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Solve : An HDD Format problem?

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My 3 gig 1996 hard drive has been partitioned (a LONG time ago) and worked fine until recently.
The first partition still works, its in FAT16 format, the second partition appears in FDISK, but has no format what so ever. I don't really want to delete the partition with no format.

The last time the second partition (the one that has no format now) worked, was before I upgraded DOS to version 6.22 (it was stuck at a VERY makeshift version of 4.01 )and I am supposing this was the cause, but how do I fix it?

Also, after upgrading, I had problems. So I formatted drive C:\ (only the FAT16 drive, not the second partition) so I could do a fresh install, and then I installed DOS 6.22, and drive D:\ was no longer present.

I cant see D:\ in Windows 3.1, or DOS 6.22.

(C:\ is the FAT16 drive partition that was reformatted;
D:\ was the drive that was probably once FAT16, but lost its FAT16 format, this D: is the actual DOS Extended drive)

OS: Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS Version 6.22; 90MHz processor, and SOMEWHERE around 19MB RAM, with 3 GB hard drive... (its a Gateway laptop) it only has a few minor, detected, bad clusters... Scandisk was run recently

(BTW: I believe that this QUALIFIES for more than one category, and that's why its here in the "Others" section... its kind of a mix of Microsoft Windows, DOS, and Hardware... so I put it here)D: needs to be formatted first before you can use it....Quote

D: needs to be formatted first before you can use it....
It was formatted, and I did nothing to unformat it in any way.
D:\ is not detected by DOS or Windows at all, the only thing that seems to notice it is myself (seeing that I am missing 1.5GB ) and the program FDISK.... I was hoping to recover without loss of data, if there is any way, if no one comes up with it here, I will try answers.yahoo, and then I will give up, and delete the partition.

Wait... I don't have FIPS anywhere right now (excluding Linux disk) but will it allow you to give a partition a format?If it can't be seen by Fdisk you'd think it's not assigned a drive letter. You don't need to format it, but you can try assigning it a drive letter with a Windows XP PC and take your data off?Quote
If it can't be seen by Fdisk you'd think it's not assigned a drive letter. You don't need to format it, but you can try assigning it a drive letter with a Windows XP PC and take your data off?
It can be seen by FDISK, and it does not have a drive letter in FDISK...

I cant exactly plug this hard drive into a Windows XP computer... it has a custom connection to the laptop that isn't found in computers.Quote
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If it can't be seen by Fdisk you'd think it's not assigned a drive letter. You don't need to format it, but you can try assigning it a drive letter with a Windows XP PC and take your data off?
It can be seen by FDISK, and it does not have a drive letter in FDISK...

I cant exactly plug this hard drive into a Windows XP computer... it has a custom connection to the laptop that isn't found in computers.

That's what I meant to say, but I was too tired to correct my self.

So it's a laptop HDD? Have you thought of a conversion kit should the data be very important?A conversion kit?Quote
A conversion kit?

google

Our Own Tutorial

patio. 8-)Quote
Quote
A conversion kit?

google

Our Own Tutorial

patio. 8-)
Well... I DONT exactly see how that helps. This tutorial is for Windows XP Commands, and I don't have Windows XP... I have Ye-Old Original actual DOS 6.22Quote
Quote
Quote
A conversion kit?

google

Our Own Tutorial

patio. 8-)
Well... I dont exactly see how that helps. This tutorial is for Windows XP Commands, and I don't have Windows XP... I have Ye-Old Original actual DOS 6.22

I inadvertantly sent you some of the newer info i was reading up on...

Start Here...

patio. 8-)Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
A conversion kit?

google

Our Own Tutorial

patio. 8-)
Well... I dont exactly see how that helps. This tutorial is for Windows XP Commands, and I don't have Windows XP... I have Ye-Old Original actual DOS 6.22

I inadvertantly sent you some of the newer info i was reading up on...

Start Here...

patio. 8-)
... Invertible sent information read, but not processing.

Just some FYI: I dont see option 5 at allI'll try again...

The FDisk tutorial takes you thru the entire process step by step.

Try from the beginning and read carefully.

patio.Quote
I'll try again...

The FDisk tutorial takes you thru the entire process step by step.

Try from the beginning and read carefully.

patio.
I have read from the beginning, and I have gone through the DOS 6.22 FDISK, but what do you want me to do? (and yes, I will look again, earlier, I just didn't have any PATIENTS)Quote
A conversion kit?

Yes, so that you can connect a laptop HDD to a desktop computer. Like an external HDD casing, but for 2.5" HDD's.


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