What is the problem when the HD is not recognised at all?

[Richard]

It's happened about 3 times now and always gives me a fright.

I'm surfing and maybe I come across a webpage that causes my PC to lock.
Only option is to pull the plug from the mains. Normally Scandisk will start
and the PC will boot up, but occasionally I will get boot failure. I put in
A: the disk uitilty that came with my HD and it cannot even find the drive.

I think I always solve this problem by opening up my PC, making my HD slave,
temporarily connecting another HD as master. I just did that and saw that
when I did DIR in DOS for D: my PC was now accessing my HD, because it
showed files. Then I removed the temporary HD, connected up my HD as master
again and hey presto Scandisk ran then my PC booted up.

Before doing this I went into BIOS but all seemed as normal. What is it that
stops the PC being completely unable to see my HD? When not even the HD
utilty can detect it. I did at one point get a message concerning FAT not
being there or something. Can I sort this problem without having to do what
I've been doing to sort it? TIA.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

It's happened about 3 times now and always gives me a fright.

I'm surfing and maybe I come across a webpage that causes my PC to lock.
Only option is to pull the plug from the mains. Normally Scandisk will start
and the PC will boot up, but occasionally I will get boot failure. I put in
A: the disk uitilty that came with my HD and it cannot even find the drive.

I think I always solve this problem by opening up my PC, making my HD slave,
temporarily connecting another HD as master. I just did that and saw that
when I did DIR in DOS for D: my PC was now accessing my HD, because it
showed files. Then I removed the temporary HD, connected up my HD as master
again and hey presto Scandisk ran then my PC booted up.

Before doing this I went into BIOS but all seemed as normal.

What is it that stops the PC being completely unable to see my HD?

Overheating might be a cause when a power reset doesn't help.