Data Recovery UPDATE: DONE DEAL!!!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Data Recovery UPDATE: DONE DEAL!!!

Posted: 8/25/2005 6:23:10 AM EDT

My wifes brand new laptop, 1 week old, last nite didn't boot up, and after running the diagnostics, identified a hard drive hardware problem. Can't boot from a CD either. The vendor is happy to send me a new HDD, but my wife really wants to get the word documents out that she spent the last week working on. Before I send it to a professional data recovery service, does anyone have any suggestions?

Posted: 8/25/2005 7:41:44 AM EDT

[#1]

It depends upon how bad the HDD problem is. If the drive won't boot, it sounds like the drive will have to be pulled any way we look at it. Definitely don't write files to the drive or format it as that makes the entire process more difficult (if not impossible...well...with enough money it's still possible).

If the drive spins up:
* pull the drive
* plug it into another computer as a secondary drive
* since it's a notebook drive you'll need either a 44-pin to 40-pin IDE adapter to put it into a desktop computer or...
* my choice would be a USB-IDE adapter then you could plug it in as a second drive to a notebook or desktop
* the drive should simply show as another drive letter, then drag and drop files to the good drive

If the drive spins up, but your OS doesn't recognize it or gives errors instead of showing you any files, then I'd say it'll be a couple hundred dollars for a shop to pull data off of it.

If the drive doesn't spin up...yeah...that's some bigger money...maybe over a grand or two and those files better be quite valuable. It can still be done...recovery companies were pulling data from fragments of hard drives from the WTC after 9/11. But that's thousands of dollars.

Posted: 8/25/2005 7:44:12 AM EDT

[#2]

Let me know if you get the CD to boot.

Take the HDD out and put it in the freezer (SERIOUS!!!)

with HDD out, will it boot to CD? If so, we then get you the .iso for the "Miracle CD" that has a ton of boot tools, then you add the HDD, change BIOS Settings, recover what you can, burn a CD copy to floppy your backups.

THEN get a new HDD.

--ETA:
The "Farmers Method" works well also. If HDD isn't spinning up (even after being cooled off fully), tap on it with a screwdriver while power is on. You should be able to put your finger on it and feel if it is spinning or not (so long as your fingers aren't calloused, have your kid or wife try it...)

Posted: 8/25/2005 8:07:31 AM EDT

[#3]

LOL, brass i responded to your IM before i checked the thread, and realized you were the staff brass. BTW, the data recovery people quoted $2300 for my problem.

Definitely not worth that much!!

I am going to try what you and robbie have suggested, and if the suggestions can help me, then i will donate 5 brass memberships to anyone you guys want, in your honor.

Posted: 8/25/2005 8:46:44 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

I am going to try what you and robbie have suggested, and if the suggestions can help me, then i will donate 5 brass memberships to anyone you guys want, in your honor.

Did you mean 5 bronze ???

If so, set up a contest of sorts. Something to think about while you are copying files.

Posted: 8/25/2005 8:59:01 AM EDT

[#5]

I would suggest knoppix or pe builder and a usb storage device. boot off the cd it will load and indentify the drives once you see your data copy it over to the usb storage drive

Posted: 8/25/2005 9:04:17 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
I would suggest knoppix or pe builder and a usb storage device. boot off the cd it will load and indentify the drives once you see your data copy it over to the usb storage drive

Already took care of that part.

Posted: 8/25/2005 9:11:04 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I would suggest knoppix or pe builder and a usb storage device. boot off the cd it will load and indentify the drives once you see your data copy it over to the usb storage drive

Already took care of that part.

awesome

Posted: 8/25/2005 3:14:48 PM EDT

[#8]

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!

I cannot believe how easy it was. A trip to Compusa for a $19 dollar external USB to IDE enclosure with cable and power supply included, 5 minutes with a screwdriver and my desktop, and every single file transferred in another 2 minutes flat.

I did not need to use the miracle CD.

I am so psyched, and I can't wait to tell my wife when she gets home tonight.

OK, so in your collective honor, I am donating six bronze memberships to show how grateful I am for the brainpower on Arfcom. I will do it tomorrow at my office

Robbie, Brass, and Cruze5: Please pick 2 members each who deserve to be on the Team, and I will set it up.

And to think a "pro" wanted $2300 to do this.

Thanks SO MUCH!!!!

Fish

Posted: 8/25/2005 3:21:47 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!

I cannot believe how easy it was. A trip to Compusa for a $19 dollar external USB to IDE enclosure with cable and power supply included, 5 minutes with a screwdriver and my desktop, and every single file transferred in another 2 minutes flat.

I did not need to use the miracle CD.

I am so psyched, and I can't wait to tell my wife when she gets home tonight.

OK, so in your collective honor, I am donating six bronze memberships to show how grateful I am for the brainpower on Arfcom. I will do it tomorrow at my office

Robbie, Brass, and Cruze5: Please pick 2 members each who deserve to be on the Team, and I will set it up.

And to think a "pro" wanted $2300 to do this.

Thanks SO MUCH!!!!

Fish

This is ARFCOM. You don't owe me anything. Just help another person in need if/when you can.

Posted: 8/25/2005 4:03:11 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

This is ARFCOM. You don't owe me anything. Just help another person in need if/when you can.

Yeah, man!!!

Posted: 8/25/2005 5:22:56 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Quoted:
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!

I cannot believe how easy it was. A trip to Compusa for a $19 dollar external USB to IDE enclosure with cable and power supply included, 5 minutes with a screwdriver and my desktop, and every single file transferred in another 2 minutes flat.

I did not need to use the miracle CD.

I am so psyched, and I can't wait to tell my wife when she gets home tonight.

OK, so in your collective honor, I am donating six bronze memberships to show how grateful I am for the brainpower on Arfcom. I will do it tomorrow at my office

Robbie, Brass, and Cruze5: Please pick 2 members each who deserve to be on the Team, and I will set it up.

And to think a "pro" wanted $2300 to do this.

Thanks SO MUCH!!!!

Fish

This is ARFCOM. You don't owe me anything. Just help another person in need if/when you can.

agreed I do what i can to help