External HDD failure - Urgent Help needed!

its probably dying slowly. if you get Hiren's run the S.m.a.r.t viewer and check its health report. Either way if you can browse its files, I'de get everything off it very quickly. i
 
It's not letting me copy the files!

when I click on the folder, it freezes then I can move it. Try dragging onto the C drive, nothing works! :(
 
This is ****ing worse than not being able to see the drive at all!
FFS.

Testdisk now says Incorrect Partition or something..
 
Its going to be slow, but what you need to do is get the disk to work, open it select a single folder, and move it to another location. If it freezes, or stops working, reboot and try again. That way you should be able to recover some files....

Also, try download the manufacturer diagnostic tools, e.g. seatools for seagate drives, and run that to see what's wrong with the disk.
 
Do a bit level mirror image of the drive. Then you work on the image to recover your files.

Linux tools like dd & ddrescue are worth looking into.
 
http://i46.tinypic.com/15dkqvo.png

This is what I'm getting. I'm scared to restart the pc because it might not even be detected next time.

I can't make a mirror image of the drive because this pc only has one sata port and the other 120GB sata drive can't run at the same time. FFS, this is really pissing me off. :mad:

All my work and files :(
 
BLaZor2 said:
I can't make a mirror image of the drive because this pc only has one sata port and the other 120GB sata drive can't run at the same time.(
Click to expand...

So how are you accessing the drive now via windows if you only have one sata port? USB again?
 
ponder said:
So how are you accessing the drive now via windows if you only have one sata port?
Click to expand...

Windows is running on an IDE drive.
The faulty drive is running on the Sata.

Reason for windows being on the IDE is because I couldn't install windows on the 120GB sata despite formatting it. :-/
 
This is a fairly old pc. Celeron, 1GB ram. Just enough to surf the internet.
Damnit, I really need to get these files but they won't let me copy the folders.

I can copy an indivdual file, but I can only access certain directories. :/
 
BLaZor2 said:
Windows is running on an IDE drive.
The faulty drive is running on the Sata.

Reason for windows being on the IDE is because I couldn't install windows on the 120GB sata despite formatting it. :-/
Click to expand...

Then you have a problem.

How big is the IDE drive and how much free space does it have?
Get another PC to work on or go and buy a SATA card.

Whatever you do do not recover to the faulty drive or use anything that performs write operations to it, like windows for example even if you are not copying anything ;)
 
The IDE drive has 50GB's free.
Looks like I'll need to get a PCI sata interface, sata power cable + sata cable.

Where can I get them now and are there any shops open this time of year?
I'm wondering the more I delay this, the less chances I have of recovery. :/
 
If you don't use the drive it won't slowly degrade on its own.
Not sure what's open where you are, but just leave the drive for now until you can get an interface card.

SATA card is going to cost maybe R400. Can't recall now if there's anything cheaper out there.

I have a SATA card and a 160GB spare drive here . I can send it to you out of good faith, but it has to come back.

Try using GetDataBack to pull the important files off the drive. The file table is probably messed up, but something like getdataback could help there.
 
I only need to recover around 60GB's of data, but I'll definitely use GetDataBack.
Another good program I used before was Recuva.
 
GetDataBack. Whatever you do don't reboot.

If the drive is listed in BIOS & explorer than you've still got a fair shot at getting the files. Once the BIOS does recognize it then your in it up to the neck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X