Mend > Computer Hardware

Bad Pool caller?

I have gotten the bad pool caller error and have not been successful in reinstalling XP. Furthermore, both my harddrives have become unrecognizable to the bios. I've tried using my harddrive on another motherboard and it fried that computer too. Seems to be a virus of sorts but from reading up on the problem, now it sounds like it might be RAM or software driver...etc.. The only software driver i can think of that has been causing problems with my computer is ATI's Wonder VE TV tuner application. Never seems to run smoothly and recently I've upgraded the drivers. With the Tuner card running it always causes a crash when i'm surfing or not. This stop error though is nothing i've seen before.

My first hardrive 20gig has all my windows and utility programs. My second harddrive 200gigs has my entertainment stuff...movies, music, vids, games...etc...

I've tried running with one HD or both or switched and the BIOS doesn't want to recognize them. I tried putting the HD's in my brother-in-laws computer and it looks like it fried his computer too. His BIOS failed to recognize my HD's and his HD. Not only that, but his HD starting knocking. It has to be some sort of virus?? I don't want to lose any files from these HD's but how to i back up if i can't access them?? Is the BIOS damaged?? Can I repair the BIOS?? Its affected two computers.....what could cause this??

Please help.

Matt Thomas
December 2005

ATI Technologies ATI Technologies Wonder VE Computers, Computer Hardware Bad Pool Caller

Typically, if a BIOS doesn't recognize a hard drive, the hard drive is dead. Unless, of course, you don't have the jumper settings correct. The likelihood that your hard drive damaged your brother's hard drive is remote, unless yours are already physically damaged and you used the same power supply lead for testing all the drives. I'm a tech and I'm up against the same message in a custom built system for one of my clients. I'm going to look at RAM. For your case, first and foremost, if you have data that you don't want to lose, back it up by installing the hard drives as slave drives in known, working systems and transferring the data. If the known, working systems fail to "see" the hard drives and/or you can't run hard drive manufacturer diagnostics, like PowerMax for Maxtors, the drives are toast. Once you have backed up, take the system to its bare bones - mb, hdd, memory - and work forward, adding RAM and other items until you encounter the problem again. Hope this helps as a start.

Kathleen Novosel
December 2005