After the OP disconnects the RAW drive from the PC and (hopefully) corrects the Windows starting and scanning problem there will ultimately be the question of how to fix the RAW drive.
Should that question be handled in this thread, or should a new thread be created so our disk experts can see it and respond?
I have no idea what Disk 1 is, to be honest. If I ever messed around with these settings, it must've been a time ago and I don't remember why I did it. How do I chkdsk that particular one?Melannin,
What is that Disk 1 [the RAW drive]? Have you tried setting it up and then seeing what happens when you run that chkdsk command on it?
What is that Disk 4 [drive G]? Have you tried removing it?
I do not understand your problems with the Repair install procedure.
- What media is the installation 'disk' / ISO on?
- How did you make it?
- Are you sure it matches your x86 / x64 Windows installation?
Denis
I've downloaded the installation for both USB and on my Desktop, following the instructions from the tenforums thread on it. I just got the download from the link there. I'm assuming it's x64, since that's what I'm using (I'm pretty sure? There wasn't an option for something else, as far as I saw anyway).They both give the same results.
I could only label 2 of them. There wasn't an option to label the other. But I did, yes, and it didn't show up in mountvol.
I just tried that earlier, disconnecting all Drives except the one I got Windows installed on, but it hangs on some black screen that tells me Windows failed to start up, and that I need to insert a Boot disk to repair (something along those lines). I've inserted the USB with the Windows installation, but using repair and then trying to fix Windows start-up gives a message that says it could find nothing to fix. Trying to re-install Windows while keeping my files gives me saying it can't do that from this place.
I'll just try to re-install completely, I guess. (also not sure why it messed up my text formatting.. RIP)
If you eventually decide to do a Clean Installation, be sure to disconnect all disks but the one you want to install the OS on, including any external drives and printers connected by USB. Simplify the system for install.
As for the statement: "I have no idea what Disk 1 is, to be honest" : this is troubling. Lets see if we can sort that one out.
Your Disk Management shows 5 disks:
Disk 0 (Bunker Disk) is a 3TB volume. Most likely a spinning HDD (unless you have lots of money for a 3TB SSD).
Disk 1 is a 2TB volume. Again, most likely a spinning HDD.
Disk 2 is a 250GB volume. This could be a Nvme SSD, an SSD drive, or a spinning HDD. You should let us know which.
Disk 3 is another 3TB volume. (Battle Disk)
Disk 4 is probably a printer, with a USB port or Card Reader, that is showing up as a drive. You could disconnect the printer to test to see if this "drive" disappears afterward.
You want to identify each physical storage device (drive) connected to the PC. Your eyes, not Diskpart or anything else. You want to be able to look at Disk management and point to the device you see listed there.
The big spinning hard drives would be pretty hard to miss.
If you are saying that there is no physical hard drive/disk that corresponds to Disk 2 that would be a very important piece of information. It could mean the ISO was mounted.
We need to get a clear picture of your PC in our heads in order to sort this out. The more information, the better.
Melannin,
mngerhold's idea is very good. It seems able to positively identify the mystery volume.
- I tried it and the response even included the ESP label of the EFI system partition. It did not label one remaining partition but, since it was the only unlabelled one, I knew it was the Recovery partition.
Denis
Okay, so I removed my disks, except the 250GB SSD where I had Windows on. I completely cleaned it and re-installed Windows 10 on it. Note, despite being unplugged, it still displayed my 2TB HDD during the set-up...
Current state of things:
It still starts up slow, but the message on start-up now shows it's scanning and repairing drive E (the 2TB HDD). On explorer, it's displayed as a Local Disk (E:), without anything else to it. Opening it takes minutes, and gives a message it needs to be formatted before I can use it. Cancelling formatting gives a
"E:\ is not accessible.
The volume does not contain a recognized file system.
Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded and that the volume is not corrupted."
Starting up the computer without the disk connected results in no error at all, and starting up fast as it should. I mean, I backed up pretty much everything of value like 2 days ago, so it shouldn't be too bad if formatting is the only way to fix this thing...
This is my Disk Management window now:
Melannin,
It seems to me that "it still displayed my 2TB HDD during the set-up..." must mean that the disk was still connected.
The next task is, as you say, to re-connect then set up the 2TB disk - initialise [not needed in this case], create a volume on it [probably also not needed in this case], format it.
Initialize new disks, create new volume, format - MSDocs
You can then restore the original C:\ drive image to the new C:\ drive if you want. This would avoid your having to repeat your Windows setting up, application installations, application setting up, ... but you might prefer to start from this new basis [the new installation] instead, particularly if you only had a few applications beforehand.
I hope you do make a new system image very soon.
I would like to see the lower part of the Disk mgmt diagram as well. I think the upper part [with the data] indicates that there are no surprises there but ...
How to post a screenshot of Disk management - TenForumsTutorials
Denis
Is it possible you have a M.2 drive in this PC?
Did you build this rig, or did you get it pre-assembled?
You show a 2TB HDD in your System Specs.
Is that just because it is reported?
This is a real mystery. I, for one, would want to solve it.
Even if you can format this phantom hard disk and write data to it I would still want to know what it is!
Yes - agreed.
But if it's not a phantom then it should be able to be disconnected.
Milennum - If Disk 1 is a real, physical HDD installed in the case please say so and put me out of my misery!
No, I'm pretty sure it was disconnected. I have 3 disks (1 SSD, 2 HDD), and both HDD were not connected during the Windows 10 install. I know which one it is, because I disconnected it again later to check if it would fix the start-up times.
There is no option for me to initialize the 2TB disk (E:), so I assume I'm going to have to format it then?
I'll upload the full Disk Management. Sorry, should have done that from the start.
I've built it, with the help of a friend, like 4 years ago. Actually, my previous 2TB disk broke last year (after years of making that ticking noise) and had to replace it with a new one. That's when I also added the 3TB disk.
Currently, I'm not hearing the ticking noise, with the 2TB disk not being active.
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