BIG boot-up problem. Please help.

[Yenix]

Yesterday my Thinkpad 600 did not boot-up and just showed the error code 174.
I found out this should be the HDD, so I've tried it in another computer and it works normally. When I get to setup testing section, the HDD icon is greyed-out.
I've also tried to boot form CD, and it works, but I cannot access the HDD.
Any ideas?

I noticed that the HDD is connected directly to system board, so there are no cables to be loose. I'm starting to get mad...

What should I do?

[Rob Mayercik]

Try removing and reseating the drive a couple of times.

The pins in the socket might be dirty from age, or you may just not have it docked fully.

When I first installed the E7K60 inmy 600, the machine wouldn't recognize it - a couple of reseatings later, I was up and running.

Rob

[Laptop_wizard]

Try freezing the Hard Drive over night, and load it cold. You can also slap it on your hand a few times, and spin it, to put the readers back into place, I have recovered a few hardrives with these teqniques, including a thinkpad hardrive, where I had the same problem, and slapped it onto my hand a few times, (slap it on the bottom in a downward motion)
Hope that helps.

[LtTPfan]

If the above doesn't work, tap it with an 8lb sledge hammer. That will fix it permanently so you won't have to worry about it anymore.

[pcnoob]

or try to toss it like a football across a lake.

[protopipnit]

I'm working on the same problem-it's either in the BIOS the CMOS or the HDD boot track- somehow the HDD device driver is not getting installed on boot up. In my case I intentionally disabled it while in WIN 98se-now i'm trying to get it enabled again -but the symptoms are the same as yours-don't panic keep searching I'll let you know if I get mine going again.

[Yenix]

Well, the sledge hammer works!

Huh. I've solved my problem. I bought new 40G toshiba drive and it works fine. But I do not understand why the old hard drive works in any other computer but this thinkpad... %)

Thanks for your support.

Y.

[GomJabbar]

You may have a Dynamic Drive Overlay (software translation) layer on the hard drive so that the BIOS can read it. The BIOS on the other computer may not need the Dynamic Drive Overlay to read the hard drive. It's possible that this Dynamic Drive Overlay (software translation) layer got corrupted so that it no longer works. See following site for more info, and check out the Dynamic Drive Overlay link on the page. http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/bios/modes.htm

[protopipnit]

I got both of my 600E's to work again by booting into the safe mode F8 during start up, and then reenabling the master bus controller-but I think my problem was different even tho the symptoms were the same.