computer issue.

DarkSymphonyDarkSymphony Registered User regular
edited February 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
ok so I have 2 half working towers and I figured I would frankenstein them. I'm knowledged enough to know what works and what doesn't, but what happened I can't figure out. What went on is that when I use both hard drives in the one system I want running, it only fully runs when I have a specific one of the 2, used as the master. Using the other as a master results in a very quick blue screen flash and then a reboot. However, I am still able to set it up as a slave and have it running in tandem with the other. I can't figure out why this is happening and wanna know if there's anything I can do to run the other HDD as the master.

DarkSymphony on

Posts

  • XenoZergieXenoZergie Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    If I had to guess, the one that works as master is also the one that was originally attached to whatever mobo you're using. The other one can't work as master because its Windows install doesn't recognize the hardware.

    XenoZergie on
  • SilvoculousSilvoculous Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    The one that works must be the one that came with the computer - the one that has its operating system, hardware drivers and the like installed. The other one was from a different computer entirely. Even if you jumpered it as a master, you can't throw it with a host of entirely new hardware and expect it to work - it has no drivers for any of that hardware.

    If you want to use that drive, you'll have to reformat and reinstall the OS.

    Silvoculous on
  • DarkSymphonyDarkSymphony Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    hmm is there any way at all I can recover any data? right now my only option (that I know of) is to put the HDD into the old tower, boot it up that way and then copy each file I wanna keep onto my 4gig PSP mem stick, then transfer them back to the new HDD. I really don't wanna spend that much time on it if I don't have to :(

    DarkSymphony on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Boot off of a Repair type CD, something that runs a simple linux or something like that. Copy the data you want off the one that won't boot onto the one that will boot, or onto a USB key, etc. Then you are done. Shouldn't be too hard, and I think lifehacker recently posted a new type of this kind of CD.

    MoSiAc on
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  • SilvoculousSilvoculous Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    For that sort of task, Knoppix is still king. This is exactly what you would want. Put both drives in the PC and boot from this CD. Both of them ought to show up in the Storage Media folder in KDE. From there you can copy files back and forth as you please.

    Silvoculous on
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Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum