Greetings, everyone.

As this is a question that has been asked very frequently on these forums, the search function unfortunately couldn't help me very much. I have a problem that has frustrated me to no end, and I don't know how to fix it.

To get specific, I have an IDE HDD which -- according to TestDisk and various other utilities on the UBCD -- seemingly checks out fine. However, Windows will not start if this slave HDD is connected.

The master HDD is a SATA drive which functions just fine. If I disconnect the IDE HDD, Windows starts with no problem. However, once I plug the IDE HDD in (and it is set to slave, though I've tried it with cable select and other functions), Windows won't get past the initial "Windows XP" startup screen. Everything goes black, the logon window never appears, and that's that.

As I thought there could be something wrong with the MBR on the IDE HDD, I tried using the Recovery Console. However, with that HDD connected, the Recovery Console will not start. It goes to a blue screen (not a BSOD, just a solid blue screen) and no further.

So, I have since used various analysis tools, MBRwork, TestTool, and so on, and Windows still will not boot if this HDD is connected. The BIOS says the drive is there and everything is reported correctly. TestTool lists all the directories, says the structure is OK, and I can view all the files. I really don't even want this HDD to be fully functional again, I just want to get all the files off it!

Is there any utility I can use that doesn't require booting into Windows which will copy all of the files over to the fully functional SATA drive? I'm at the end of my rope here.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Bizarre problem. It sounds like it could be a number of issues (hdd driver, hdd controller, filesystem, BIOS...). Jumper settings?



If you're intending to use DOS,

Testdisk 6.10
viewtopic.php?t=1557

Should be fairly straightforward. Simply connect both drives, boot into a DOS environment and begin TestDisk. From there, you should be able to transfer all your files over from your old drive (LFN intact).

Alternatively, try a linux environment such as Parted Magic (joy).

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