Computer problem that is probably horribly easy to fix.

[wslates]

I am a pretty big computer geek, but I have a feeling this is some easy fix that I don't know about....

I inherited a Dell Dimension 9150, and two hard drives were installed: A 70 GB one for the OS and 500 GB one for miscellaneous crap. I wiped the 500 GB HD , took out the 70 GB HD, made the 500 the primary drive, and installed the OS on the 500 GB HD. The nuisance is, when I boot the computer, it can't find the hard drive. If I go into BIOS and then exit it, the computer boots up fine. Just an annoyance....can anybody give me some help? (Yes, I am looking at you, NosEvo.)

 

[Mike24]

Is that a desktop?

If so, when you swapped the hard drive, did you make sure to set the 500 GB drive to Master, as opposed to the slave status, which I assume it was on when you had the 70 as the primary?

If you did that too, check out the boot order in the BIOS, and make sure that drive is first on the list.

 

[David24]

Maybe look through the boot up settings to set the 500 to be the primary. Or plug the 500 one into where the 70 was...it might be that but I'm not too sure. I've done this countless times before but never ran into such a problem. Good luck.

 

[David24]

Try going to Disk Management (assuming you're running Vista or 7, XP doesn't have this IIRC) And try setting the 500 to Primary.

 

[wslates]

It's a Desktop running XP. I am quite sure that it isn't in the slave port, but I'll go check. And it is first in the boot order too.

 

[wslates]

Nope. Still won't boot, but boots if I exit BIOS.

 

[NossedEvo]

Def' not my strong suit Mr. Slates. But, when you physically hooked up the harddrives, did you hook them up in the order the mobo manual said to? Guessing you did. Just guessing, because everything else sounds good. Never encountered similar problem after setting boot order in bios. Know some boards are totally picky on physical installation order. Does sound like one of the little things, that the light eventually goes on for.

Pull your cmos -- maybe...

(The total depth of my hdd trouble-shooting repertoire.)

(Hail Marry!)

 

[NossedEvo]

Do you have a Dell disc to run diagnostics on the hdd?

Dells sometimes have difficulty booting from non-Dell stuff. Could be why they went with the 70 gig hdd. Assuming it's not a smokin' little Raptor, or ssd.

Again: just guessing here. But betting the 70 gig originally came with the rig.


EDIT: +1 Sage

Think Sage is on the right track.

Likely going to be a guess that turns the light on. And you'll do the "D'oh!" thing.

Jellybelly, and comstock, have some more thoughts here.

(Betting it turns out to be a, "Dell thing".)

 

[Sage]

Sometimes, but not always, the jumpers on the HDs will tell the OS which is Master & which is Slave. Did you check those? If not, it may be as simple as looking at where the jumpers are on the 70 & 500 Gig HDs and swapping their positions (if different, of course).

 

[NossedEvo]

How are you making out there, Mr. Slates?

 

[wslates]

I'll try what Sage said. Currently not home right now. Hopefully that'll fix it, but if it doesn't, it's not much of a big deal. I keep the computer on most of the time anyways. Focused on wiring my surround sound when I had free time this week. XD