XP Pro will not see my hard disk drive in my computer but does in disk management

> When I go into disk management it shows there with no letter assigned,
> states that it is healthy and active.

so have you tried to assign a letter to it?

Did you use Roxio GoBack?

If so:

This problem may occur if you have used the Roxio GoBack program on the hard disk. The problem occurs because Roxio GoBack modifies the master boot record (MBR) and changes the partition type on the hard disk. This can cause the drive to be inaccessible in Windows XP, even when the hard disk appears in Device Manager and in Disk Management console.

try this link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330140/en-us

If not...

there are several freeware and shareware programs that can look into your partitions, even if windows doesn't see them.

go to computer managment -> disk management and assign a letter to it

Thank you all for your response. I did not have nor I use Roxio GoBack. I use symantec, but that was on my original hard drive. I have since reinstalled windows on the primary hard drive. As far as assigning a letter to the drive, my only option given is to delete partition. I cannot lose the information. What programs do you think might help? Thanks again for your help. The search continues for an answer.

I don't know for sure, but If you used Symantec (who bought Roxio) while your second drive was connected, it may have messed with the partition, and may depend on the program to be recognized.  I don't know,

but...

I will give you a link that may help you identify your partitions and repair them, if necessary...

but I really would first contact Symantec to see if there's still a glitch.

Messing with partions can be risky, and there may be an easier fix.

I'll see about researching this GoBack issue further.

Try this link:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1139&page=2

getbackdata (not free)
findntsf (free)

Lots of options in easy to follow steps at the above link..
but again, I'd check with Symantec

Symantec GoBack does make changes to boot sector and computer.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/goback.nsf/5b743b76ae6f8f5388256d4200687f48/65fc20ff5295699e88256d19004be7ad?OpenDocument&src=bar_sch_nam&seg=ag

I pasted the following info from Symantec's supoort site.
It doesn't exactly solve your problem, but demonstrates that any drive proteced by GoBack has low level installation.  The link above has the fix, but requires a boot disk. Check it out..I'm sure it's your solution!

_Symantec text below:________________________________________________________
How to install a new hard drive on a computer with GoBack installed

Situation:

You are planning to install a new hard drive, and need to know what to do about GoBack.

Solution:
You must disable or uninstall GoBack before you install a new hard drive or move an existing hard drive onto in your system. This is because of the low level at which GoBack installs on a system.

If you are adding a new hard drive to your computer and you want to have GoBack protect the new drive, you must uninstall GoBack using Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel. Reinstall GoBack after the drive is installed.

If you are adding a new hard drive to your system and are keeping any existing hard drives, but you do not want GoBack to protect the new drive, you may simply disable GoBack before you add the new hard drive. Once the new hard drive is installed, re-enable GoBack and it will protect only the original hard drives that it was installed on.

By using the Custom Install option when installing GoBack you have the option to select which hard drives you want GoBack to protect.




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Note: When you disable or uninstall GoBack you will lose all your current GoBack history. Once you re-enable or reinstall GoBack, it will begin creating a new history.

This is solution pasted from Symantecs support.:

To remove the changes that GoBack made to the boot record

Create a Windows Startup disk under Windows 98/Me. For more information, see the document How to create a Windows Startup disk.

Copy the Gb_prog.exe file to the Windows Startup disk. If there is not enough room to copy Gb_prog.exe to the Windows Startup disk, then copy Gb_prog.exe to a separate floppy disk.

On the computer that you want to remove the GoBack changes from, insert the Windows Startup disk and then start the computer. The computer has finished starting when you see an A:\> prompt and a blinking cursor.

Insert the disk that has the Gb_prog.exe file.

Type gb_prog.exe /u and then press Enter.

The utility removes the changes that GoBack made to the boot sector and the partition table and further troubleshooting can proceed. If this method does not successfully remove GoBack from the boot record, then see the document Cannot start Windows after installing GoBack.


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Notes:
This process does not entirely remove the GoBack program. Use the Add/Remove Programs utility in the Windows Control Panel to remove the rest of the GoBack program.
If your computer does not have a floppy disk drive, read the document Creating a bootable CD while troubleshooting a GoBack problem.

can you try recovering the data on another PC ?

If you plan on using GoBack on this system, reinstalling it on your primary drive will probably allow you to see the secondary drive.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am going to attempt to uninstall norton goback and try that method.

I will keep everyone informed as to the progress, if any.

Thank you

First, Thank you all for your help. I have tried all of your suggestions. The only one that worked and worked perfectly I might add is the GetDataBack software. It recovered all of the inofrmation off my hard drive. This software is worth taking a look at! www.runtime.org

Thanks again maramom!

Glad to help!