I booted using the Windows XP install CD but after setup loaded all the drivers, when it tries to load Windows XP setup, it gives the blue screen and says there is some problem with the hard drive and I should chkdsk /f
it first. So I go to my BIOS and change the hard disk interface from AHCI to IDE and now I am able to continue with the setup.
- What is the difference between AHCI and IDE, and why does it matter for Windows XP installs? Windows 7 CD seems to reach the installation start screen just fine.
With HDD interface changed to IDE, I can reach the point where I can choose the drive in which to install windows, it shows me the two partitions in the drive (C and D) as well as their size, but it says it cannot determine the file format (although I know both are ntfs). If I try to delete the C partition or try to install windows on it, it simply tells me that Windows cannot be installed.
- I am almost certain the hard disk is about to fail but for the time being, is there any thing that can be done to install Windows XP on it and use the hard disk for as long as it works?
What I have tried:
I can boot the computer using a live USB of puppy linux. I can mount the C or D partitions, but it takes a lot of time, and it also shows me an error that says it could not mount using ntfs-3g and will be using the default ntfs drivers, which made the c and d partitions mount as read-only. Trying to see the partitions using gparted also takes a very long time. fdisk -l
does show me all the attached disks and partitions as well, but it also takes a long time.
I booted the computer using NTFS4DOS which was on an old cd I had, called Ultimate Windows Boot Disk (or something, I think it was called UBCD). I tried chkdsk from here, but it just shows me some errors and does not perform chkdsk.
--- Edit ---
Thanks for the replies
I opened up the laptop and now I can see that removing the hdd is fairly easy and it looks like if I buy a new hdd I should be able to replace it myself
However one thing is still bothering me
I initially thought that the hard disk would contain everything from the memory device to the required controller circuit and interfaces for the motherboard
But now that I have opened up the laptop I see that the hard disk is not directly connected to the motherboard but is connected to another circuit board, which is then connected to the motherboard
Here's a picture (the thing I'm talking about is in the rectangular box):
Is there any way I can make certain that the problem is with the HDD and not with something else, before buying a new HDD? I do not have another laptop to test it out so software solutions I can try out using this single computer would be more helpful.
UPDATE:
I also tried out Seatools for DOS from Seagate and both it's short and long tests fail on the harddrive.
Also, the Blue screen error I mentioned before, if it's relevant:
UPDATE 2:
Here are the error messages from Windows XP setup