hi,every body; i have faced a serious problem regarding my desktop pc.The hard disk probably has failed. When I started to boot the machine, it displays "primary master hard disk error", and it could'nt reboot at all. when I inserted CD with windows xp operating system and entered into setup the four partions what I have in hard disk coud'nt be detected.The error message is "unkwon hard disk" and a warning message about the severity of the problem has been displayed. I would like to thank in advance if any body can find a solution about this problem urgently. I have a lot of data concerning about my thesis work; if not how can i back up my data since there might be disk failure at all? urgent please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If it's very important data I wouldn't risk trying any home remedies - bite the bullet & get a data recovery company to sort it out - prices are better than they used to be. "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us..."

You could try a live version of Linux, like Knoppix. If the hard drive is rotating, which sounds like the case, then Knoppix, or a data recovery program may be able to access and copy the data to another accessible media. If the drive is making noise then total failure is imminent. You need to prioritize what you need to recover and look for THAT data first. Knoppix can access most any media your computer has available. Get Knoppix at the link below. Knoppix installs to and runs from one CDR or DVDR. So you need to download using a computer with burning capability and a fast connection. Knoppix is 696MB. After you are done recovering essential data there are some methods you could try to repair the drive. http://www.soft32.com/Download/Free...

hi,Othehill , really I apperciate ur response with the possible solutions for my problem.let me tell u the status of the hard drive.When I started to boot it, at first , there is some kind of scratching or hissing sound.After that it becomes dead.there is no any kind of symbol to indicate its functionality. Do u think that the hard disk has failed completely?

If the hard drive is being properly identified by model and capacity in the POST screens at start up then the drive may be OK. Are you sure the noise is coming from the hard drive? Your description doesn't sound typical. Usually a mechanical failure is indicated by clicking or a rumbling noise if it is the bearings.

hi,OtheHill, thanks for ur fast rseponse.The hard drive could'nt be detected by the operating system.I have checked it in the setup during start up and even I tried to connect it as secondary slave on the other computer ,but it was not detected at all.What do u think about the status of this drive? thank u in advance for ur kind response.

Is the hard drive detected in the BIOS, or, as OtheHill mentioned, in the POST screens at start up ?