# Help! Broken hard disk, I need to recover data!!



## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

I'm desperate here, really need some ideas.

We offer B&B accommodation at home.
All our bookings until October were on the hard disk.
That hard disk no longer works!
It does not boot the computer, nor can it be accessed from another computer.
I took it to the shop where I bought it and they were unable to get it to work.

The disk turns, but for some reason is not recognized.
Then the message comes up asking if we want to format it.

The problem began this morning when the computer got blocked up.
I rebooted and got a message about a missing or corrupt ntfs.sys file in system32/drivers (the OS is Windows XP Professional).

I tried all the suggestions I found, like trying to restore from CD etc., but to no avail.
According to the shop where I bought it (the disk is a MAXTOR HD) there is something defective.

Is there any way to recover this data? I really need to or else we cannot make any more bookings. 
Would the manufacturer be able to do so? 
Are there services that might be able to help?


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

You can do a google search for 'data recovery' - it can be done but it's very expensive.
You might try booting with a live Linux CD like Knoppix, which will mount windows partitions automatically, and see if it will see the HD. If it does you can rescue your data that way.


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

Thanks Couchmaster, I just did that and found a place here in Italy that offers the service. 
You're right, it IS very expensive! I can't believe how much they want (somewhere between 700 - 2500 euros!). 

I'll check with my provider tomorrow, they have a Linux machine, perhaps they can help.

What exactly is a "live Linux CD like Knoppix" and what do I need to do?

Any info is immensely appreciated!


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

A Linux live CD is an OS that runs from the CD drive and memory. It doesn't mess with the OS on the HD but it will see it. This allows you to manouver around in Windows via Linux and sometimes correct problems that you can't correct with Windows alone.

They are free and Knoppix can be DL'ed here, http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=02686#0

You would first download the linux ISO file, then using a burning program like Nero burn the ISO as an Image to a CDR disk. Then boot with the disk - it will load linux and allow you to do all kinds of things - not to mention just run the computer via Linux...


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

I use this program with great success. http://highergroundsoftware.com/?hop=wintech


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

Wow! I'm downloading the program right now as we speak, I've got my fingers crossed.

So basically I can run the computer and try to access the hard disk right?
Well, at the moment the hard disk is still at the shop along with my computer but I'll give it a go once I get it back.

My friend who runs the shop suggested that it might be a problem with the little board attached to the disk itself (lots of chips and stuff there). 
Since I had 2 identical hard disks he said we could try swapping the board and the disk, but it might be risky.
I've already saved the data on the other disk so that's not a problem, but I wouldn't want to blow my chances if this little jewel of a program might work.

Thanks


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

Yep, you can run the Linux CD as the OS and look around in the other HD (if it's not totally screwed)! Good luck........

Here's a burning guide. http://www.brunolinux.com/01-First_Things_To_Know/Burning_ISOs.html


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

I am sorry but I am not quite sure who you are talking to.If it is me download and go slow reading how to use the program well as it is very powerful.Good luck as there are no sure fixes with computers.


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

pugmug, I'm downloading the program Couchmaster suggested, not the hard drive mechanic. 

The trouble is not that I've erased files but that I can't get neither my computer nor another computer (even after installing the hd to another computer as a second disk) to recognize it. 

And all I need is one tiny little file that couldn't be more than 40 kb!


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

No problem,hope it works for you.As far as what you said about your problem,that is what this program solves as nothing is really ever lost on a hard drive it just need to be linked back correctly in what ever OS and file format it was created in.This program will retrive files even after a format that is how good it is for me.But again,good luck to you.


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## accat13 (Jun 8, 2005)

As a last ditch attempt at recovery you could try the freezer trick if all else fails http://www.ozzu.com/ftopic32802.html you never know nothing ventured,nothing gained. The drive is air tight anyhow


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## DCM1519 (Mar 8, 2005)

You could try Spinrite. It may or may not recover the data but was written for that. It is very thorough and will not write to the disk and destroy any data even if it does not recover anything.

Also, Ontrack (VCOM) nas a data recovery service.

Another possibilty is called GetDataBack (for FAT and/or NTFS).

http://www.runtime.org/

You download the version you need and run it at no cost. It will tell you if the data is recoverable. If it is, you can buy the program (well under $100) and recover your data. I downloaded it and it is really a nice program.

Your data sounds important enough to warrant a data recovery service if none of this works.


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## StumpedTechy (Jul 7, 2004)

Is the Bios at least seeing the HDD? If you check in the bios is the HDD being reported? If not then even Knoppix won't be able to help.

If the BIOS does see the drive you may want to try using Ontrack EasyRecovery Professional. Its very user friendly and will even find old deleted files on top of being able to recover top level files.


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

accat13, 

I'll try the freezer method if nothing else works, never would have dreamed it possible but who knows. The explanation at ozzu seems plausible. Even if it just works for a few minutes all I have to do is recover a small file (40kb).


dmullen,

I had a look a t GetDataBack, I may give that a try if others fail. Thanks for the lead.


StumpedTechy,

Yesterday when I took the computer to the shop my friend who runs the place physically removed the disk from my computer and hooked it up to another computer but had difficulty recognizing it.

He went into Bios and still was unable to see it.
Then he came out of Bios and played around with the Device Manager and somehow did manage to pick it up.
He was unable to read any files from it however, and a screen came up saying that it needed to be formated.

At that point he said it was probably the electronic board that is directly attached to the disk itself that might be defective.
I have 2 identical hard disks.
He then switched the boards from one to the other but still had the same problem, suggesting that it is a problem inside the disk itself (which spins and hums).


CouchMaster,

Would Knoppix be able to read it when I can't read it from another computer?
I ask because from what I've read about Knoppix it seems like a great tool if you don't want to physically remove the disk and can't boot up the computer.

I have already removed the disk and tried it in another computer though, so I'm just wondering if for some reason Knoppix is better skilled at picking up the data.


*Note to all:

I deeply appreciate all your input, this data will never be lost!


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

Bobby said:


> accat13,
> CouchMaster,
> 
> Would Knoppix be able to read it when I can't read it from another computer?
> ...


If the HD is physically broken Knoppix will not read it - but this is going to be one of those last ditch efforts, like the freezer!


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## i hate ram (Jul 28, 2003)

ive done the freezer trick with sucess...


it gives the drive some alone time to think about how much of a pain in the arse it's been 


def. try knoppix.. i've used it to recover data very sucessfully


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## Trebuchet (Apr 5, 2005)

I think there's a program called "recover my files" or something that claims to be able to get overwritten data off of a formatted HDD. Anyone who knows the way deletion of data on a hard drive works knows this is possible. Try that first, then freeze it, because according to that thread, all freezing it does is lift the head off of the platters slightly, but when it thaws, it'll crash back down, causing permanant damage.

Cheers,

Roger


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## Old Rich (Jan 17, 2003)

I have had mixed results with the freezer trick . . but when it works it has worked long enough to capture files. . it is worth a try . . 

also, try holding the drive in different postions while you try to access it . . upside down, on the side . . sometimes gravity will do the same thing as the freezer


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

At the moment I'm running Onlines's "Easy Recovery" but it looks like it'll be another 8 hours or so before it finishes.

I'll keep you posted.


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

Miracles do happen!
EasyRecovery managed to fish out the file from the ocean of corrupted files.
I'm super-impressed.
Not only impressed, it saved my neck.

I just want to thank everyone for all your support and suggestions.
I will definately sleep well tonight.


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## CouchMaster (May 26, 2003)

:up: - great success story!


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Before you drift off to sleep, consider investing in a quality backup drive and a regular backup routine.  This story would only be a footnote for me, since I have critical files backed up twice a day, all data once a day, and my boot partition imaged once a week.

Before anyone jumps on me for tooting my own horn, I'm trying to make a point. If you have proper backups, the potential disaster of a total disk failure isn't a big deal, just a minor annoyance. If you have a business that depends on the data on the disk, you really NEED proper backups!


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

JohnWill I totally agree with you.

In fact the other day as I was kicking myself in the head (not an easy trick to do but I managed it) I downloaded 4 different backup programs after carefully reviewing many.
I finally decided on 1 that seems to meet my needs, EZBack-it-up.
I even came across a comment on it somewhere here in the TechGuy forum.
I've now got it backing up my critical files automatically twice a day (just the modified files, so after the initial copy it doesn't take long to run).

What exactly do you mean by imaging your boot partition?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I use Acronis True Image to make an exact image of my boot partition once a week. In the event that something gets corrupted on the boot partition, I can stuff the recovery CD in and restore the image in minutes. It's just backup for your boot drive.


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## dobbelina (Apr 5, 2005)

If everybody did that, think how empty this forum would become !


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm sure there'd be something to talk about.


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## lilhomie10 (Jul 15, 2005)

How did you recover your files? did you burn them onto cd? where did you get the easyrecovery program from?


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

I went down to my friend's computer shop and we reinstalled the OS to another disk and ran EasyRecover Professional. When I went back the next day it had picked up 40000 files which we saved to the good disk. After that I scrolled thru all the folders and files and located the ones I needed.

Try this link: http://www.ontrack.com/easyrecoveryprofessional/


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## Wrighty (Jul 25, 2005)

Hi guys - I seem to have the exact same problem Bobby had. I also run a B&B etc but down in France and my HHD on my Notebook just went bang. In fact it makes lots of noises, clunky clunky and the BIOS does not detect it.

I can't really try any of ther programmes as I need to connect the notebook HDD to another computer. Is there a cable or other device that can connect to the notebook HDD and connect into a USB or parallel prt of my desktop, just so I can see if the other WORKING PC can detect the broken Hard Drive.

I am downloading the Knoppix now to see if that will detect.

any advice welcome

Thanks

Ian


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

Hi Wrighty, what a coincidence.

First I suggest you back up that critical data in the future, it nearly destroyed us. I've learned my lesson.

Fortunately the program I used saved us, and I suggest you use it too.
Maybe one of the tech gurus here can tell you how to hook up the hard disk to another computer, I would just take it down to a shop and have them do it. They might also have a copy of the program on hand too.

Your hard disk isn't a MAXTOR by any chance is it?


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## DCM1519 (Mar 8, 2005)

Bobby 

Your question about Maxtor reminded me of a drive I have here that belongs to a friend. It is a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 SATA drive that failed after about a month of service. 

My friend got it from Dell as a replacement for another Maxtor that had failed in her new computer.

Her warranty (for computer) has expired now so they probably will not warrant this new drive even though it was built in Dec 2004 (failed in May 2005). 

She didn't want to believe the third time is a charm saying so replaced it at her expense with a Seagate. 

Reason she did this is that she had to spend 3-4 hours on the phone with someone with an accent (probably India) before they would even replace the previous Maxtor. 

Then, Dell sent out a "tech support" person who installed the new drive, started the Windows install and then left while telling her "you can finish the install". She knows nothing about computers and had a terrible time. 

This is her second (and last) Dell computer.

I tried Spinrite and it quit early because this drive is loaded with errors. Tried Knoppix and could see some files and many errors but did not know how to get those files to CDR or DVD. Got an error message when I tried to drag and drop them.

Now, I am going to try some of these other programs to see if anything can fix this and get back some of her data. I have tried for years to get her to perform the simplest of backups and she never did it so has a few files she would like to get back.


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## Bobby (Feb 13, 1999)

Dmullen,

The reason I asked is because after recovering the files, my friend at the computer shop installed another MAXTOR. Since this was the only time I had ever had a hard disk fail me I asked if they had another brand. They didn't, so I went ahead and installed another MAXTOR. The other day I told one of our guests - who happens to be a tech type guy and fixes similar problems - about the adventure, and he too confirmed that he no longer installs MAXTOR hard drives because of all the problems. It's starting to worry me. Although I am backing things up I don't want to have to reinstall everything again and worry about losing data at some point in the future.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

If you do image backups of your boot partition, you'll be back in business in minutes after a hard disk crash. All hard disks die, not just Maxtor's. I have probably 30 hard disks here, and a good percentage of them are Maxtors. I don't have any more failures with Maxtor drives than WD or Seagate. Here's some interesting reading for you.

http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref/hdd/perf/qual/issuesLuck.html


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## Wrighty (Jul 25, 2005)

Hi
I need to know if I can get a cable or something that can connect my broken Hitachi Travelstar notebook HDD (from a HP Pavilion notebook) to my desktop PC, via USB or the like. Just so I can see if I can recover the data.

Does anything exist that could help me.

cheers

Ian


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

This 2.5" to 3.5" Adapter should do the trick.


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## DoShurikn (Jul 27, 2005)

Anyone know if there's any open source project for data-recovery that would work like that easyrecovery program?


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## Wrighty (Jul 25, 2005)

Okey Dokey
I got the cable - and IDE to USB. 

Does this sound liek the dis it totally dead. I plug it in, the desktop sees the USB device and loads it - comes up with mass storage device. Then it comes up with device not working properly. Error 10.

Is this just windows having a problem or does it sound like the disk is mechanically not working even though it gets recognised by the system.

Any help woudl be greatly appreciated - I just heard from HP that they will just replace the disk and won't even attempt to recover data so I need to get this done quick before I send it off to them (under warranty)

cheers

Ian


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