Can't find drive after reloading XP OS

Dear Data Doctors:

I love your site. It is helpful and easy to understand.

I am a disabled, wheelchair-bound, retired Vietnam War Veteran living in a rurally-isolated area of Northern California with no computer technical assistance available locally. Dell Computers and Microsoft's telephone technical support haven't been able to help me with my problem.

My Dell Dimension 8300 Desktop system has a primary hard drive "C" on which I have the OS and program files and applications, as well as a second hard drive "F" on which I have all my data, documents, folders, Word and text files and Internet web sites/pages (URL's).

After reloading Window's XP Home Edition with Dell's telephone technical support and disconnecting the "F" hard drive ribbon cable while I performed the reloading, when I reconnected the "F" hard drive ribbon cable after the reloading, I now can't find the "F" drive. While it doesn't show the "F" hard drive on My Computer page, other parts of the system shows the F drive is present. Also, Drives "A", "D" and "E" are fine, and everything else in functioning okay.

How do I find the "hidden" "F" hard drive without reformating it and thus deleting all my important data, documents, folders, Word, text files and Internet web sites/pages (URL's) on it.

Thank you.

Rick Kropp

Clearlake, CA

[email protected]

This question was answered on May 8, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Try doing thses steps:

Turn off PC.

Reconnect your F hard drive ribbon cable.

Now turn on PC

Click on the start menu

Go to control panel

You may want to switch category view You can do that by clicking on the upper left hand corner on the link

After that click on Add Hardware From there, follow the steps and you should be able to add drive F

About the author

Posted by Doonarine of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on May 8, 2004

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