Bad Hard drive crash

The diagnostic utility will run from either a floppy disk or if it`s an ISO version, can be burned to cd.

You would then boot from either the floppy or cd. It runs independently of windows.

Regards Howard

Ok,

I bought an external case, and I can mount it now and view the file structure and copy a few files, but a lot of them won't copy (cyclic redundancy check).

I tried running maxblast, but it said "failed to read from secor xxx of hard drive"

Any ideas? What could I use to get the data back? I was running "getdataback for ntfs", and it was working for a while, but then I got bsod pointing to ntfs.sys.

Cheers!

Other than using a professional data recovery service, I think you`re screwed mate. The hard drive is just too far gone to use any recovery software.

Regards Howard

Put simply, it's a dodo!

eh, i can pull some data off of it when I connect though, i don't understand. Is it just bad sectors? I could re-magnetize those or something couldn't I? If I can pull some data off manually, couldn't a file recovery program get more than that? And why does chkdsk give me 0 bad sectors now? (I accidentally posted the results of the chkdsk on the last post of the first page). I really, really don't want to lose 500 gigs of data

The hard drive is on it's way out, there is no 2 ways about it. Chkdisk wont find the bad sectors once they have been labeled bad as they are ignored and not used after that. If you cant afford to loose data, then you should have backed up that data.

At some point soon, that hard drive is going to either corrupt further or pack up altogether.

Once data is damaged it's damaged, It's as simple as that. Recovery software can only do so much. It seems the damage is already too bad for the software.


I take it you have never experienced a hdd failieure before, i have seen many. You are extremely lucky that you can access any data at all.

Hello Peeps
Nice case, Rik!
The hard drive diagnostics run from a floppy or a CD - you don't need windows.
One thing you could try is fitting the drive as a slave into another PC using a different power feed and a different signal cable. It has worked for me occasionally as a last resort because, as Howard has said on several occasions, going to a data recovery professional is an expensive option.
Maxtor drives are now owned by Seagate and the tools are on
http://download.seagate.com/seatools/registration.nsf/eula/desktop
Again, as Howard has advised more than once, run this before you do anything else.

yeah, all the seatools tests did was say "FAIL".

What I was saying is that if i can pull some data off manually, shouldn't i be able to use data recovery software to get some more? Anyone know any good ones that allow me to access files? I have one called "PC Inspector File Recovery", but I can't access the files in two of the main folders in there.

have you tried a different sata cable already? I saw it was suggested but I am not sure you tried it. Also try a different SATA port and see if that will fix the problem, in my experience once the drive starts going bad, it only gets worse if it is a hard drive problem, if it is a cable problem on the other hand, the hard drive will behave oddly.

Yeah, like I said earlier, I bought an external case and connected it that way via usb. I can still detect the harddrive, and I can pull some of the data off of it, but a bunch of the files won't let me. The ones that do allow me access are slow when I try to copy them over to another drive though.

If you can get some but not others, the ones you cannot get are on a damaged part of the drive. If the surface of the drive is unreadable not even a data recovery package will get them for you.

Data recovery procedure suggestion (effectively used in-house)

Step One: I strongly suggest you mount run a full level 4 analysis on the drive using Spinrite 6.0. This will take a VERY long time, possibly as long as a week if the drive is REALLY bad. Do not bother with any level setting below level 4 analysis as they will not revive as many bad sectors as possible on the drive. All the possible sectors will be moved or marked appropriately as necessary for data recovery.

Step Two: Get yourself a copy of Ontrack Easy Recovery Professional and mount the bad drive in an actively cooled USB enclosure (so that the recovery system can boot effectively without interference form the bad drive). FIrst try an advanced Recovery, and specify the format system you had used, likely NTFS, you may also try a RAW recovery on the drive.

I strongly suggest that you use a computer for this that is not required on a daily basis. I use an old system used specifically for this as data recovery is offered as a service for customers willing to pay for it. Most of the time partial or complete recovery is possible on about 60% or more of failed drives. There are many other techniques and tricks to recovery data, but then I would need about ten pages of space to relay this. Techrepublic.com has some useful advice for recovering lost data.

hey,

i have the same problem! only my computer doesn't recognize my hdd at all. not even bios. so i can't run any diagnostics on it.
so my question is: is this the only way to fix the problem? i mean the recovery stuff. i don't want to loose any of my data!

here's my letter:
Can't see my HDD anymore!! Please Help me!!
Hello Everybody!

First of all, sorry about my English!

So.. I have a super huge problem. My computer was working fine for like 2 years until Sunday. That's when I checked my computer and saw a message: Windows was unable to save file: D:/... etc.. (I'm sorry I didn't write it down.). It froze down. I couldn't do anything. I had to Reset the computer, but since that time the computer is unable to see my D: hard drive, which is a Seagate.

You should know my configuration:
I have a Compaq Presario SR1911X with 2 hard drives. One is for the Windows XP: Samsung SP2004C, the other one is for all my data (photos, music, emails, everything!): Seagate ST3200826AS. This is the one which is not working.

I took my computer apart and tried to change the cabels, just to see if it's a cabel problem. It's not. And I can hear that the HDD has power because it gives me the sound.. But the only problem, that the computer doesn't recognize it anymore.

Please Please Please people, help me!!!! I don't want to loose all my data, expecially my photos. Also, I don't have the money to get it to a data recovery comptany.

Thank you!

If the system cannot recognise the drive (and you are sure the jumpers are correct) then the problem is probably the controller card. I have revived drives with a replacement card but it has to be from exactly the same batch for it to work.
Also make sure the ribbon cable is in good condition.
Finally, you could try the drive in another system.

hey,

i was looking to get a new drive to take off the circuit board when i found out that this type of the seagate hdds are bad and i can't change the circuitboard because it's not a good idea. i can't post the link because the forum doesn't let me do it.
so i'm going to try what kieseyhow said and see what happens. i hope it's the right thing to do.
is it important to get an external drive or i can use an internal too? i'm thinking of getting either a western digital external drive or a hitachi internal drive. but i heard that the western digital is not really good. so i need more opinion on that.
i hope i can recover most of the stuff i have on my hdd.

thanks for your help!

If your system does not recognise the drive then it is unlikely to work if you put it in an external closure. And if your system does not see the drive then you will not be able to run diagnostics on it either - sorry to be the bearer of bad news but someone out there might read this and just might back up their files!

but can i run the recovery program on it if it doesn't recognize the driver??

Nope - if the system cannot see it then it cannot talk to it at all.

Thanks for that - general advice has to be never buy software over eBay nor used hard drives.

Same problem (fixed)

Umm yea i have the same hard drive same problem and everything

I've had my external for like 5 years and didn't touch it cause the information on there was very important to me but every time i came across a program that i thought it would fix it ...it wouldn't... until today i did find a program that WOW! got me all the IMPORTANT things i needed. now what i needed was cad project files. cause i could always get my programs back or reinstall them. but not project files . so when you do use this program only expect "and there is a filter for searching certain files only" to receive photos, music, and project files back like AI files dxf dxt .

i got the program on ISOHUNT. I know thats bad but i needed it and it works not to mention its got loads of great stuff for optimizing cleaning and random BS stuff..

hope it helps you it helped me

Spotmau PowerSuite 2009
it has a key as well just don't register it. again i know this bad getting these programs like this but i'm broke and i need my info.
i also found out for some reason my drive was a FAT 28 in one program and a FAT 32 in another and it was labeled with a bunch of square symbols in one and Chinese in another. it was really messed up.

AGAIN IT WORKED FOR ME

SIN....S~U~F~F~I~X


update....

i found another program that also works a little better. "GetDataBack for FAT (Version 3.50)"
I actually did the same type of setting scan and i seem to be getting more back from the scan
except that you loose the title of the file when you get it back BUT....but you can still acess it and preview it you just have to re label it. again ISOHUNT.

And sorry if i piss anyone off by putting ISOHUNT on here. i like Tech Spot please don't banned me.
just trying to help. can i get a warning first if you disapprove plz.