Windows 10: Removed Hard Drive, Computer still Boots with OS and apps.

I removed my hard drive from the computer, disconnected external back up ...but my computer still boots with all my apps, the O.S., everything is still there ...with no hard drive! How is this possible?

:)

 

Hard drive/ OS issue

a guy suggested :

• shutdown
• unhooked HDD
• restarted
• yay !!
• reconnected HDD
• restarted
• yay !!

also , try method 3
How do I unlock the drive where Windows 10/11 is installed?

 

Maxtor Hard Drive Beep

Maxtor drive beeps

Have a similiar situation using a DiamondMax Plus 8, 20GB Mfg Date 4/15/03. Drive used as a second system drive. Drive is recognized in boot menu but not in drive list. Drive is always connected. Computer started locking up for several seconds at a time. Chkdsk on drives and couldn't find that drive. Removed drive from bay to make sure connections were ok and heard the beeping. Shutdown and restart and never got to windows screen. Restarted several times then saw drive in boot menu and Windows loaded but Maxtor not in drive menu. When recognized in boot menu, computer will start but beeps and is not found.

Tried kicking it real hard but no improvement. Any suggestions?

 

How to Partiton a Hard Drive in Vista

This is a way to get Vista to see another hard drive that is not associated with the OS. There is some times when your new hdd doesn't seem to want to work well with Vista. But, there is a solution in it.

Open the Computer Management By doing these steps.

• Click on the Start Button
• Click on Control Panel
• Click Administrative Tools
• Double click on Computer Management

You are now in the Navigation panel of the Computer Management.
When in Computer Management, you then have to allow the new drive to be recognized.

• Double click on Storage
• Double click on Disk Management

Now in the middle of your screen there is the layout of the Disk Drives that you have. The drives that are partitioned will show by the drive lettering. The others will just show up as having nothing at all in them. Below that there will be the Disk drives that are installed into the computer. You'll see that the primary one will all ways read as "Disk 0". Then you will have Disk 1 and so on. Under the Disks there will also see your CD-Rom drives.. If there is more then one, it will be labeled the same as Disk drives..

On to the Partitioning of the drive in question.

• Right Click on the drive
• Click to format the drive or Enable Volume. There will be a series of windows that open up. This is Vista's formatting. Just go threw the windows, and make sure everything is the way you want it to happen.
• Once the formatting is done, will take some time depending on the drive size.
• Right click on the drive
• Click on Mark the Partition as Active

After you have done those steps, The drive will be up and running threw Vista.



:Side Notes:
If you are not the Administer to the Os, then you will have to enable it..
You may also want to redo the drive lettering of it all. But, I really don't see a reason to do so. If you do, you have to redo drive paths and so forth.. A lot of work on something so small...