 Hard-drive Crash Recovery, looking for data recovery |
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 Oct 4 2008, 03:44 PM
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#16
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 New Member  Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,154  |
I'm surprised that much damage was done to the drives just by the case falling over. They would both have had to be spinning and most likely writing or reading at the time of the fall to hurt them that much. The drives now days are somewhat shock resistant. -------------------- If the voices inside my head paid rent, I'd be rich!
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Oct 4 2008, 03:59 PM
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#17
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
Hello Musky, and thanks for joining this thread !!
The frazzled drive was INSIDE the PC-case. that one got hit sideways as the whole PC case toppled over and fell into horizontal position. The external drive was sitting on top of the case an fell even further. Unluckily, one was a back-up of the other, and lost both at the same time. Two other drives survived the impact, and I had a third (outdated) back-up on one of those. Is there any way I can check if the damage is PHYSICAL before getting the software? EDIT I can open the frazzled one quite easily, but there's not much point. The WD can't be opened easily, but I might make an attempt. (I was told by an expert in Russia that the WD drive IS recoverable, but would take a few weeks, and I did not have that much time when I was there). This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 04:03 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 04:08 PM
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#18
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
A few more thoughts....
Although the WD came from an external HDD, and is now connected using an USB cable... do the jumper settings need to be changed?? Testdisk maybe does detect something: "Disk/dev/sdb - 2199 GB / 2047 GiB" as my laptop only has one 160 GB drive, this might be the WD, but with the wrong capacity.... ??? This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 04:09 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 04:09 PM
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#19
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New Member Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,154 |
In my experience, the hard drive HAS to be at least recognized in the BIOS settings for any type of recovery software to work with it. Of course the external drive which I assume connects via USB would most likely not be recognized by the BIOS anyway, but although spinrite is the best on the market, It sometimes can't see a USB attached drive either, depending on the BIOS type.
Now, most external drives can be removed from their housing and installed in a system as an IDE drive, and then if you boot up with Spinrite, it will see it. Also, maybe the IDE to USB interface was damaged in the fall and the drive itself is OK. Have you taken it out and installed it in a system to see if this is the case? -------------------- If the voices inside my head paid rent, I'd be rich!
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Oct 4 2008, 04:19 PM
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#20
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
I have not tried installing the WD-drive as a slave in the main PC using an IDE cable to the motherboard.
However, the connection to my laptop is wih a IDE-USB cable, one which works without problems on other drives. The laptop is an ASUS F38 series. Vista removed, and XP Pro installed I guess that it is possible that the BIOS does not see the drive.. I'll check by connecting another good external HDD to the laptop, and check in BIOS ... The WD-drive itself HAS been removed from its housing... EDIT Although the mass storage systems CAN NOT be seen in BIOS, at boot using he F2 button, I get a glimpse of a black DOS screen, and I think it mentions spotting a mass storage device. It's too fast to be sure though EDIT AGAIN That is a YES !!! BIOS CAN see the external mass storage device on a USB hub !!! Is there anyway to check if the drive is spinning? This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 04:37 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 04:39 PM
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#21
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New Member Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,154 |
So, does it see the "mass storage device" with the damaged drive installed? If so, the Spinrite could very well help you as Perr said. It can perform miracles sometimes.
-------------------- If the voices inside my head paid rent, I'd be rich!
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Oct 4 2008, 04:43 PM
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#22
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
Yes it does!!!
Listening very carefully, ear direct to drive .. i can hear a very slight purring sound. I'll get Spinrite now. Might need some help to use it.... This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 04:44 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:03 PM
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#23
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
Spinrite purchased ....
How to use... ... install on the removal drive to which I shall be transferring the recovered data? Warning... any existing operating system on this drive will be lost ... there is no OS on a removal HDD ?? Using another WD external HDD with about 280 GB of free space. Coupled to laptop as F:\ Tried to install Spinrite on F:\ error message: "Drive F is not a removable device" ????? This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 05:05 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:07 PM
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#24
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Forum Regular Group: Members Posts: 151 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,147 |
You install it on your hdd, then make a floppy or cd as directed, then boot from the floppy or cd, select the drive to fix and let it run.
Install the program on C drive then create the boot floppy or cd. This post has been edited by perr: Oct 4 2008, 05:13 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:21 PM
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#25
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Forum Regular Group: Members Posts: 151 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,147 |
Are you sure you have downloaded spinrite? I have never seen that warning. You install it on C drive, open the program and follow the instructions and it creates a bootable cd or floppy, you then boot from that and select the drive to be fixed and run it.
If you don't have a floppy drive it will create an ISO file to burn to a cd with nero or some other burning software that will create a cd from an ISO file. Then boot from that. This post has been edited by perr: Oct 4 2008, 05:25 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:32 PM
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#26
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
may be bit tired, but things are not going smoothly... sorry to bore you experts ...
1. I have the SpinRite.exe file (in a directory on partition D:/) 2. double-click, then have options: - copy (text-file) - create Boot diskette (I do not have a diskette drive) - create ISO or IMG file (done this and burned to CD) - install SpiRite on drive (getting errors here*) - exit * Install SR on drive: to install SR operating system - with a writable (not write protected) removable media drive ready, depress and hold its current letter on the keyboard, whle clicking "Install Bootable SpinRite" button below. WARNING Any existing operating system on this drive will be lost !!! So I am not going to attempt install it on C:/ all other letters give an error: Drive E:/ etc is not removable drive What am I doing wrong? |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:38 PM
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#27
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Forum Regular Group: Members Posts: 151 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,147 |
OK. You have created the cd. Now boot the machine using the cd. Be sure the bios is set to boot from cd first. Make sure you have the drive to fix is plugged in. It will give you the option of checking the drive that you are trying to fix. select that. I have never tried it from a usb but hopefully it will see the drive.
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Oct 4 2008, 05:44 PM
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#28
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
OK.. booting from CD
Discovering system's BootSector Write !! VIRUS: Continue (Y/N)? This post has been edited by mike=)).: Oct 4 2008, 05:47 PM |
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Oct 4 2008, 05:46 PM
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#29
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Forum Regular Group: Members Posts: 151 Joined: 12-September 08 Member No.: 238,147 |
As I recall that is to check for boot sector virus. No.
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Oct 4 2008, 05:49 PM
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#30
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Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 6-September 08 From: somewhere near Amsterdam Member No.: 236,470 |
Y
Anti-Virus BIOS Interception Alert SR may need to examine and alter critical regions of this systems drives ...(recommends changing BIOS settings to disable built-in anti-virus) so disable anti-vir in BIOS? |
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