Hi, I am working on an Acer Laptop that won't boot up. I keep getting the error message 0200: Failure Fixed Disk 0. I booted up with the Windows Disk and re formatted the Hard Drive, I then installed Windows and all seemed fine, I turned it on and off several times that day to check it was all ok and it booted up everytime without the 0200 error message. I then came to turn it on the next day and I got the 0200 error message again, I went into the BIOS and changed the boot priority order to put IDE 0 first, after doing this it booted up fine, again I turned it on and off all day without any error messages. I came to turn it on yesterday to check it and guess what, the 0200 message was back. I checked the BIOS and IDE 0 was still the first boot priority. I am completly confused by this, I don't think it is an error with the Hard Drive as I was able to format it and get it working and then the next day I was able to get it working by changing the boot priority order in the BIOS. Just to be sure I put in another Hard Drive which is working absolutly fine and I still get the 0200 error message. The only thing I have noticed is that where it puts the name of the Hard Drive in the BIOS, it is giving me a very strange name! HTSu4q0v0G9ATp0```-(PM) Serial Number : ```MP2wMBXDGvLwSH It also had a similar name when I installed the other Hard Drive with lots of ````` in the name. I have never seen this before on a Hard Drive name. Can anyone make any sense of this problem as it is completly baffling me. I have looked online but so far found nothing to help me rectify this problem. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated. Cheers, Andy

mmm... not one I've come across before either. Some general ideas - 'cos that's all I can offer just now. "All" internal connections OK? Does the date etc. remain correct "when" you do manage to get it to boot; I'm basically skirting around a cmos battery failure or at least starting to fail - and thus require a new one? If you manually set the HD details (as opposed to auto-detect) does it still give the problem(s)? It "might" be the HD on-board controller; mention that one as there was an incident here a little while back to that effect?

Not too sure what internal connections to check as it is a laptop. The date and time is fine. How do I manually set the HD details? How do I determine if it is the HD on-board controller and if it is how do i rectify this?

I suggest you run a drive fitness test on the hard drive. You can get a customized test for your brand of drive from the drive manufacturers' site. Download and burn to CDR. Then boot to the CDR to run the test.

Have you ever done a Web Search for 0200: Failure Fixed Disk 0 Lots of results come up. Some from Computing.net In one from CN, many Responses say that have had that problem with their Acer laptop One reports it is the seating of the HDD.

"Drive in the BIOS, it is giving me a very strange name!" "HTSu4q0v0G9ATp0```-(PM)" That indicates a communication problem (probably dropping a bit). It's most likely a poor connection between the drive and the laptop. If there is an adapter between the drive and the laptop, that might be the problem.

If the drive fails the fitness test then open the laptop up and check the cable connection and run the fitness test again.