Installing a old Harddrive as my second, format???

[Largeman]

I just got a new PC cause the power supply and fan on my old computer stopped working and it would not stay booted.

So I placed the harddrive of my old PC into my new Compaq Presario. If I go to Windows Explore it will show, that drive G is "Local Disk" so I guess, being it has never said that before, that it my old harddrive. When I click on it, it tells me I need to format it. But that will delete everything right?
How do I access my old Harddrive?

thanks

 

[iss]

Your could make a Bart PE disk and recover your data with it.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

 

[Largeman]

I just found out that the added harddrive is showing up as RAW, doesn't that mean its unformatted? Is everything lost?

 

[gbhall]

depends on master/slave

You need to check the master/slave settings on your old HD. You cannot just connect it up if it came out of your old PC,. it would have been master drive on IDE cable 1. Now (depending where you have plugged it in, it could be master on cable 2 or slave on cable 1, but then your CD and/or DVD might conflict with it, having been supplied as master on cable 2.

You will do best to put your old drive as master on cable 2 and have Cd and DVD (assuming you have both, as slave on cable 1.

Do you know how to set mast/salve ? Look on the drive, there will be a tiny shorting plug and a label stuck on the drive telling you which pins to short for each status (mast/slave/cable select). Cable select is rarely used, it requies 80 wire cables.

BTW, I'd be surprised if you have lost anything !

Luck

 

[Largeman]

Thanks again, however on the old HDD I can NOT find what is for slave/master and I know how to set it. I had to change the setting when adding a second CD ROM. The HD does not have it listed, any ideas?
its a Samsung SV4002H

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Disconnect other drives from IDE2, then connect the old HD to it, which should be automatically Master. Set any CD/DVD to slave on IDE2.

 

[Largeman]

ok I found out that my new harddrive (the one that came with it) was set at CS and not master. So I made sure 100% that the new was set at Master and the old one I am adding is set now at Slave. However if I click on drive G on Windows Explorer it still says I need to Formate the drive.

 

[Tedster]

there are jumpers on the end of the hard drive the must be set for master / slave/ cable select. set your old drive as a slave and the new one as master. Ensure the new drive is at the end of the cable and the old in the middle.
you should be able to retrieve your data. bear in mind you can not use your old hard to boot off of in the new computer. The computer specific boot data is different.

 

[Largeman]

The Slave/master is set right, they are hooked up right but still telling me I need to formate the drive!

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Why don't you format it then, unless there is stuff on it you need to keep?

 

[Largeman]

all my old files on it and I need them BAD and ASAP! it's killing me plus 5 years of pictures of my daughter

 

[Tedster]

ok. Get a cheap USB to IDE adapter for about $20. get all your old stuff off the hard disk. Then put the drive back into your computer and format it.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

It might be safer to borrow a PSU and (buy) a fan from someone, stick everything (back) in the old PC and use a USB-key to transfer the data (up to 1GB at the time, depending on key-memory).

 

[gbhall]

so what have you learned about backup?

all my old files on it and I need them BAD and ASAP! it's killing me plus 5 years of pictures of my daughter

Sorry to point out the obvious, but take some time to learn about proper backup strategies....it's not just taking backups to removeable drives either, if it's REALLY critical (and what could be more critical than your daughters early days?) you have to think about off-site storage (what would happen to your PC AND your backups in a fire/flood/break-in?).

I could go on...can anybody be certain a CD written on one PC can be read on another....on the same one in 5 years time....can anybody be sure an IDE hard drive will be useable in a PC 10 years down the line??? No, no and no again.

For important stuff, you need continual attention to migrating your backups to newer media all the time. It is an interesting topic, and bloody boring at the same time!

 

[Grinchy]

I know this is over a year later. But to help those that look at this page. Like me. If you go to this site. Runtime Software http://www.runtime.org You will find the program dowmload for getdataback it's for either FAT or NTFS. It will cost you. But is it woth it to get your data back.
My Comp. Had the same exact problem and this program retreived all my data in the same condition it was when it crashed. It was worth it for me anyways.