HDD Signature conflict

[PerryM]

I changed my 500GB System HDD to a 500GB SSD, using Acronis True Image. It worked a treat and it boots Windows 7 just fine. I then wanted to re-use the original HDD as a data disk - and I erased it on another computer. I then added it to my mobo with a spare SATA port, successfully re-booted and then formatted the HDD. It warned me about a signature conflict and said it re-allocated a signature when I put it on-line. All appeared fine - it mounted and happily allows data transfers. When I next tried to boot - the computer stalled at the Windows logo screen. Invoking a 'Repair' routine resulted in a 'failed' report - with mentions of Signature problems.
To cut a long story short - much reading and trial and error experiments have led nowhere!
Surely there must be a way of wiping EVERYTHING off the drive so that I can format it from scratch with a new signature and matching MBR?
Incidentally - the system boots fine if I put the HDD in a caddy connected to the eSATA port - but obviously I don't want to run like that!

 

[drtweak]

This site may help here

http://www.howtohaven.com/system/change-disk-signature.shtml

try doing that on another PC where you don't have the issue.

Also when you "erased" you old hard drive what did you do? did you just format the drive or did you go in, delete all the partitions, and then re partition it? If all you did was format that could be the issue because you "Cloned" the disk the two disk would have the same Signature. The Signature will change ever time a drive is wiped and repartitioned. If all you did was format try plugging it into another PC, Delete all the partitions (use diskpart if you need to. If its an OEM PC sometimes they have a 39MB partition that can only be deleted in DiskPart) and then leave it with no partitions. Then toss it back in your PC, go to Disk Management, and make a new partition on that PC.

 

[DataMedic]

Try running a program like Active KillDisk to zero fill the drive (not the volume, but the whole drive). Then you can initialize and format it fresh as if it were a new drive.

You don't even have to let it finish, just let it run for a couple minutes to be sure it wipes out the partition table and file system.

The how to that drtweak posted is only necessary if you actually want to save the data that's on there. If you don't care about it, just zero fill the beginning of the drive.

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

It seems you changed the disk signature on the wrong disk and now Windows objects

Programs to completely the erase hard drive such as DBAN take a long time to run

Some of hard drive diagnostics programs can erase whole hard drive or just MBR or first track on hard drive

Hirens CD has a collection of hard drive diagnostics

Seagate diagnostics will run on any brand of hard drive
Western Digital Data Life Guard for Windows similarly runs on any brand of hard drive
(both on Hirens CD)


MBR wizard can write to MBR to erase or change or rebuild or backup MBR
at www.mbrwizard.com

Including re writing disk signature (useful if old disk still has its signature)

the GUI version is not free but command line version is

regards
Mike Barnes

 

[drtweak]

Yea I was thinking Active Kill disk as well but then he would half to download, and install it and what not, and the tutorial I found doesn't matter if has data or not on it its just something quick and easy to do.

 

[PerryM]

OK - first an apology - I am a video engineer, not a computer expert; secondly I am in UK and working around a PM work shift and dog walking etc chores!
Anyways:
1) I 'killed' the disk as suggested and it seems to have cured my signature problems.
2) The computer still hangs on the 'Start Up' screen so this may have been a red herring.
3) A 'Safe-Mode' boot reveals it gets stuck on some AVG drivers, remove AVG (Free version) and try again
3) A 'Safe-Mode' boot reveals that it gets stuck on loading the driver 'CLASSPNP.SYS'
4) If you leave it long enough (a half hour dog walk!) then it eventually boots into Safe Mode with the data disk up and running.
5) A Google search reveals dozens of strands about this subject including a fair few on this forum. Most have useless solutions like 'remove added hardware'!

Time for some details:
The computer uses an ASUS P5Q Pro mobo that has 5x SATA ports (plus 1x eSATA) on the INTEL chipset. I have these full with a 4 drive RAID and the SSD on the fifth. The board has an extra SATA chip with two ports, you can set this in the BIOS to 'Normal' to give one extra SATA port and this is what I have connected the Data drive to. The BIOS is obviously set to 'RAID' mode which is also 'IDE' mode rather than 'AHCI'. Clearly it is working - but it is apparently a problem to convince the Windows Boot routine that this is so!
Update - I have just tried again in normal Boot mode - and as per the Safe Mode, it eventually loads after about 20 mins. Is it possible that the Boot routine is performing some form of scan of the HDD?

Thanks for the help so far - I really think I'm on the edge of fixing this beast!

 

[PerryM]

Just a quick correction - apparently it is actually getting stuck on the NEXT driver - CLASSPNP.SYS is the last one to load successfully. I don't know how to find out what that next driver is.

 

[drtweak]

So if you take the old drive out does it startup just fine?

 

[PerryM]

Yes! I have since found some entries on various forums concerning this mobo and the difficulties of setting it up. It could well be that I have simply exceeded the drive capabilities! It seems to be associated with using the extra two SATA ports which work off a different controller chip. I believe my comment above on using the eSATA port (which uses the main Intel controller) is wholly pertinent.