I/O Disk Error...Please help - Page 2

meese · 06-05-2003, 06:42 AM

Why do you need to use the WD diags to format and partition the drive? If you have a clean unformatted drive, when you install w98, it will recognize your drive and want to partition it, then format it, then it will load the OS.

Monstermile · 06-05-2003, 07:07 AM

It's not a clean unformatted drive. I had the OS installed on it when I had the first mobo. That is when my problems started.

And I don't even get a prompt to be able to FDISK. That is what my problem is. As soon as it starts up it goes to the I/O Disk error message. If I don't have the boot disk in all I get is boot failure. No prompt at all.

meese · 06-05-2003, 08:08 AM

Can you use the WD Diag utility to low level format the drive? I would try to do that. If it works, don't use WD diags to partition and format, try letting windows format the drive. If you still get the I/O disk error then I would think the drive is corrupt.

pyssdogg · 06-05-2003, 08:13 AM

you need to wipe the drive

make sure you set the boot sequence so that your floppy is the 1st device

you werent getting a prompt because the disk can't boot

if you need a bootdisk, here's a custom dos disk i made with both automatic ide and usb cdrom support

download the following file and write the disk image to a floppy using a free program like undisker or winimage, etc

filesize is like 270k

http://geocities.com/pyssdogg/files/

Monstermile · 06-05-2003, 09:23 AM

The floppy is set to the first boot device. Has been since all of this started. It just won't boot. And I used the WD utiltities to do a low level format so it is clean.

And what I meant in the post above is that it is not a brand new drive that has never had an OS.

I put this drive into my other machine before I RMA'd the fiorst mobo to test it and it let me format and partition it so I wouldn't think that the drive is corrupt.

Redwolf · 06-05-2003, 09:45 AM

If the first mobo had a bad IDE controller, it might be. But there's only one way to find out.

1) Find a friend with a computer (preferably one with a CD Burner).

2) BEG him to let you put your hard drive into it, so that you can back up the data on it.

3) If your friend is knowledgeble, let him put the drive in for you, since it is his machine. If not, set your drive to slave, and put it on the same channel as his hard drive.

4) Run a scandisk on your drive. Not a throurogh one, just a standard one for now.

5) If you can see your stuff on the drive and scandisk runs properly, make not of that.

6) I suggest you back up your data

If you don't have a friend, or if you were able to see your data, do the following on a comp with a CD Burner (on a CDR, not an RW!).

1) Reattach your drive (if you unattached it. Make sure to set the drive back to master).

2) Go on the internet to www.knoppix.org .

3) Switch to English, if you can't read German.

4) Follow the links to download the KNOPPIX ISO.

5) Use your burning software to 'burn an image'. This imageis the file you downoaded (you may have to set the file-type to ISO image).

6) Enjoy a coke (not coke) as you wait for your CD to burn.

7) Put the CD into the malfunctioning computer's CD Drive (or the master CD Drive, if more than one). Reboot the machine or turn it on if you magically put the CD in without opening the drive tray

8) Press enter at the loading screen.

*NOTE* 9) I forgot to mention, USB mice won't work. You need a PS/2 Mouse (or one of the other kinds of mice). A USB>PS/2 adapter should work

10) Try to load your hard drive. It should be something like hda1. You may have to mount it first. Right click on it an select mount.

11) Note if you can see your files or not.

12) Shut down by clicking the orange power button at the botton of the screen.

Monstermile · 06-05-2003, 09:56 AM

There is currently nothing on this drive. I never got beyond the install of the OS. This was a brand new build just last month. I haven't even had a chance to do anything with it as I spent a week after assembly trying to get to the root of the first problem.

Am I still going to follow that whole procedure??

Redwolf · 06-05-2003, 10:18 AM

Well, since there's nothing on the drive, don't worry about backing the thing up. Format it on the friends machine instead.

On the KNOPPIX thing, still do that. You won't have any files, but if it loads, you eliminate a faulty processor and RAM, and the controler you know is at least half-functioning.

Monstermile · 06-05-2003, 10:27 AM

Should I still put my new drive in my old machine and run scandisk?? Or is all I need to do is burn that KNOPPIX with my other machine and put the burned disc into the new machine and see what happens.

Redwolf · 06-05-2003, 10:46 AM

Since you have an old machine (which, I'm assuming, you're using the net with), put it in that machine and scandisk it. If it works, then do the KNOPPIX thing. If not, let us know.