HDD problems

[J.]

im in a pickle, what i use to use as my windows and file (downloads, backup) hard drice has become corupt. it will not let me copy much of it, problem is this hard drive has all my picture, photo's, music, FS files and all my other downloads.

when i try and copy or move files from it it says that it is not a valid MS DOS function. is it possible to recove this disk, i really do not want to format it until i have got some of the files of.

[Tom...]

Search on Google for 'disk recovery tools' and you should be Business  ;)

edit actually take it to a computer shop (not pc world) and see if they can recover stuff from it, my local one managed to recover quite alot of data from a crashed drive

[Fozzer]

I immediately Googled "Disk Recovery Systems"...

..and most if it seems to be Boxed, Payware applications so far.. ...!

I have a Freeware programme for recovering corrupted "Text Files"....but that wont help you... ...

Paul...!

John...

Pop over the Malvern Hills to sunny Herefordshire and all your problems will be solved...
...trust me......!

[J.]

thanks tom, could you recomend one?

you going to cook me a tasty lunch paul... becuase im starving!

[Fozzer]

thanks tom, could you recomend one?

you going to cook me a tasty lunch paul... becuase im starving!

...a tasty Minced Beef and Onion Pie with lots of "good for you" vegetables included, (Brussel Sprouts  removed), is on today's Menu...

...together with a can (or three) of Foster's Original, and all your annoying HDD problems will drift away...like clouds in a Summer's sky!

...trust me... ...!

Paul...basking in sunshine (and Minced Beef and Onion Pie), at the mo'... ...!

[J.]

paul why are you basking in a pie? how did you fit in the pie, must be a big pie! ...

well im quite tempted to head out for a pint and a bite to eat, i have found a recovery tool which is currently working its way through my music collection

hope this works

[Fozzer]

paul why are you basking in a pie? how did you fit in the pie, must be a big pie! ... :P

well im quite tempted to head out for a pint and a bite to eat, i have found a recovery tool which is currently working its way through my music collection :)

hope this works

No problemo, John...;)...

Calculated the size of the Pie, and decided I could fit nicely inside it after performing the following equation...>>>

 Area = Pi*R^2

Pie, times the radius, squared

...and it tasted lovely... ...!

Paul.... ...!

[Groundbound1]

Is the corrupt drive the one you boot from? Sounds like a dumb question, but I just want make sure I understand you.

[J.]

im now booting of my other hard drive, the corrupt one now olny holds all my files, it did use to have windows on a partition but that went as well

its ok i think, just now installing everything and transfering all my needed files from the corrupt disk to the safe one. taking ages!

[Groundbound1]

Probably not a bad hard drive, just a corrupt OS. It happens.

[J.]

not sure whats wrong with it, but it will not allow anything to be copied from it using the normal copy and paste functions. if i try and open a file from it 5 mins later i get the blue screen. running an OS on it gives me a blue screen. so im hopeing that if i can remove all important data from it, combine the two partitions again, and give it a complete format it will be ok, if not i need to buy a new one

[NickN]

MY COMPUTER - Right Click the drive - PROPERTIES - TOOLS - ERROR CHECKING - CHECK NOW... place a check in BOTH BOXES and click START

If that forces a blue screen run a CHKDSK /R on the drive using the Windows install disk... boot the system like you are going to install Windows with the CD in the drive. On the first screen press R for the RECOVERY CONSOLE.. once at a DOS PROMPT type

CHKDSK /R

That should bypass certain system files and allow a full repair check to take place... if that fails you need to run the drive through the hard drive utility from the manufacture you can typically get at the HDD manufacture web site.. run their utility and have it check for a defect... some of those utilities can do a low level repair to get you back in temporarily but if it shows a defect, I would dump the drive after getting the data off of it.

[J.]

thanks nick, i will give it a go

i tried setting a check disk from right clicking the drive but it would freeze on stage 5

i will try doing it through the recovery console though, cheers.

J

[J.]

Nick, i did what you said and it said that the drive had several unrecoverable faults, should i try and look for a manufaturers utility or just dith the HDD?

[NickN]

Make sure the cables on the drive are plugged in good and you may even want to swap the cable if you have a spare just to verify it