Laptop Hard Drive Problems

[AlanHo]

A tearful grand daughter has brought her Vista laptop to me which is refusing to boot - showing a message that says windows needs to be repaired. However - it will not respond to the repair option being clicked on. She has lots of schoolwork stored on the hard drive and many hundreds of photos.

After much fiddling with the computer trying various things - I removed the hard drive and plugged it into my computer via a USB adaptor which shows 2 partitions in Windows 7 Disk Management. I can access a small partition called "System" but the large data partition cannot be accessed using explorer - there is a 3 or 4 minute wait after clicking on the drive before I get a message that tells me the partition needs to be formatted - which of course I am loathe to do because of losing her data

Looking at the drive using Windows 7 disc management, I can see the partiton I need to access is shown as healthy but the format is not NTFS - it shows as RAW

The drive is making some clicking sounds, so I guess it is on its deathbed - hence I want to try and copy the important data to another drive, fit a new hard drive in the computer, reinstal windows and restore her data

Where do I go from here.................?

PS

I don't know whether it will respond to the format option - but if it did and I am forced to reformat the partition - what are my chances of then recovering the data using Recuva.....?

[MANEMAN]

Sorry to hear that Alan.

You are going to have less chance of recovering the data if you format it. I would not go for that option.

It sounds very much as though the file system on the disk has become corrupt. This could happen if the disk is on it's final legs, or even from a power outage.

I would think there is a strong possibility for the need of a new HDD for this Laptop.

Formatting the present drive is just going to put you further away from reclaiming her school work and photos. Low level format is going to write zeros to the first and last million sectors of the disk.

The very last thing you need to do to this disk is "Write to it" at all.

There is always a bit of a panic on when this sort of stuff happens. Just try to read it, or recover it. No writing to it. No fancy fixes.

I have managed to read / recover / and transfer several times in the past with a Linux Live CD. Also in despair thrown one disk over to a computer running Windows 98 (FAT32) and it has managed to "see" the files.

Worst case scenario is that you get a new drive, install an O/S and tell her to wait and be patient while Grandad tries to get her files back

Plenty of time then to sit back and logically try to unweave the web.

Go slow. Plenty of people here to help you get the files back. Let us know how it is going.

John.

[-pops-]

You know my view.

[Helpful_Jim]

Try booting using 'Win PE' (a Windows boot CD that just loads a basic windows shell in RAM). This has saved me in the past. However, I wasn't experiencing the exact same scenario you describe.

Creating a bootable Win PE(the instructions go through creating a USB memory key but ignore that and just write the ISO to CD)

These are the instructions I used recently to get at data on a virus riddled server, maybe they can help you get at data on the HD:

Walkthrough: Create a Custom Windows PE Image

[AlanHo]

I have tried two ideas since my original post. Firstly I left the faulty drive in the freezer overnight and was initially hopeful that it had helped because it initially mounted faster and was accessed without a long wait. However, optimism turned to disappointment when I was still not able to see what the partition contained - it still read empty.

I next downloded Ubuntu and created a boot disc. Using this in my desktop and with the laptop drive connected via USB I was able to see that there are two partitions, one called System and the second called Vista.

The vista partition contains a number of folders, the main ones being Windows, Programs and Documents & Settings.

Frustratingly I can open any of the folders and see their content except just one folder - you guessed it - Documents and Settings is shown as empty. Hence I cannot access any of her documents, pictures, music, videos etc.

I appreciate your advice about not writing anything to the drive or formatting it - but looking at the claims for Recuva it says quite clearly you can recover files even after a drive has been formatted. I will hold off doing this for a while but barring any other good ideas it will have to be my last desperate throw.

I have ordered a new drive for her computer but have now discovered that the recovery CD that came with it is not a full copy of Vista - but a means to access a hidden partition on the faulty drive which is invisible to Windows and Ubuntu when I read the disc from my desktop. I have no means of knowing whether this feature will work and to try it out will probably result in her data being deleted or over-written. Hence I am now totally frustrated.

This is a classic example of why everyone should have a proper backup regime for when your hard drive fails - as it inevitably will sooner or later.

[Boris]

I very much doubt that the Recovery CD will work :(

but - provided that you have her Product Key number you should be able to re-install Vista for her on the new H/D using an OEM Vista DVD

[AlanHo]

I have solved the problem.

I purchased a copy of EASEUS data Recovery Wizard From Here which eventually recovered all her schoolwork and probably all of her photos and music - thousand of them. Her parents have paid for it because the quote they got from PC World to do the recovery and fit a replacement hard drive was mind boggling. I have ordered a new hard drive for a shade under £40 - the repair shop wanted nearly £100 to supply and fit a new drive and estimated twice as much again to recover her data.

At first I was disappointed because the program kept pausing for long periods when trying to scan the faulty disk which rattles quite a lot. I wasted many hours before I eventually managed to get it to read the drive by.........don't laugh............promise not to ridicule me......sealing it in a plastic bag and burying it in frozen peas to keep it freezing cold. This trick stopped the clatter and rattle it was making which then allowed it to be read.

It seems to be a very good program and can recover data from most storage media. Unlike most recovery programmes, it recovers the directory structure and all the file names. Furthermore, as I can confirm, it can recover data from damaged hard drives and ones that have been reformatted.

[catgate]

That is a very powerful piece of software you have got hold of.

I have heard of this freezing business before. What is the theory behind it?

Is it just simply a case of shrinking the bearings to temporarily take up the odd thou. of wear on the "big end"?

[MANEMAN]

Freezing shrinks the bores and alleviates any piston slap, which is why it stopped the clatter and rattle.

Alan never mentioned whether this was a Petrol or Diesel HDD. The Diesel SATA's are prone to slap, and are naturally more noisy and of course of a higher compression ratio.

Glad all is working out well Alan. Easeus is the very best I have used so far for recovery.

Good being a Grandad and all the stuff that comes our way innit ? :P

John.

[catgate]

I just happened to drift into the following earlier this afternoon. There did not seem to be a handy link so here it is.

It looked as though it may be of use to someone. Maybe it is already on here somewhere.

How to recover Deleted files in Xp

* datarecovery's blog

Ack! The computer ate my term paper! We've all been there at some point. You delete an important file, somehow it skips your Recycle Bin altogether, and for all practical purposes, it's disappeared into the ether. But before you hit the big red panic button, there's a very good chance that your file is still alive and kicking somewhere on your hard drive-you just need to know how to find it. With the right tools, finding and recovering that deleted file can be as simple as a few clicks of your mouse.

Ok, so you've lost an important file. Don't panic. Take a breath, and let's see if we can find it. Before you go into full-on file recovery mode, make sure you double-check the folder you had saved it in and the Recycle Bin or Trash. Still nothing?

When you empty the Recycle Bin or delete a file using shift+Del method, the file is still not really deleted. The file no longer exists as far as the operating system is concerned and the space it occupied becomes available for re-use by other files. But the disk space does not get re-used straight away, so the data contained in the deleted file will stay on your hard drive for some time to come.

If you're running Microsoft Windows XP / Vista then Desk sense Undel is the best undelete software you can buy. It is developed by a company that specializes solely in data recovery products. It uses the deepest search methods and the most sophisticated recovery algorithms to give you the best possible chance of recovering your files. It also has powerful tools including thumbnail preview for all files which allows you to quickly identify the files you need to recover.

What Desksense Undel Does

1. You can get a hold on your lost word file. Supposedly, you were creating a doc file and suddenly the power goes off and with just no UPS backup your PC is off, and since you haven't saved the file, so all s lost. But the retrieve word file allows you to get hold of your unsaved data too.

2. In case you land up losing your important data sheets (excel files), the books and the sheets where you saved all your financial heads; here, Desksense provide you with a solution to get back your excel files, with the help of retrieve excel feature.

3. The PDF are such which cannot be changed, and hence they are created after all the rectifications are being accomplished to a certain data. So, losing onto a PDF is serious risk. But now Desksense give you retrieve PDF option which will let you retrieve your lost PDF data too.

4. Now have your favorite movies saved in your PC forever. Because even if gets erased, with the help of Retrieve movies option you can have your favorite movie back on your PC. Or may be you are running loss of space. Delete your movie one, copy and watch movie two; then delete movie two and use desksense to get back your old movie one.

5. You are a music buff, and have your own unique collection of music which you don't wish to lose at any cost. Now have these entire safe and secured at your own PC, because even if you loose then desksense retrieve audio will get them back for you.

6. Got your Recent project Deleted? Someone Deleted your Psd? or Just remembered that the Fla file you deleted yesterday is of sheer need? Hey, desksense brings back your lost data. Days of shift+Del is gone.

7. I understand what you feel when you loose your favorite music library, accidentally while cleaning up your PC for space utilization or while reorganizing your music files. Don't Panic!! Desksense retrieves your favorite music library at your desktop within minutes.

There are some more files that Desksense Undel can bring back for you and give it a new life.

So, there is no worry of getting long lost or accidentally deleted files anymore as long you have Desksense Undel in your hand.

PC files recovery

[AlanHo]

There are a number of data recovery programs available - either freeware or commercial. However - very few of them can tackle a hard drive that is so corrupted it cannot be read by windows. Most are aimed at recovering files from a healthy volume that have been either accidentally or purposefully deleted - or in some cases lost when the volume was reformatted.

This is where EASEUS comes into its own - it can ferret around in a damaged drive and restore data that other programs fail to reach.

It is the Heineken of the IT World

[AlanHo]

Now for the next stage upon which I would appreciate some help.

I now have a copy of all her valuable files on my computer - which is also backed up to an external drive so they are safe.

I was able to then connect the faulty drive back to the laptop using a SATA to SATA adaptor cable and, as I mentioned earler, by using up most of our freezer contents I have managed to keep the faulty hard drive working whilst I did some experiments. After much faffing around I was able to invoke the inbuilt computer repair software which restored Vista to the drive. It held together long enough for me to then install Acronis and take an image of the drive onto an external USB hard drive.

The drive has 3 partitions -

1. A hidden one which has the Vista reinstallation software
2. A small one called "System" having a few hidden files
3. A large partition having the Vista OS, Programs and Data (But currently with just the OS and Acronis because I "repaired" it)

I have acquired a replacement SATA 80 GB hard drive which is brand new and not formatted.

So I now have the following ingredients.....

• An external USB hard drive on which I have an Acronis image of all 3 partitions.
• My desktop computer to which I am able to connect the external hard drive and the new hard drive (using a SATA to USB adaptor).
• The faulty hard drive which has now expired - I can no longer access the large partition with the OS on it. I cannot afford any more frozen peas.
• The laptop in which I could instal the new unformatted hard drive and to which I could connect the external USB hard drive having the Acronis image.

So what is the best way forward....from here....?

What I am not sure about is whether I first need to format the new hard drive before Acronis can recognise it.

Also - will Acronis create the 3 partitions or do I have to do this first and restore them one by one.

[AlanHo]

Bump - any suggestions................?

[Boris]

Not sure whether you need to format, but AFAIK Acronis should just be able to restore the partitions from the external H/D to the new H/D