HD Failure - Any chance for recovery?
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Immunity




Posts: 5626

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 01:47    Post subject: HD Failure - Any chance for recovery?
My old 40 gig backup drive just decided to up and fucking quit when I had to hard restart due to a game freeze. It makes the click like its booting up, spins up, then just clicks again and starts the process offer ad infinitum. Had to unplug it to get into XP.

Basically my entire Music/Soundtrack collection was on there along with text files containing login/account info and cd keys for legit games. Man I am so fucking pissed right now Sad Sad Just the other day I told myself I would back the shit up onto DVDs too...what a fuckin kick in the ass by fate.

I take it there's pretty much no chance for recovery when the drive won't even boot? Ideas?


I can never be free, because the shackles I wear can't be touched or be seen.
i9-9900k, MSI MPG-Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon, 32GB DDR4 @ 3000, eVGA GTX 1080 DT, Samsung 970 EVO Plus nVME 1TB
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$en$i
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Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 04:53    Post subject:
Not booting into XP doesn't always mean that it is an hardware failure -even if the weird sounds here may say so- and that you can't access its data with the proper recovery apps, start by checking the disc (chkdsk) from a boot floppy disc, then use some -full version- data/disc recovery apps like below (i.e. I haven't tested most of them):

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595

Ontrack EasyRecovery Professional @ http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/file-recovery-software/
O&O DiskRecovery @ http://www.oo-software.com/en/products/oodiskrecovery/
GetDataBack @ http://www.runtime.org/
Partition Table Doctor @ http://www.ptdd.com/
R-Studio @ http://www.data-recovery-software.net/
Recover My Files @ http://www.recovermyfiles.com/
etc.
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chiv




Posts: 27530
Location: Behind You...
PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 05:46    Post subject:
i used testdisk when my hdd refused to be found in xp and not only did it allow me access to the contents (so that i could copy it to a functioning drive) but it also allowed me to FIX it and keep the entire contents anyway... great program, i loves it.


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Immunity




Posts: 5626

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 08:06    Post subject:
Thanks for the help.

Slight problem exists in that when I was building this comp. back in 2003 I thought "What the fuck do I need a floppy drive for?" neglecting to take into account such an occasion. Sad Any chance of making a boot CD for this sort of thing? As it stands with it plugged in I can't get past my mobo logo in the boot sequence.

That said, I'm positive its a hardware failure. It tries to restart itself infinitely with an insanely abnormally loud click.

Thanks for the quicklist of all those recovery apps.


I can never be free, because the shackles I wear can't be touched or be seen.
i9-9900k, MSI MPG-Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon, 32GB DDR4 @ 3000, eVGA GTX 1080 DT, Samsung 970 EVO Plus nVME 1TB
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$en$i
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Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 11:51    Post subject:
If you don't have a floppy disk -try to- boot with the windows xp cd, launch the recovery console (press R when asked) and then run chkdsk from that. Unfortunately if the problem really is hardware i doubt that a checkdisk or the mentioned apps will solve the trouble.
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SpykeZ




Posts: 23710

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 12:02    Post subject:
Most people use a flashdrive now days instead of floppys.

Btw I was just about to post a similiar problem with my 500GB. Plug it in and windows keeps popping up error messages saying "Windows delayed write". I tried using WD's diagnostics but keep getting a cable error. Switched SATA ports and even tried a different cable and still didn't fix anything Sad


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$en$i
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Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 13:56    Post subject:
@ SpykeZ

External/internal HD?

There are so many given causes and appropriate workarounds for this problem that it can be hard to isolate, have that one time but i don't really remember how i fixed it... Sad
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Immunity




Posts: 5626

PostPosted: Tue, 1st Jan 2008 17:45    Post subject:
I'm so desperate I'm about to try the freeze overnight trick. I don't have an antistatic baggy to put it in though while its in the ziplock Sad

Fuck I want my shit back....


I can never be free, because the shackles I wear can't be touched or be seen.
i9-9900k, MSI MPG-Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon, 32GB DDR4 @ 3000, eVGA GTX 1080 DT, Samsung 970 EVO Plus nVME 1TB
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SpykeZ




Posts: 23710

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 00:28    Post subject:
Immunity wrote:
I'm so desperate I'm about to try the freeze overnight trick. I don't have an antistatic baggy to put it in though while its in the ziplock Sad

Fuck I want my shit back....


Try Hiren's Boot CD. It's like the swiss army knife for computers...

$en$i wrote:
@ SpykeZ

External/internal HD?

There are so many given causes and appropriate workarounds for this problem that it can be hard to isolate, have that one time but i don't really remember how i fixed it... Sad


Internal 2nd gen SATA 1. WD5000KS model.


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$en$i
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Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 14:46    Post subject:
@ Spykez

Try to increase your system cache or to disable for a time your hard drive cache with the appropriate WD tool.
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SpykeZ




Posts: 23710

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 15:14    Post subject:
er what would that do. I can also only look on the HD for a minute before it starts locking up and can't go into anything else.


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$en$i
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Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 15:22    Post subject:
SpykeZ wrote:
er what would that do. I can also only look on the HD for a minute before it starts locking up and can't go into anything else.
If your HD cache is the culprit disabling it would bypass it and maybe fix your trouble. Smile
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SpykeZ




Posts: 23710

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 16:02    Post subject:
$en$i wrote:
SpykeZ wrote:
er what would that do. I can also only look on the HD for a minute before it starts locking up and can't go into anything else.
If your HD cache is the culprit disabling it would bypass it and maybe fix your trouble. Smile


ooo, guess it won't hurt to try. any other ideas bud?


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$en$i
VIP Member



Posts: 3127

PostPosted: Wed, 2nd Jan 2008 17:36    Post subject:
SpykeZ wrote:
ooo, guess it won't hurt to try. any other ideas bud?
Exactly, otherwise i won't be able to provide more ideas than google. Smile
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