Member Avatar for somedood

Ok, for some odd reason my secondary "slave" hard drive just messed up on me.

It doesn't show up on "My Computer", "Device Manager", and BIOS. and it makes my Primary "Master" not show up on BIOS only.

and before it stopped working it, windows xp said some thing like. "Write Queue Failed". and a couple of days ago it did show on bios and Devise manager, but not on "My Computer".

its a Fujitsu, by the way.

and its 40gigs.

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Brief context and priority: described an IDE secondary drive that stopped being seen reliably by BIOS and by Windows, with earlier write/queue errors. That pattern most often indicates a physical problem at the hardware layer — the disk itself, the IDE cable or connectors, the power feed, or the motherboard IDE channel — rather than a simple Windows-only fault. ’s suggestion to test the drive as the only device on a cable is a good isolation step; the notes below expand that into a safe, ordered troubleshooting sequence and data-recovery caution.

Recommended, ordered checks (power off before changing jumpers/cables)

  • Re-seat both the ribbon (IDE) cable and the Molex power plug. Inspect pins for bent/broken metal and the cable for kinks.
  • Swap the IDE cable for a known-good 80-conductor cable (older narrow/40-wire cables can cause UDMA problems). Also try a different Molex power lead from the PSU.
  • Test the suspect drive as the only drive on a channel, with its jumper set appropriately for single-drive operation. This isolates master/slave jumper interactions.
  • Move the drive to a different IDE channel or another PC, or attach it via a USB–IDE adapter. Intermittent visibility on different hosts points to the drive; visibility only on one host points to the original motherboard or cable.
  • If the drive is intermittently detected, create a sector-level image (imaging tools that tolerate read errors are best). Do not run chkdsk or repeatedly power-cycle a drive that makes clicking sounds — that can accelerate failure.

Diagnostics and likely outcomes

  • If the drive does not spin up, clicks, or shows no presence on multiple machines, it is most likely a mechanical failure and professional recovery may be required for important data.
  • If the drive is seen consistently after cable/jumper/power swaps, replacement of the cable or moving the drive to a different channel is a cost-effective fix.
  • If SMART or manufacturer diagnostics report errors, plan for replacement and image any recoverable data immediately.

Caution: minimize power cycles and avoid invasive fixes if the data is critical; imaging is the safest first step when a failing drive is intermittently accessible.

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Member Avatar for Chaky

By the looks of it, it's a dead fujitsu.

Is it on same IDE channel as master? (You did say PRIMARY master and SECONDARY slave)
If it is not then it must be set to master mode also.
Slave drive without master (on the same channel) can mess up BIOS HD detection.
Only, XP bypasses BIOS, when it comes to detecting drives.
Try seting it on master mode, and it just could bring it back to life.

Member Avatar for somedood

By the looks of it, it's a dead fujitsu.

Is it on same IDE channel as master? (You did say PRIMARY master and SECONDARY slave)
If it is not then it must be set to master mode also.
Slave drive without master (on the same channel) can mess up BIOS HD detection.
Only, XP bypasses BIOS, when it comes to detecting drives.
Try seting it on master mode, and it just could bring it back to life.

'

ya its on the same one, and its set on slave, and sometimes it makes my XP boot up really slow, for some reason.

ill try putting it on Master alone a little later today.

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