How do you Recover Files from an HD that has an OS on it?

[Leperchaun]

I am a fan of Western Digital, but I have an internal Maxtor 500GB Sata HD which until recently worked. A week ago my buddy at the shop called me and told me that our Motherboard fried when he tried to turn it on. I immediately went to the shop to fix the problem. The Power Supply had shorted out the Motherboard, which in turn shut everything down. Got a new Power Supply plugged it in and nothing. So I decided to try and get all of the files off of the HD a different way. I took the HD home and tried to hook it up to my PC, which I have always been able to do for other people's HD's and I could not get the Maxtor to read at all. I tried just about everything in my knowledge that I could think of. Unfortunately I have no back-up of all the files. I need to know if there is any way to get those files off of the old Maxtor, which has Windows XP Professional as the OS, so I can move them over to a new HD. If anyone can help, it would be much appreciated.

 

[Archean]

Is the system bios is detecting your hard drive at all?

 

[Leperchaun]

No, the Bios is not detecting it at all either.

 

[longtail]

If BIOS cannot detect the drive, no data recovery software can help you recover files from it. You'd stop using it and sent to data recovery company.

 

[hughva]

You Tube has several very good videos explaining this process:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=data+recovery&search_type=&aq=0&oq=data+re
There was a very interesting one showing the drive cover removed and the drive connected via USB adapter while using an electric drill to rotate the platter. All the files were recovered. I'm not recommending this, but it was very inventive.

 

[Archean]

Instead of using an electric drill; in such situation easiest solution is to go to some technician, ask him to find a compatible controller for your hdd so the faulty one can be replaced and thats that gentlemen

 

[hughva]

I think not.
Some technician? Only a specialist is likely to have the exact board you need, although I hear you can find them on Ebay.
Motors go bad. Disks get scratched. Heads have to be replaced.
Which is the problem?
The videos are very instructive.

Instead of using an electric drill; in such situation easiest solution is to go to some technician, ask him to find a compatible controller for your hdd so the faulty one can be replaced and thats that gentlemen

 

[Archean]

I was only talking with reference to controller issues. Obviously if the media has gone bad its a different story altogether. Usually technicians who repair stuff can find the right controller for you given bit of time.

 

[gguerra]

If the drive is bad it's bad, BUT your BIOS would not detect it if it was not jumpered correctly. Make sure it is not conflicting with your existing hard drive. Make sure one is master and one is slave. If you still cant get BIOS to see it try connecting the maxtor by itself. Just a thought that nobody had mentioned.