Error 200 : Failure fixed disk 0

[karim_ps]

Hi There
First of all I've done some pretty good research I already know this is caused by a HDD issue. I have an IBM ThinkPad T41 (2373-7FG) laptop. After about 40 second of power up logo (Freezes) I get this message "ERROR 0200: Failure Fixed Disk 0" and it stayed in the BIOS screen. I figured it was an HDD issue but when i reboot the computer several times i got it work just fine with no HDD noise at all and a good HDD speed . So could someone tells me what the hell is this?I'm sure that it's an IDE controller soldering issue ,so What could be causing this ? I'm about to break this machine , i became hate these computers ,i was really scared of the famous GPU issue ,i was always keep it at a low hotness to avoid that issue by reducing the Performance and the screen brightness and usually take care of it as high as possible .but the problem is its not an old Computer i bought it used but just like new with no crashes no scratches or even a small issue about 3 mouths ago and the battery is great too, i have no warranty nothing ,and now it stills all new everything works just fine (unless that issue) ,I'm really confused cause repairing computers is my job ,i usually repair people's computers so how came i can't repair mine i really wanna switch to Sony VAIO,cause Sony is as better as this Company (Sorry Americans But I'm very mad cause i lost about 350 bucks in just 3 months) i always don't find any problems with Sony's computers ,I'm not biased cause i really love IBM and that's not mean i gave up loving it ,i really need this Lapy cause of my daily life depending on it ,and i don't wanna take it apart to repair it as this my cause a terrible mess too its parts and never got it work as before

Sorry for my sucks English

[richk]

Do you have some sort of diagnostic program? You can download PC Doctor from IBM site.

[karim_ps]

Do you have some sort of diagnostic program? You can download PC Doctor from IBM site.

i downloaded it ,ran the test and everything went just fine no errors was detected at all ,i also set the bios to default but no way ,i'm sure that it's a motherboard issue

[rkawakami]

First thing you should do if there is any important data on the disk... backup the contents of that hard drive the next time it works. It might be a question of a bad IDE interface on the motherboard but it could also be the hard drive starting to die.

Once you have a full backup of the drive, then you can start running some hard drive diagnostics. PC Doctor for DOS contains a Fixed Disk test section. It tests the disk controller and performance of the disk drive using several tests. None of them is designed to write over the data but it is still a good idea to have the backup just in case something bad does happen. There are also diagnostic programs specifically designed to work with certain hard drives. Hitachi has DFT (Drive Fitness Test), Seagate has SeaTools; Google the hard drive maker, model number and the words "diagnostic software" and you should find some information.

A disk error like you received could be several things. It might be fixed if you simply execute a "fdisk /mbr" command from a DOS boot disk or utility. It may require a complete re-format. Or like you say, it could be the disk controller on the motherboard. If you have another disk drive, try using that one in your T41 and see if it results in the same error. That would point the fault to the motherboard. Without running some diagnostic tests, we are just guessing what the problem is.

[karim_ps]

thanks everybody for those solutions ,but i'm sure that the problem is not with my HDD cause when its freezes (on IBM start up logo) the HDD indicator led doesn't flash or makes any reaction ,so how could it be the HDD ,i still using this Lapy (i'm on it right now) the problem is not repetitive but i have to reboot it from 3 to 7 times or more to got it boot every time i wanna use the computer

[richk]

It certainly sounds like the motherboard, but there is one more thing I would try. Pull the disk out of the machine and try booting from a CD or just going into the BIOS. It is possible the disk has a problem just at power-up.

[rkawakami]

I wouldn't put too much faith in the hard drive LED being a truthful indication of the source of the failure. Without knowing exactly when and why the LED flashes (is it in response to a command that was sent by the disk controller or does it does always blink when the disk controller issues a command?), it would be hard to assign blame for the problem. If you positively know the answer to those questions, then that would certainly help in the diagnosis.

Another thing to try the next time the system "freezes" at the IBM splash screen: You say that the system then displays the BIOS screen. If you can, see if the BIOS has recognized the hard drive by looking at the Startup/Boot menu and see if there is a "+" sign in front of the "Hard Drive" line. If so, you can highlight that line and press the Return key to see the drive details. In that case the BIOS has registered the disk drive so at least some of the IDE interface is working.

[karim_ps]

Does PC Doctor (Bootable CD) test the HDD Controller and/or IDE Controller ?

Additional info : My HDD is a Fujitsu MHT2040Ah ATA Drive

[rkawakami]

Yes, PC Doctor for DOS (bootable CD or diskettes) contains a test section named "Controller" under the Fixed Disk tests. I'm assuming that it checks both sides of the IDE controller channel for proper operation. If the system does not "see" any hard drive, the test cannot be executed.

[karim_ps]

Thank ya rkawakami

[karim_ps]

are there any other thoughts to try ??? any suggestion will be appreciated

[BeeJayEmm]

Here is a link to Fujitsu's hard drive diagnostic tool. It's the U.S. version; I don't know if you need a different one. Unzip and run it to create a bootable program disk, maybe on another computer. It should help you determine if the disk is good or not. I reiterate Ray's sage advice: backup your hard disk now before doing anything else! Best of luck.

[zdriver]

This is a classic hard drive failure, the thinkpad is waiting for the drive to come ready from a cold boot. It is an early warning of a failing drive. It will probably pass the diags once it initializes and shows ready. If you have another known good notebook ATA drive to temporarily put in the T41, you can verify the thinkpad is ok.
I would take RK.....'s advice and back it up if you have any important data on there.
Sorry but even a Sony is not immune to this problem....

[karim_ps]

OK i have another TOSHIBA 40GB ATA drive ,so i will give it a try

thanks

[karim_ps]

i ran PC doctor from the bootable disc ,did all the tests no error was detected at all the controller seems fine and the HDD too,so could someone justify ??

[SMA]

The signal that makes the HDD indicator blink is generated by the device (in this case a hard drive).
It can be found on pin 39 of a standard IDE connector, its name is DASP- and its meaning is Drive Active.

This makes the HDD indicator very reliable during normal operation since it is at the very end of the signal flow.
It also makes this indicator off little use when it comes to diagnosing problems. It can only tell whether or not the signal chain is broken, it does not help in identifying where the chain is broken.

Documentation of the ATA interface can be found at www.t13.org

[karim_ps]

new info

today i discovered that when i power the system up while pressing the right side of trackpad (beside the trackpad) ,it does boot from the first time,so is it the famous GPU issue ,does the GPU issue has any relation with the system boot or the hard drive controller ?

[richk]

I'm guessing it is actually the southbridge chip that has the failed solder connections. It is another large chip near the GPU.