Nokia N91: “Hard Drive Unavailable” Possible fix

HI,

I recently had an email from Abhishek, who was receving this error message on his phone.

“Hard Drive Unavailable”

It didnt appear in the phone when He tried to access it  and this all started when he reformatted his phone.

The trick to fixing it as he had discovered was indeed simple.

*#7370#  this is a reset of the phone its self  and did the trick in this case.

Something i thought might help some folks out there.

Macbuckley

152 Comments

Filed under Nokia N91 Tips

152 responses to “Nokia N91: “Hard Drive Unavailable” Possible fix

  1. NPP

    Thanks Macbuckley, i will keep it in mind in case it happens to me, lets hope it doesn’t.

  2. edgar

    i have a problem with my nokia n91. “music player unable to access hard drive. Replace battery cover”. This message appers and I tried the soft reset and the hard reset but still the same problem. Every time I put back the battery cover my phone hangs. Without the cover my phone runs normal but the hard drive won’t work.

  3. Kamlesh

    Hi, Even after using the factory settings (*#7370#……..) and repalcing the battery, my hard disk is still unavaibale, does anyone has any other technique to resolve that

    Thanks in advannce

  4. Voda1

    Hi Guys

    Try either updating your software or re-installing the same sw you have (if you already updated) I bet the phone sw is screwey and its database cabt see the HDD

    MAC bukly had the like for the update

    voda

  5. Don.Outlaw

    I want to bye Nokia N91,but I heard that the HDD is causing problems…Can somebody who have N91 tell me should I bye N91?

  6. avishek

    Hey Don. I would’nt really suggest you to go with N91. I have been using this phone for the last 6 months alothough the sound quality is superb but have found alot of problems too specially with HDD its very unstable i have heard that sony erricsson is coming up with its version of 4GB music phone check it out!!!!

  7. darko

    my hard disk all the time is Unavailable and “not formatet”. i format and it is ok ,but all the time is is unavailble

  8. ATA

    hey guys, im having this problem with my Nokia N91, any application or theme that’s its extention is .sis doesn’t work with it, and i get this msg “the application …sis is not supported”
    please help me, i’ve bought the phone last night, and it’s brand new.

  9. Voda1

    Hi ATA

    Remember this is a S60 3.0 device. old sis files will not work they must be signed sisx files

    regards

  10. Voda1 you are incorrect, the Nokia N91 supports .sis & .sisx written for the Series 60 3rd Edition Platform.

    .sis application installer files can be digitally signed aswell.

    Sincerely,

    Dam Nabruska – Nokia EMEA

  11. Jasmeet

    “Music player unable to access hard drive, replace battery cover” : ( what to do now?! It seems I have made mistake buying this phone, its not even a month right now!! Please help!!!

    Thanks,
    Jasmeet

  12. A Genius

    FIXED IT !!!!! Having read all the comments here …. and have found them Very helpful … I have come 2 the conclusion that the fault is in ” Nokias ” software , ie it is useless … Just like the old Nvidia drivers … Sometimes u have 2 go back 2 the previous ones , As the new ones were duff !! . I found that the only thing that Fixed/Repaired My phone was 2 do a ” Full Format ” !! Sry if that was not what u wanted 2 hear !! I tried a Quick format … And it said ” Corrupt hard drive !!! Did a full one and Hey presto …All is good again . Save ur phone numbers , messages etc first , and wipe it clean Baby !!!!!! And DONT REINSTALL THE DRIVERS >>> THEY R CRAP !!!!!!!!!!!!! . Love n Luck .

  13. duke

    thanks for ur suggesion .

  14. Anonymous

    hello hi and whatever
    Nokia is annoying me
    i use nokia n91 and i have problem of formatting the hard drive

    can someone help me out plzzzz

  15. Anonymous

    hi..i bought i n91 a cple mtnhz bk an itz givin me problemz…like if i drop my fon even 4rm like half a foot of the ground or it getz hit or smthn tan harddrive data startz becoming corrupt or gtn deleted…wen i format my fon the itz fine bt tan if my fon recievez a jolt or smthn it doez the same thng..itz rly annoying an i thought the n91 waz suppouzd2 b shock proof an all an i hvnt read bout ne1 hvn the same problem yet wat cld b wrng wth my fon..i mean even if my fon fallz of my bed on2 the carpet it still doez tiz..plzz sme1 tell me wat2 do an if youve had the same problem wat did u do..i no i shld b more careful wth my fon bt i hv a habit or dropping it once in a while an itz a hassle havin all my muzic an filez deleted constantly..HELP!!!

  16. aj

    i have an n91 for quite a while and none of these problems have occurred on my phone. maybe its the firmware i have, but im not too sure. also my friend said that i can change my platform frm symbian to windows mobile. can any one of you canfirm that because you seem to know alot? cheers

  17. sarosh

    Hi, please tell me the master formatting code. I used(*send3 & ON) but it didn’t work. Can anyone tell

  18. mond

    dont ever ever format ur hardrive my hard drive crash after using that code who post that code it not good damn

  19. mond

    after i format my hardrive it always freezes pls help me

  20. mond

    hoyly crap dont format ur phones hardrive damn i also encountered new problems grrr….

  21. death2007

    Mond, do you have the latest firmware installed? Because the freezing issue has been fixed.

  22. nuts

    hi, how can i format the hard drive when i cannot access the hard drive. the only tool that is available is HELP. i am also having warnings such as memory full and the like.
    would really need your help guys.. thanks

  23. lavesh

    my hard disk not formate i will try reset *#7380* but same messages show me (hard disk currupted)what to do i?

  24. lavesh

    my hadrd disk cuurpted plz suggeset me how i formatde

  25. mohammed

    hi, u just upgrade the handset version from nokia site, maybe solve the problem..

  26. Nikola

    I’ve have the similr problem.When i full format HD it works just fine…for a week.Then some songs and file cdouldnt be played,and than more.Eventualy, it crashes and then i must format HD again.After a couple of days same old story (HD corupt again).I don’t think that HD has bad sectors because it work just fine when i format it.I think it’s software (although my fw is 2.10.013 RM-43 N91 (02.01)

  27. jamalo

    this is the worst nokia phone i have ever seen!!!

  28. awwal

    pls can anyone tell me what to do with my n91 hard drive

  29. Nikola

    i think its software problem becouse when i format hard it works for couple days and then bam!I cant find anything about this problem!Sometimes it works for 2-3 days, sometimes for 4-5 days but eventualy hard fails and you must to format. I’ve have this problem from day one since i bought this damn phone.Shame on people from Nokia for not telling this.It’s so anoing!Does anyone try to take phone to service?if they do not know who does?

  30. Nikola

    for mohammed:Does new firmware solved your problem?Becouse my version is 2.10.013 and that is newest firmware.For n91 8gb its 3.00 something..Does someone with n91 8gb have similar problem?This phone is my worst investment ever!

  31. Nikola

    there is new firmware vor n91!. it’s 2.20.01.Maybe this wil resolve hard disk problem.does anyone update to this firmware?

  32. Magosla

    I have a N91 phone. I updated the firm ware to 2.20.008 and i worked fine for about 10 hours when i later tried to access the Hard drive it was unavaillable so i switch off the phone and switched it on & the phone became unstable it stands by and later comes up within a space of 5 secs continously. when i remove the battery cover it becomes stable but still cannot access the hard drive. I have tried reseting the phone but it does not help. Can someone help me on how to resolve the issue. if it is to reinstall the phone software where can i get the software to reinstall

  33. Nikola

    My n91 is working just fine for 12 days now (this is a personal record) and i still not update it to 2.20.008.I think this is becouse i didn’t install any third party applications!.Every time in the past when my hard breaks i formated it and then transfer some music and install some aplications (smart movie, mweather, etc).But this time i didn’t and now i have no problems!
    Magosla, did you install any application?
    Did you tried *#7370#? reset or…?
    Does your phone gets reaaallllyyy slow?if this is the case, , you should wait, activate hard disk tool (this will take over 30 min and then format). This was my problem in the past!

  34. Abrar

    Edgar,
    regarding the problem of replace the cover.
    i read this somewhere. don kno how far its true.
    the cover is magnatised. the phone shud detect the magnet to activate the hard disk. check whith some metal pins if the cover still got the magnet power. if not u will have to use an externel magnet and magnatize the cover. try it.

  35. Tony Lunn

    N91 Hard Drive problems?

    dont make me laugh. Just a word of wanring regarding the N91 HDD.

    1) DO NOT install apps to the hard rive if at all possible.

    I have had two crashes now. with hard drive unavailable and corrupted. It seems to happen when I add music to the n91. The problem is this (Nokia take note) if u add music to the n91 whilst an application on the hard drive is running, when the music playlist starts to update, it cannot get exclusive access to the hard drive. So the header gets corrupted as the write command is interrupted by the application trying to read at the same time.

    What happens basically is your HDD gets screwed… MAJOR oversight on nokia’s part. You will find that your phone reboots and then become EXTREMELY sluggish. this is due to the application is trying to run from a corrputed drive.
    once you remove the application, the phone speeds up to normal.
    The only way to recover from this is to format the drive..

    anyway have a nice day.. that’s my 2 cents.

  36. Nikola

    I still haven’t install any aplication so far (Just 2 gigs of misic) and my phone is runing great for 3 weeks now.That’s all

  37. saif

    my n91 is great. i have had no problems with it, ive ad it for 6months now and still not even a lil mess up… i use the phone alot, internet, wireless n everythinggggg and not even a harddrive messup… maybe its just the hardware of ur phones that are no good?

  38. Rumi

    I have lost my n91 battery cover.After that I faced same prob hard drive not available.
    I Know that the battery cover has a magnat and it create magnatic field at the battery area( the hard drive is situated under the left side of the battery). the phone should detect the magnet to activate the hard disk. So I attach a small magnat with tape at the battery and restart my phone and hdd is available again and works fine. so if u people faced hdd prob then check the magnet is ok. If not, replace the battery cover with a new cover for solve the problem or try it with a small magnet like me. Best regards.

  39. Rk

    hi guys
    i got some probs with my N91
    it suddenly asked me to replace my hard drive
    then i try to press the retry button
    it didnt work at all
    so i managed to restart the phone and great!!!
    a new prob occured, i even cant turn on my phone
    it gets stuck on the NOKIA screen
    plz smbdy help me to fix it!!!
    i cant operate my phone at all

  40. Lloyd

    My Nokia n91 has caused problems non-stop since i bought it, today tho, it has decided to stop working completely, i tried installing the stuff from nokia’s site but it just fails and then i t freezes when i try any buttons, won’t even let me read texts or make calls, i used to love nokia phones but now i’ve lost faith. They’re swimming out of their depth.

  41. Anonymous

    I dont have much prob. in my N91 except the Music Access key doesn’t work on my unit, i have the latest version of firmware. Though its not a big deal coz u can access it anywhere on the phone but isn’t it a good feeling if your unit is 100% working, tnx and hope somebody can help me

  42. Cru3L

    I dont have much prob. in my N91 except the Music Access key doesn’t work on my unit, i have the latest version of firmware. Though its not a big deal coz u can access it anywhere on the phone but isn’t it a good feeling if your unit is 100% working, tnx and hope somebody can help me

  43. Scouse

    Sometimes i get the same problem wit the music button where it wont allow u to skip a song play or pause or stop wont even allow you to turn a song up or down onli if u use cursor to access the song will it play well i think i got sumit that will solve ur problem i dont no how i found it out cos i fort mine wos broke after getting it to but i found away to sort it out accidnetly jst hold down the right hand skip button and stop or jst hold down between those two for like 2seconds or sumit lik that and all the buttons will work agen jst try it.
    scouse

  44. duke

    hello.. i have a hard time with my n91 phone. when i move things it dis appears and my phone freezes. i always gets pissed off and it happens to me thrice. please help me…

  45. Neo

    I tried updating the friggin firmware..!And i tried all the magnet shit…Now when i play the music or try to access the hdd it hangs up on ‘installing’…is there no friggin way to resurrect my N91 from this usual problem of ‘hard disc unavailable’…?
    And then when ithangs i remove the battery which i fear wud further screw up my HDD..!
    Any help would be appreciated.. 😦

  46. Muhammad

    hi….my name is Muhammad…
    actually i and my friend went to buy a phone….we were having 2 choice…N91 and NOKIA 9300i…
    we first went for N91…but what happened was that…ven v on d phn it was alright but ven we entered in d camera is said dat…hard drive not accessible…sumthin of dat nature….den v exited and entered messaging option…where we save messages…it was on phone memory and d other option was “hardware unavailable”…
    den in d menu option memory details…it was only giving the option of phone memory and not of Hardware drive….wat is d reason???i Will wnt to buy N91….plz and plz help me….i am very much worried…plz help me….
    i wil be very gr8ful…thank alot for dis ur awesome site….

  47. hello all
    my phone n91 start “Hard Drive Unavailable” and that cuse me to death .. i update firmware and chick the back metal i traied “*#7370#” and others and it seems nothing works ..

    the phoenes says :- you need format your hard drive

    i said to phone OK the press OK
    guss what …!!!!

    the phone says :-“Hard Drive Unavailable”
    surpriseee …. 🙂 :((((((((((((
    what i can do …. is this the worest nokia ever made !!!! or all nokia tha same .
    Thanks allot
    Haitham

  48. morteza jalilifar

    i bought my n91 8GB just in 48hours ago and no key can work after i turn it up it scan itself and after it no key work.WHY?

  49. Steve

    I am unable to access my video and audio files on my N91 hard drive which is 4GB. I have tried to look for software to retrieve these files but there seems to be nothing on the market.

    Could someone please help me retrieve my data.
    Thanks
    Steve

  50. AHMAD

    HI EVERY BODY…
    I’LL TELL YOU A MASTER SOLUTION THAT
    WILL SOLVE MOST OF YOUR PROBLEMS
    1-CONNECT THE MOBILE WITH THE COMPUTER IN MASS STORAGE OPTION
    2-THE MOBILE WILL APPEAR AS A MOVABLE
    DRIVE IN MY COMPUTER WINDOW
    3-RIGHT CLICK ON IT’S ICON, THEN CHOOSE
    PROPERTIES.
    4-CHOOSE TOOLS TAP
    5-CLICK CHECK NOW.
    THE MOBILE HARD DRIVE WILL BE CHECKED
    AND FIXED FOR ERRORS AND BAD SECTORS.
    6-AFTER CHECKING PROCESS YOU MUST FORMAT(FULL FORMAT) THE HARD DRIVE BY THE PHONE ITSELF(NOT VIA COMPUTER).
    NOTE: ENSURE THAT THE BATTERY IS FULL CHARGED BEFORE CHECKING PROCESS AND BEFORE FORMATING PROCESS.
    I USED THIS METHOD MYSELF AND THE PHONE IS ALLRIGHT NOW……
    GOOD LUCK.

  51. aytunc

    Ahmad, that would be a good suggestion only if you could connect ur phone to the comp in mass storage mode when the hard-drive is not in accessible mode.. thats the problem.. not being able to access the harddrive. I guess the ppl whose problem didnt get solved with the magnetic back cover solution has a hardware problem 😦 restart the phone without the back cover and later on put the cover on adn listen closely to the phone. mine makes some noises from the HDD. so i will take it to the technician 😦 but if there is a software solution that would be a miracle

  52. sumeet

    hi i am using this phone sine a year there was many consequences with my hard disk many time while listrning music it hangs and says hard disk unawialable. but many times i did the sam as mentioned above and it was ok. but now from a week i am facing a problem which i cant solve now when i am loading the songs after dissconnecting from pc cannot operate the phone it gets stuck
    and if u restart it agan without battry cover it works ok
    but the harddisk show not formatted
    pls help i am feup of it and i will not recommend it to any one

  53. Julio

    Hi everyone. Well I think we all agree this Nokia N91 is rubbish. Mine decided one day to say “Hard drive is unavailable”. When I tried to format I can’t because this option is unavailable. I tried *#7370# but it’s still the same. Can anyone give a solution? I suppose I will have to take it to repair or send it to Nokia and tell them what they can do with it…
    If anyone can provide a solution…
    cheers to everyone from Barcelona (this is starting to be an international problem :-)))))))) )

  54. erick

    well as of now im having a problem like most of you.im trying the ahmad tutorial right now
    ill post the results later

  55. erick

    my phone now cannot finished the format and have more problems!hard drive is corrupt!ah wtf this phone!ill love this phone but its annoying!i wanna fix this problem coz of my love with this phone.

  56. crambo

    Before this i also using this n91 and that give me the same problem as given here…went i fomat my hard drive it will ok for an hours only than that will show again the same prob….i realy get fedup with this nokia n 91 …some more u connot put more data the hard drive …if u put more data the hard drive connot store more data ……this the nokia edition using the hard drive that give ours so many Prob….

  57. Jagster

    Hi Guys…

    I’m having problems with my N91. I admit it was my fault to try to change the font following a certain instructions just by placing a new directory on the hard drive E:\resource\fonts. I put some fonts inside that directory. and restart the phone. The problem is– I cannot put the original fonts back. Whenever i delete the directory on the hard drive, it says error -46. I even tried resetting my phone and try formatting the hard drive thru the phone. It always says hardware in use. I can’t even shift to mass storage drive. I tried copying the original fonts on the e:\resource\fonts but it says error -46.
    I need help badly. Thanks!

  58. K K

    hi all,
    after readin all this i think i have done a big mistak
    i bought a N 91 yesterday itself
    now i cant retun it.
    Jus prayin to god that it want giv me a prob.

  59. pezmick

    Hi there everyone i have read everybodys comments and the first thing i would like to say is dont panic. Firstly upgrade your firmware to V2.10.013 21.09.06 RM-43 n91 (50.01) backup your HDD using PC Suite 6.84.10.3. Then do a full format of your HDD, restore your backup, restart your phone and bingo, a perfect working HDD/Phone, well mine is anyway. Personally i would email nokia and insist on them sorting out your problems, as SOME of you have paid a lot for the phone and it dont work right. Good Luck one and all

  60. Swed

    Don’t buy Nokia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a n91 this phone was the biggest shit i have ever
    bouth no more nokia for me, im going over to SonyEricsson again….

  61. Jose

    Hey dudes

    I have a problem with my n-91. Even when there was 3 gig worth of music on my [hone it would constantly come up as there was nothin there. I checked all my other files, and low and behold there where no pictures or movies either. I formatted my phone to hope that would work. But no it didn’t. Whenever i try and use my usb to transfer data to the n-91 it says to insert portable E device……… When it’s clearly attached…………. Can someone please help me with this. I bought this phone for the Mp3 and now it’s stuffing up hardcore.

    Cheers

  62. Moataz

    i had my n91 for a long time, it was working fine according to the rules of healthy using to the hard drive, one day i was bored out so i made a major mistake, i upgraded my firmware through nokia’s site to v2.20.008, now my hard drive always shows not formated, and if i try quick format/full format it crashes and restart plus as a combo for my disaster now i hear the hard drive ticking like hell when the mobile starts, it take ages to start the mobile, and if i want to fasten the operation i had to start it with no battery cover then place it back, i knew there is no roll back for firmwares so i cant restore mine, now i’m stuck, so …. HELP!!!

  63. Wajeeh Azeem

    my phone has the problem of the Hard Disk which is quite common in all the Nokia N91 phones. But besides that it often says that ” switch off device before removing battery.” is there any solution to it.

  64. Stifler

    Hey folks,
    I am facing this problem since I have got N-91, I was just going through the couple of thread above, most of the ppl are suggesting about Full format.
    I agree it works but Hard formating decreases the lives of Hard disks. SO Please Please do use this feature only when you have no option left.

    I would rather suggest precaution for not having this error that its cure.
    1. Please do not load too much of data though the 4GB is available
    2. Please be careful when you take a video shoot. There are more changes of hard drive failure when you are taking images and videos for a long time.
    3. Any time you feel that it hang, please do not play around and if possible immediately restart phone.

    These things avoided the HDD error for my N-91 since 2 months and I am happy now…
    Best of luck if this helps

  65. i have see a lot of you clues but the problem here is that i cannot do the formating because the battery runs down quickly and becomes very hot,is there any other way please,the phone is so hot that it can even burn ur hands

  66. help me out ooh,i just tire for myself ooohhhh,i like the phone very much and i can’t affford to loose it, and also waste the money that i used in purchasing it

  67. DAMN NOKIA, I DON’T KNOW HOW THE COMPANY CAME ABOUT, MAYBE THE COMPANY CALLED NOKIA WAS ESTABLISHED DURING THE TIMES OF THE ANCIENT MEN,I CAN QUITE SEE THAT THEIR ENGINEERS ARE ALL APES,THEY ARE ALL FUCKERS,IF THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING,THEY SHOULD PLEASE GO AND FIND A BETTER JOB FOR THEMSELVES.JOB LIKE DRIVER A CAB NOT PRODUCING A PHONE COS THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN THEIR FUCKING HEAD BECAUSE IT IS ALL FILLED UP WITH HOLE,PLEASE ANYONE WHO KNOW AN ENGINEER WORKING THERE SHOULD PLEASE TELL HIM TO LOOK FOR A BETTER JOB, RIGHT NOW BASED ON THE PROBLEM THAT NOKIA HAS GIVEN ME I AM PRAYING FOR THEIR DOWNFALL,IF YOU ARE USING AN N91 GO AND THROW IT AWAY BECAUSE IT IS USELESS AND MEANINGLESS,I AM GETTING FREAKED UP BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM THAT MY NOKIA N91 IS HAVING,MAKE UNA DO WEELL OOOOHHH

    IF YOU WANNA SEND ME A MAIL,CONTACT ME VIA MY EMAIL ADDRESS……………..
    luigimountainfree2rhyme@yahoo.com

  68. rajesh

    Guys,
    Never buy a nokia phone ever in in your life again..
    Whenever i load some songs,the very next day it says hd corrupted and i am sick of this

  69. edmund

    OMG! N91 really sucks!!!!! Dont ever ever buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  70. liam

    hi everyone… im gettin a nokia N91 for xmas but from readin reviews it does not look good… i want a fone just like this but that actually works… its alot of money to just throw away on a fone that isnt even going to work… are there any other fones that people know about with good memory, and a decent camera that also looks good because im rele not sure about getting a nokia N91.

    please reply asap!

  71. Firo

    Hi , my hard disk all the time is Unavailable , i tryed ( *#7370# ) but i didn’t work. Can you advice me what to do please.

  72. sykot

    hi;
    i got a problem.my n91 harddisk always not available.i tried *7370#but its not working.pls slolve my problem.

  73. shazeen

    hi
    i hav been using n91 since past 8 months…
    but nw my hardware is corrupted n if the hardware is inside the phone the phone doesnt become on…
    n prior to that my hardware was unavail n the technicians here say that the hardware has gone thru short circuit coz of the unorthorized data cable’s used..
    can u pls suggest me solution to get over this problem………

  74. shazeen

    dude hardware is to be formatted using the data cable connect it to ur computer n then formatt..
    n one more thing use the data cable which u had got along wid the phone….

  75. saumil

    so guys whats the final solution for the “Hard Drive Unavailable” problem???anyone can tell me clearly i’m also having the same problem..

  76. Verzigathor

    well guys, bad news, i’ve heard somewhere that there is no fix to this problem and it gets worst with time (till now just goold old known news). nokia hasn’t yet found a good indeed solution to this HD problem and they are going to drag us down as this model of N-series gets forgotten by everyone! e really love My n91 but i se my self in a position that forces me to sell it to someone with no knowlege of the situation here! THAKX NOKIA FOR MAKING ME SPEND MY MONEY IN A PEACE OF S*I*! for now only doing windows scandisc on N91 HD has proven to solve the problem for mere (max), 10 days (personal record). farewell my friend and good luck, may nokia emprove there ways of fixing problems like this in this new year LOOOL (doubt it). [[[]]]

  77. oni

    guys, if your n91 came from a bad drop (about a meter or so from the ground ) hard drive errors may be encountered. The trick is to open the phone, fix the contacts between the hard drive and te main phone board which are not soldered, rather leaning wire contacts were used. It worked for my phone. Opening is easy, the hard drive is accessble.

  78. lee

    i try to open my nokia camera and it comes up with a message saying general feature not suported ive tryed to up date the firmware but that didnt fix it ive tryed to reset it but that didnt do it what should i do please help i love the phone its great

  79. nic

    the HDD is indeed making noises… S**T… how to back up if the HDD is corruptd/unavail??? there’s no way to retrieve back all the files in HDD rite??

  80. razak

    my n91 have a problem with harddisk eveytime corrupting and its not formatting also what can i do now plss help…..

  81. kamlesh

    Hi guys i have problem with my n91, in tools folder when i entering in hard drive section it showing “hard drive unavailable” when i connect n91 to my pc the mobile showing three option when i m selecting mass storage my phone showing error message “unable to access mass storage” and my phone automatic restart, pls help me guys,

  82. Razak

    I have a solution 4 all of u. coz i also was having this all problems with my n91.. then i tried this solution ..so u also take my solution…Just go 2 the beach=(corniche) and throw ur n91 far away from the earth in the water coz next time no one will have this problem……If u all take my solution
    Thanx In Advance hehehe…..

  83. nimsah

    I don’t know what else to do with my N91 phone. I always experience HD unavailable and system error as well and then phone hangs. And when I put the back cover the phone over heats and the battery gets easily drained. Without the cover it doesn’t over heat but the HD is inaccessible, my technician had the HD removed to avoid over heating for it might cause more problem if he’ll keep it active. any advice? right now I don’t have access to the hd for it’s disabled, still getting the system error message though…any help is much appreciated.

  84. Manik Ratan

    I tried this way but when I write this code it needs lock code.. why?

  85. Kumar

    I am facing problem of Hard Disk Unavailable problem with N91…. is there any solution???

  86. ali a

    lock code is 12345

  87. Kitheka

    Been using N91 8GB for the last 8months-has been showing the msg “harddisk unavailable-delete data from phone memory and try again”Have tried all the above suggestions with failure.HELP!!HELP!!Anyone please.Email me -kitheka1979@yahoo.com-Thanx

  88. Kitheka

    Dont buy the N91(4GB or 8GB series;they are all crap)-tis a f**cked up phone.Did a hard reset 3 times(the *,3…..thing)-I never saw the “formatting” message!But everything was reset-problem never SOLVED!Am looking at my hammer with ideas-I HATE THIS PHONE

  89. nanak singh

    i frmt my phne then phne show hard drive unavailable plz give me some suggestions plz help me

  90. Johnald

    have a problem with my nokia n91. “music player unable to access hard drive. Replace battery cover”. This message appers and I tried the soft reset and the hard reset but still the same problem. Every time I put back the battery cover my phone hangs. Without the cover my phone runs normal but the hard drive won’t work.

  91. “Hard Drive Unavailable”

    I am facing problem of Hard Disk Unavailable problem with N91…. is there any solution???
    Iam also having a same problem

  92. harsh kukreja

    Hi!! Bro’s I m in a big problem…guyz my N91 is malfunctioning..whenver i try to open Music player an error occurs”Unable to access hard disk replace battery cover” SINCE I TRIED A LOT BT WHEN I CHANGED BATTERY COVER WITH ANOTHER then it works & HDD is visible..so guys now how can i resolve my backcover magnet problem becoz i tried for new cover in market itz not available & costly also…so plzzz help me to make my N91backcover working …&& i can’t find paper clip for the magnet in the cover can any1n plz click a pic & show me where is it??i’ll b vry much thankfull..HELP me!!!!!!!!!!!!

  93. harsh kukreja

    Hi!! Bro’s I m in a big problem…guyz my N91 is malfunctioning..whenver i try to open Music player an error occurs”Unable to access hard disk replace battery cover” SINCE I TRIED A LOT BT WHEN I CHANGED BATTERY COVER WITH ANOTHER then it works & HDD is visible..so guys now how can i resolve my backcover magnet problem becoz i tried for new cover in market itz not available & costly also…so plzzz help me to make my N91backcover working …&& i can’t find paper clip for the magnet in the cover can any1n plz click a pic & show me where is it??i’ll b vry much thankfull..HELP me!!!!!!!!!!!!harshkukreja@indiatimes.com

  94. one bull

    HDD unavailable..?what coz it?………………….
    the worse nokia i ever had b4!!!!!

  95. samir attar

    Thanks man….
    format code solve my problem
    Thanks a Tonne!!!

  96. try to rub the black part in the battery cover then place it again on your unit. this worked fine on my sister’s phone. the hard drive was accessed and i fully formatted it. magnetic cover issue i guess.
    —-
    yeah…really!
    this is the worst phone ever.

  97. hitesh

    i formatted my hdd
    how can i retrive data back

  98. allwellino

    ma fone is havin d same problem i tried the code *#7370# but notin happened same old story how do i fix it cuz am gettin real tired

  99. rdavi

    I’m fed up of this phone already, having the same problems as many people on this page, ‘Hard Drive Cannot be found’, ‘Please insert hard drive’ and the like, tried a hard reset, and with the thought that I needed to input all my contacts for the second time to my dispair the hard reset hadn’t even solved the problem, Nokia??? you used to be a good phone company, if there is such a problem with this stupid little phone, (well, masssiveee phone) then why keep it on the market?? I am getting more and more dissappointed in you. :/

  100. PARESH

    my phone hard drive is not avilable
    please give me solulation

  101. rass

    dam nokia n91 fon i expens my whole salary 2 buy this fon but when i incountered this HDD problem i said to my self that im just throwing my money, into the air, cause even technicians doesnt even know the solotion to this problem… i think ill eturn this to nokia and tell them suck tihs into ur ass

  102. pravin

    i have a problem with my nokia n91. “music player unable to access hard drive. Replace battery cover”. This message appers and I tried the soft reset and the hard reset but still the same problem.
    pls helpe me

  103. savita

    dear sir i have nokia n91
    my phone is not showing the hard drive
    sir plz tell me to what to do for it
    thanks

  104. ravi atwal

    Every time I put back the battery cover my phone hangs. Without the cover my phone runs normal but the hard drive won’t work.

    all have the same problem but no one have a solution ………. thier is a problem with hardisk or software or magnet or back cover

    no one have a answer if someone have a answer for this problem please mail me at atwal007@aol.com

    me also going to discover what behind this problem

  105. ravi atwal

    @@@@@@@@@@ attention @@@@@@@

    hey all of u i got a solution for this problem just mail me ur problems ………….

  106. haloo.,.

    thx 4 share.,.,
    post new again please.,,.

  107. Scylla

    I have a strange error on my Nokia N91 device. It gives me error ‘Out of memory delete some data first’ every now & then. I’ve formatted my hard drive several times, phone memory is also perfect infact I’ve got NOTHING in my cell. It is slow in messaging either. I am hell worried.. 😦 Help me please.

  108. rupak

    please suggest me a way out…. i own an n91 for more than a year now.. i hav been more than pleased with its performance but recently a problem has appeared! the keypad was loched for sometime as i was on my bike. the cel was in my pocket, probably under pressure. after i took it out, it started malfunctioning. some keys were not working. i thought of it to be a keypad problem. but at night when it was left alone for quite a long time it started to scroll ang call all by itself… after sometime it was alright… but recently the problem has started again….

  109. Lucky sylvester

    Hi. I use n91 wen i tranfer video after dat it keep telling me hard drive unavailale, replace battery cover. Pls someone should help me out. Sylvester

  110. Rolen

    This is the new technique that will help solve the problems when phone totally cannot access, while using 4 gig hardrive. Many says it hangs up, but the truth is it cannot read the hardrive, use this technique!
    1. Switch the phone on withouth the cover.
    2. The phone will turn on nicely. Then immmediately put the cover.
    3. The phone will beep and starting reading the hardrive, before it hangs be fast to click it off.. If it does not turning off, repeat the process because our goal here is to turn-off the phone while it is not hanging.. By these means it restart the hardrive,.
    4. When the phone succesfully turned off.. Turn it on again, this time with the cover.. And you will notice that it will open smoothly!
    I have n91 my self and encountered 3x problem regarding hanging n91, i did this tecnique 3x and presto! it works just fine.. Now i am confident with my phone because n91 is the phone that have superior music player specially with the amplifier and stereo. Dont forget to thanks me.. Have a good day,.

  111. kevinmax101

    Man and I thought this Post was DEAD.

    I just Reformatted (Full reformat) My N91 and it is working again because it says Harddrive is Corrupted.

    Thnks to all who helped.
    I hope this Problem will not persist coz IT happened almost every time it is used.

    PS: I hope this page will get on top on google search in problems on the N91

    and also…. I LOL ed at some of the comments 🙂

  112. Gioge

    Abrar thanks d back cover need d magnet to install the hard drive.

  113. UNiQuEDiTioN

    ur all a bunch of tittysucking lamers. get your hands growing from shoulders, not from your asses! n91 is an awesome relic!

  114. Plaese i want you to help me with the new code so i can format my N91 phone i need it badly thanks and hope to hear from you soon

  115. Parag Tiwade

    “PLZZZZZ HELP ME”

    M nat able 2 fix the problem of ma N91.
    I formated ma cell,but aftr tht its givin me da msg “Music player unable 2 access hard drive.Replace batery cover”
    plz help me out wth ths prob

  116. Umoh

    my n91 does not upload music files on the music player, it tell me that i should delete some data but even if i do it still tells me thesame thingy. iv used the reset code stuff but 2 no avail. when i try full or quick format, it tells me harddrive is not available. pls what do i do. am confused.

  117. Andrew

    Hy! I bought a new housing for my n91 4gb,and the battery cover dont work…when i put the old baterry cover it work’s fine….but when i put the new baterry cover the hdd it doesen’t work…plz help

  118. Kaz

    Thank you Rolen, it works for my case… : )

  119. vally

    I recently had an email from Abhishek, who was receving this error message on his phone.

    “Hard Drive Unavailable”

  120. Gary

    Hi guys,
    iam also facing this same problem abt the Hard drive not avail, b4 few days i use to switch off the mobile & remove the back cover n place the back cover again it will work but for past one week i did all ways, still i face the same error, NO hard Disc avail.
    wat shld i do, is there any solutions to solve out. Reply me guys..

  121. hi.. wil somebody help me troubleshooting with my n91? i think i lost all my data all of a sudden.. I wonder it just prompts me, “HD Unavailabale, Replace Battery Cover”.. I have already tried the techniques, the *#7370* thingy, and da hell! it still dont work.. It hangs when I tried to put back the cover.. Somebody help me.. pls..

  122. monir

    i have a problem with my nokia n91 4 gb. “music player unable to access hard drive. Replace battery cover”. . . Without the cover my phone runs normal but the hard drive won’t work. this is kindly request please solve my problem quickly,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    thank u ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

  123. Arunabh

    hey there….the ” hard drive unavailable ” problem can be solved easily by the 2 methods : 1) *#7370# this is a reset of the phone

    2) The method of performing a hard-format, i.e resetting it completely to factory defaults and removing all data, is as follows:

    1.Switch off the phone.
    2.Hold down the following three buttons: Green (call answer) button, * button, and ‘3′ button
    3.While holding these buttons, press the power button and switch on the phone
    4.When the message ‘Formatting’ appears on the screen, release all of the buttons

  124. JWAL

    i have a problem with my nokia n91. “music player unable to access hard drive. Replace battery cover”. This message appers and I tried the soft reset and the hard reset but still the same problem.

  125. JWALa

    Music player unable to access hard drive, replace battery cover” : ( what to do now?! It seems I have made mistake buying this phone, its not even a month right now!! Please help!!!

    plz help me anyone

  126. han

    hi..
    i have the same problem.

    after i reset to original setting, i open a back case, then turn on the device go to the hard drive menu. it is written “hard drive not formatted”, directly i press option menu but there’s no format selection also that sentence change again to “hard drive not available”. please gimme solution.. if i can buy that hdd, how much is that hdd about? where can i buy it? i don’t wanna go to nokia care bacause i must pay 80% from the device price to fix this problem. thanks

  127. Tetek

    I see that people still have problems with it, I posted a solution:

    Nokia n91 HDD problem – Solved !

  128. saif

    i solved my hard drive uavailable problem but after 2or 3 days my mobile again show hard drive unavilabel please help me

  129. Mithu

    Hi
    i have a n91,few a days i see hard ‘drive not avalible’ nd i have try every prosses(soft or hard format) but no ruselt,so pls help me….

  130. sunil

    my has not connect with hard drive . always it display memory full how can i reset it?

  131. cez

    accidentally i refresh my N91.. how to install hard drive and how to format ill try the *#7370# but still same thing..

  132. Chaey30

    I have been a loyal fan of nokia till I got my nokia n91 as a graduation present from my parents (since I pleaded for months) last 2006 when its still new in the market.. How I wish that I have asked sumthing else as a gift! DARN IT! 2 months its running great but then it began to have problems regarding the HDrive! HD not avail, Replace battery cover! When I tried to remove the batt cover it works fine but I cabt get access to the hard drive… I nearly threw it away coz its hopeless! I tried every advise and I went to the tech…but still cant fix it..Right now may u ask where it is? its here sitting in my room hoping to get attention from me coz now Im enjoying a different brand of cellphone… That’s the worst phone that I ever had! Thanks NOKIA for nothing! You should have a SORRY note or even swap old/defective N91 for free cellphone units (pref N series!) or YOU”LL GONNA LOSE UR LOYAL CUSTOMERS!

  133. good guy

    THIS IS THE ANSWER
    First try a hard reset *#7370#
    If it does not solve the problem you have to change the back cover as it has lost its magnetism.Replace with a 100% original back cover.NOT ONE OF THE KNOCK OFFS AVAILABLE IN THE MKT.That should solve your problem.ADIOS

  134. Anonymous

    hey im having a prb tht hardrive is unavailable since i got the body changed wht could be the prb ?? is it battery cover ?? im nt able to access hdd and cant listen music :-((( im having n91 since 2 yrs its awsme dont want to change my phone please help

  135. md_hafizur_rahman_nazmul@yahoo.com

    hard drive not available

  136. hard drive no available.please fix the problem

  137. Ndy

    HI
    I GOT THE SOLUTION!!! for “HARD DRIVE UNAVAILABLE” problem
    1.Turn off your phone!
    2.REMOVE THE BATTERY!!! this is very important!
    3.Press Shift + F
    (F is 3 button) – I’m assuming that “shift” button is *
    I’ve allso tried other few combination with green button + 3, menu button + 3
    since I’m not sure which the “shift” button is.
    And Voila! you have a great music phone!
    Cheers!

  138. Ndy

    Of course I forgot to mention:

    4. Put the battery in place and turn on your phone
    (my phone stuck at the Nokia logo, but I remove the battery a few times and when he finally started I formatted the drive)
    5:……format…

    That’s it!

  139. My guys: i herd ths N91 phone with my under go vesion becouse i have it since 2003 af to 2010 known it get the pertion of HDD and it 4GB presentlly it con’t show me the menu is somebody help me to solve ths problem

  140. yusufadeniji

    pls i’ve the battery cover of nokia n91 8gb,but i’ve trie to get the full original phone casing,but i couldn’t get it in nigeria.pls what else can i do or if u have a magic code to give.i will be gratefull.pls help me out.tanx

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