The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems Windows XP

[scattycat69]

Hi
I searched the internet using google and came across a post from 2005 on this forum which discussed the problem I am having, although it didn't seem to have a conclusion, the assistance given was very good.
I have a fujitsu-siemens scaleo t desktop which from the posts I have read seems like my hard drive is on it's last legs. Which is ok because I recently bought a seagate external hard drive so that I could backup and copy all the files from my pc (which I had been using mainly for storage) as I have a laptop.
I had an idea that as the make of the pc is not all that good I may start to have problems and was trying to pre-empt ...... unfortunately it seems the pc has beaten me to it and started to die before I could get all the files off the hard drive onto the seagate. I got to 'm' in the folders and am really desperate to recover the rest of the files, especially one of 'photos'.
Sorry to be so long winded, but thought the more information I can give to my situation the better it is.

1. I have rebooted from the cd and the windows xp disk which did not complete
2. I have done a chkdsk /r whcih came up with this message
3. I rebooted with the windows disk in and started the process again and got the message 'the following list shows the exiasting partitions etc etc' Unknow Disk (there is no disk in this drive) Options given ENTER Install D Delete Partition F3 Quit

I haven't gone any further as I didn't want to possibly jeopardise retriving my files.
What can I do? All help greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance!

 

[raybay]

If it is within your budget, buy an external hard drive enclosure which operates with a USB or Firewire cable (depending on what you can use). They are available at many online stores such as Directron, NewEgg, Frys, and on eBay...
Do NOTHING more with your computer. Remove the hard drive now. When you get the external enclosure, insert your failing hard drive, then plug the "enclosed" hard drive into your new or restored computer, where you often locate the needed files and folders and drag them across,. This does not work everytime, but most of the time, the hard drive will not boot because of damage to the outer edge of the disks, but you can still see the data on the drive when it is on a USB connection.
Once you find you can access the old hard drive via a USB connection, do NOT turn it off or disconnect until you have rescued and verified all the data and images.
You may find that it works slowly and takes a lot of time, but it is surprising how often this will work to rescue stuff that is important to you.
If an external enlosure is not available to you, you may be able to insert the drive into another coputer as a slave, with changes to the jumper, and find them that way.
This works because the old drive no longer has to boot. It is not fool proof, but the only other method is to have a rescue company recover the data... it usually costs a lot of money... starting at $55 to test, and as much as $500 to retrieve the files.

 

[scattycat69]

Hi Raybay
Many thanks for your reply, I have disconnected the hard drive from the old pc. When I search for a 'case' should I be looking for anything specific? What size should I look for? What sort of price should I expect to pay.
Thanks again

 

[raybay]

Many computer stores have them, or you can search on Directron.com, NewEgg, Frys, CDW.com, etc for "Hard Drive Enclosure... there are many brands... just look for the right size... 3.5 inch for a desktop... Some handle both IDE and SATA drives, some other syou must by either an IDE enclosure or a SATA enclosure. They install with a couple of screws that come with the enclosure. You will usually need a USB cable, to connect the USB to the computer. Be sure to get an enclosure that comes with its own power adapter so it can power the hard drive to turn and run actively without drawing power from the main computer.

They run about $12 to $45 depending on brands and features... I prefer Nextar, Antec, or Element.. and buy ours at Directron.com because they have a large variety.