Notebook Hard Drive Crash Recovery

[Mark H.]

My notebook HDD crashed, and I have replaced it. Can anyone help me recover the data on the bad drive without spending a lot of money?

[PC TECH250]

This will depend on what caused the drive to crash and if the platters are intact. There are
some places that specialize in data recovery. In some cases you may gain access to the old
drive with the use of a Linux distro known as Knoppix Live for dvd. This as well as other Live
cd versions of Linux requires no installtion to your hard drive. You just have to have a drive
used for writing to dvd-rs or cd-rs for the cd iso images available to download for no cost in
the exception of having a premade copy sent to you to cover shipping. Knoppix is currently
being used here to access MS as well as Linux partitions by simply booting from the cd made
with a cd writer. The only iicons seen on a Live distros desktop is the detected drives on the
system where you can open two windows similar to Windows Explorer and copy files from a
normally unaccessible drive or partition to another drive/partition for data recovery.

[Mark H.]

Cause of crash? Not sure, but perhaps due to having to power off machine too many times whenever windows froze up ---there is no noise in the drive, and it seems to be logic-related, as it says that there is a corrupted file, so Windows cannot be booted up and so I am stuck. It says this file needs to be re-installed, but Dell says the drive is bad and must be returned for replacement. I have received replacement, but would like to recover the data on bad drive before returning (the warranty requires returning bad hard drive, so I will lose my old data and photos forever--a terrible thought).

[PC TECH250]

If it is a simple mbr repair of system file you can easily set the drive as a slave to the newer
one for copy of files direct if you had a two drive cable or a desktop if the drives could be set
up either by adapters or were able to go right on a standard ide cable. If the notebook is an
only item not having a desktop system available the Knoppix Live method offers cd writing.
That would be one means of extraction since you would boot from a dvd-r or cd-r in place of
the effected drive itself. With a desktop system onhand you would either connect as slave to the existing drive in the case or purchase an adapter such as a usb type that can be had
for a small price from several online vendors.

If you are running XP that can simply things if it is a simple software glitch where a system
file needs repair or replacement. With the recovery disk provided by Dell you should be able
to boot right to the recovery console where commands like "Fixboot" and "Fixmbr" could see
one immediate result if the boot sector was what saw damage. An "install to repair" XP can
easily be a quick fix to restore the essential system files long enough to transfer data with
the drive then working. To perform the install to repair method you simply boot from the Dell
disk to the install not recovery console option. XP will detect the existing installation and the
option to repair should readily be seen. This saves all files and folders other then the basics
needed for Windows to operate that are damaged or missing which are then replaced. You
would still need a means of connecting both drives for file transfers. Knoppix Live is a kind of
"LAST RESORT" while being an effective alternative if you have no means of connecting the
original drive to another for copy of your files. It does takes some effort to get through the
Linux commands while being a working tool at the same time. The one drawback with a Live
distro is the need for a cd writer while booting the Live distro from a second dvd/cd drive.

If you need help with these ideas to get this done there's plenty of help here. Some of the threads here also have vendor links for drive adapters if you do have a desktop pc onhand
available for use. On fixing the boot sector without a cd drive while having a floppy a startup
floppy even for a WIN98 system can help here with the "fdisk /mbr" command when booting
from it at the "A:>" dos prompt. That works on 98 right through to XP. Your options with any
portable unit are limited. The reinstallation of Windows itself does not require a reformat of
the drive to make it bootable since it deletes only the Windows directory(docs+settings XP).
With just the notebook alone the options are narrowed down. If you can slave the old drive
to the new replacement while still using the portable unit at least you have your files.

[elroy]

The simplest way to start is to get a 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch hard drive adapter and slave to the drive into a desktop pc. Then attempt recovery from there. What Windows does the drive have? What file system does it have? [FAT32 or NTFS]

[PC TECH250]

If the portable has a usb port you may see a chance there to follow elroy's advice on using
either a 2.5 or 3.5 inch drive adapter with the new drive already installed. If a desktop was
available the OS on that has to be the same or newer then the notebook's drive in order to
be able to access the old drive. If XP is the current OS on the notebook the desktop would
have to have either XP or NT4Dos available if 9x-ME OSed for manual copy there. If you run
a 9x-ME, or 2000 on the notebook an XP desktop system will readily access the drive. If you
could post the name of the file requiring replacement that would also be a help.

Often if XP is the current OS a manual extraction of the damaged or missing system file can be done at the recovery console. 2000 also has the recovery console option when booting up from the recovery disk that comes with a portable as well as complete desktop model. If the Dell info on the partition was damaged however Knoppix Live still offers hope to save your files even with the drive connected by an adapter to a desktop since it boots without
needing an installation to any hard drive. A direct transfer from drive to drive is preferred.

[shandro]

You can use data recovery tool. I recommend one named EASEUS DataRecoveryWizard. You can use "Advanced Recovery" function to search your data. It provides the demo version to try. If you cannot enter the OS, you can connect your HD to a slave.

[PC TECH250]

An alternative to use if you can boot from a cd drive surprisingly is a version of Linux Distro
Knoppix Live which has both cd as well as dvd images for download and wrtie to disk. Upon
booting up a Live cd the gui has an explorer window similar to the Windows version. A drive
is first connected as slave where the bootup with Knoppix can then access the information.
This method can work when you can't access a partition with Windows or dos type prompt.