I have a WD 80 GB hd and a 20 gb Maxtor one day the wd crashed and I'm not sure why but when I tried to recover it and get it working again the computer wouldn't recognize it but only sometimes, I put in all the cylinders and such manually, then I started XP it would always recognize it but when I went to click on it would only show up sometimes and I clicked it once and it said it was completley full I tryed to format it and I can't even do that I don't know what to do and my 20 gb is getting filled quickly any help would be great.

Specs if you need them

AMD XP Processor 2.0 GHZ
256 DDR RAM
Maxtor 20 GB HD
WD 80 GB HD (not working)

if you need anything else lemme know thanks.

have you tried ..start......settings........Control Panel ........Admin. Tools.........Computer Management.... .Disc Management and seeing if you Hard Drive in listed?

Well, XP recognizes it but when it tries to install the new hardware wizard comes up and hangs, until I close it.

You could try the WD diagnostic Lifeguard listed here:

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

It's not in the disk management list what do I do now?

Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (Floppy)
Version Version 5.04f
Publish Date Dec, 2005
Description
The Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tools are used primarily for determining the physical condition of your hard drive. If you are having computer problems which you suspect are hard drive related, you can test your drive with this tool.

http://support.wdc.com/download/downloadxml.asp

ok this is what my bios is reading WDC 800bb

cylinders - 1024
Head - 240
Sector - 63
CHS -7927MB
Maximum Lba Capacity - 8455MB

Multi-Sector Transfer - Maximum
Smart monitoring - Disabled
PIO - 0
Ultra DMA Mode - Disabled

Xp won't recognize it now???

I can't even get to dos to use DLD

I started the computer the BIOS recognized it but it's only reading 7927mb isn't that only 792 mb or so, why won't it read the full 80 it reads 8455mb which would be like 800 mb right, well, anyway I ran xp unbelievably slow loading(not normal) and looked in disk manager the hd is not there, I'm not sure what to do.

I just bought a 200gb Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 Hard Drive, but I would still like to know what can I do about the WD 80gb if it can be fixed or whatever, thanks for your help so far.

this is my setup:

Maxtor 20GB - XP - Primary Master no slave present
(jumper set)

No Primary Slave

WD 80GB - (had XP) - Secondary Master w slave present

CD-ROM - Secondary Slave

DVD-RW - USB

7927MB = 7.9GB


The WD diagnostic is a floppy boot disk. It should boot itself.

Instructions Download the DlgDiagv504f.zip.
Extract and run the DlgDiagv504f.exe file. (Alternately you have the option to download the exe version of the file which does not require extraction with a zip utility).
You will see a Diskette Creator icon on your desktop.
Double-click on the icon, follow the prompts and create your diagnostic diskette.
You can now boot to this diskette. Make sure that your boot order in your Bios is set to boot from the floppy drive first.
You will see the following options:
SELECT DRIVE - Always choose this option first, as it determines which drive you will be working on.
QUICK TEST - This option tests your drive quickly for any major physical problems. (Please note: Although this option is safe and does not alter the data on your hard drive, Western Digital recommends that you have a current backup of your data).
EXTENDED TEST - This option checks your drive thoroughly and it can repair any correctable errors. (Please note: Although this option is safe and does not alter the data on your hard drive, some data loss may occur, depending on the errors found and the errors corrected. Western Digital recommends that you have a current backup of your data).
WRITE ZEROS TO DRIVE - The Write Zeros option, wipes any and all data off your drive. This option used when your data is no longer usable or recoverable. If you no longer need any data from your drive and would like to start over, run this option to set your drive to an as new condition. NOTE: Please make sure that you have selected the correct drive to perform this function on as once ran, no data will be recoverable.
VIEW TEST RESULTS - You can see the results of the test you just performed
PRINT TEST RESULTS - Test results can be printed with this option. USB printers are not supported
LOG FILE OPEN/CLOSE - You can access the log file which is generated automatically
ENTER AND PRINT RMA INFORMATION - Information pertaining to each drive tested can be customized and printed with this option.
HELP - Brief descriptions of each option in addition to explanations of error codes are available in this option.
QUIT - Reboot your system once you have completed the selected tasks
Select the task you wish to perform.