Need more computer help
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: North of Boston MA
Need more computer help
So I am still trying to get the neice's computer working. I have a new hard drive in there and it works great. I have the old one slaved to it but it can't find any useful data on it. Windows only sees it as a 10MB drive (it is 200 gig) and if I try chkdsk or defrag on it windows says it can't because it is seeing it as a 12 bit disk. The diagnostic software from Western Dig sees it as a 200 GB but is no help beyond that.
I'm convinced there is data on the disk but it just seems like the FAT is messed up and I just can't see it. The drive seems to be functioning physically as far as I can tell - the Western Dig diagnostic says it is working.
Anyone have ANY ideas of what I can try? The kid has some photos of a deceased friend she would like to get back. (Please, no lectures on backing up stuff - I know better and she has heard it all from me).
Thanks as always.
Ray
I'm convinced there is data on the disk but it just seems like the FAT is messed up and I just can't see it. The drive seems to be functioning physically as far as I can tell - the Western Dig diagnostic says it is working.
Anyone have ANY ideas of what I can try? The kid has some photos of a deceased friend she would like to get back. (Please, no lectures on backing up stuff - I know better and she has heard it all from me).
Thanks as always.
Ray
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,628
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From: Calgary, Canada
There are tools that will restore a messed up FAT bu tI don't have any experience with those. YOu can use RecoverNT to do a low level scan of the disc and it 'may' find your files and allow you to recover then.
There are some demos you can try for free but the recovery ability is limited to a specific, read small, file size. Try "Recover My Files" free demo just to give you an idea of what it will find on the disk.
It'll probably take 4 hours give or take a couple, to do a full scan of a 200GB drive... that is not a malfunction.
There are some demos you can try for free but the recovery ability is limited to a specific, read small, file size. Try "Recover My Files" free demo just to give you an idea of what it will find on the disk.
It'll probably take 4 hours give or take a couple, to do a full scan of a 200GB drive... that is not a malfunction.
Moderator
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: MA
What is the BIOS seeing it as?
If that sees it as 10m Then something is wrong.
If you use disk management it will show all partition info
Usually there are small FAT32 partitions and large NTFS partitions..
As Mi1lion said look at My Computer and see how many drives you have..
Maybe you are just looking at the wrong partition...
If that sees it as 10m Then something is wrong.
If you use disk management it will show all partition info
Usually there are small FAT32 partitions and large NTFS partitions..
As Mi1lion said look at My Computer and see how many drives you have..
Maybe you are just looking at the wrong partition...
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,159
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From: Connecticut
Sounds like the Bios are not setup for the extra HD space.
F-1 at startup will bring the Bios up. Just arrow to the Primary HD and Secondary HD. Secondary my not be listed as a slave on load, if so the computer will not recognize it. It will be like having another cd rom. loads quick, but never identifies it as a HD.
F-1 at startup will bring the Bios up. Just arrow to the Primary HD and Secondary HD. Secondary my not be listed as a slave on load, if so the computer will not recognize it. It will be like having another cd rom. loads quick, but never identifies it as a HD.
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: North of Boston MA
Let's see if can answer everyone and hopefully from this someone can point me in the right direction.
I don't remember what the BIOS was seeing. I know it saw the drive but I can't remember the details. I'll check that this afternoon.
My Computer was seeing the drive as two drives - G: and H: with one being the recovery console and the other being the main hard drive. This is the one it was seeing as 10MB. Like all my HP machines recently, the hard drive is partitioned into the NTFS drive (C drive) with the windows recovery on a FAT partition (D drive). So, it is still seeing the two partitions. Just not correctly it appears.
Now that I have a couple questions to answer, I will gather that and repost this afternoon. Thanks for the help.
I don't remember what the BIOS was seeing. I know it saw the drive but I can't remember the details. I'll check that this afternoon.
My Computer was seeing the drive as two drives - G: and H: with one being the recovery console and the other being the main hard drive. This is the one it was seeing as 10MB. Like all my HP machines recently, the hard drive is partitioned into the NTFS drive (C drive) with the windows recovery on a FAT partition (D drive). So, it is still seeing the two partitions. Just not correctly it appears.
Now that I have a couple questions to answer, I will gather that and repost this afternoon. Thanks for the help.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,562
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From: Southern MD
I'd first check the BIOS. I would set it to 'auto'. If the computer still doesn't seen the whole HDD, set the parameters in the BIOS to the figures on the HDD, itself.
What operating system?
Are the two HDDs on the same channel / ribbon cable?
Are the jumpers set as 'slave' or 'cable select'?
(Try putting the slave on the second channel as a 'Master'.)
If the pc is still not seeing the 200 gig HDD, try putting it in another pc.
(That's easy at my house. There's 9 pcs in use. 1 MAC.)
Last questions. . . .
Is/was there an anti-virus program running?
What sort of failure did your neice experience, to begin with?
What operating system?
Are the two HDDs on the same channel / ribbon cable?
Are the jumpers set as 'slave' or 'cable select'?
(Try putting the slave on the second channel as a 'Master'.)
If the pc is still not seeing the 200 gig HDD, try putting it in another pc.
(That's easy at my house. There's 9 pcs in use. 1 MAC.)
Last questions. . . .
Is/was there an anti-virus program running?
What sort of failure did your neice experience, to begin with?
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: North of Boston MA
The bios shows it as a 200GB drive so that seems okay.
When looking at properties in My Computer it only shows it as a 10MB drive. It is showing the other partition of the drive as 6.4 GB - that is the recovery software.
The OS is XP.
The drive is a SATA drive so it uses a small cable that plugs into the motherboard directly. There is no jumper setting on a SATA drive
I tried to put the drive into one of my machines but they all use IDE or SCSI drives.
There was antivirus software running - I believe it was McAfee. The failure was that the OS wouldn't boot and the harddrive became inaccessible. Not much more to describe it - it just quit working. When I look at what files are showing on the drive, it has the recovery disk (now G
and the H: (what was C just has a Windows folder on it with a bunch of gibberish named files.
I tried running disk defrag and got this warning
"Drive H: has a 12-bit FAT partition. Disk defragmenter does not support 12-bit FAT partitions. To use Disk Defragmenter you must upgrade to a 16-bit FAT, FAT32 or NTFS file system"
Any thoughts other than taking the BFH to it?
When looking at properties in My Computer it only shows it as a 10MB drive. It is showing the other partition of the drive as 6.4 GB - that is the recovery software.
The OS is XP.
The drive is a SATA drive so it uses a small cable that plugs into the motherboard directly. There is no jumper setting on a SATA drive
I tried to put the drive into one of my machines but they all use IDE or SCSI drives.
There was antivirus software running - I believe it was McAfee. The failure was that the OS wouldn't boot and the harddrive became inaccessible. Not much more to describe it - it just quit working. When I look at what files are showing on the drive, it has the recovery disk (now G
and the H: (what was C just has a Windows folder on it with a bunch of gibberish named files.I tried running disk defrag and got this warning
"Drive H: has a 12-bit FAT partition. Disk defragmenter does not support 12-bit FAT partitions. To use Disk Defragmenter you must upgrade to a 16-bit FAT, FAT32 or NTFS file system"
Any thoughts other than taking the BFH to it?
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,628
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From: Calgary, Canada
Download that program I mentioned, "Recover My Files" and run it on the disk overnight and see what lists as available files for recovery.
The free demo is limited to small files but it will show you everything that's there.
Other than that, sounds like the hammer is the next option.
Oh yeah, in recover my files, do the 'complete file search" option.
The free demo is limited to small files but it will show you everything that's there.
Other than that, sounds like the hammer is the next option.
Oh yeah, in recover my files, do the 'complete file search" option.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,562
Likes: 2
From: Southern MD
Never heard of the 'Recover My Files' program.
I'll look into that for a future 'rescue'. (Thanks, furball.)
As for the 12 bit FAT. . . that's a new one on me, also. I'll have to look that one up. I'll walk down to the IT department and speak to one of the 'whiz kids' to get their opinion. (Believe it or not, two of them still use pocket protectors!)
I'm thinking of a possible 'killer' virus. I'm not much of a McAfee fan.
I'm a big fan of Trend Micro's "PC-cillin". They have an online virus checker that you might try running, too.
I'll look into that for a future 'rescue'. (Thanks, furball.)
As for the 12 bit FAT. . . that's a new one on me, also. I'll have to look that one up. I'll walk down to the IT department and speak to one of the 'whiz kids' to get their opinion. (Believe it or not, two of them still use pocket protectors!)
I'm thinking of a possible 'killer' virus. I'm not much of a McAfee fan.
I'm a big fan of Trend Micro's "PC-cillin". They have an online virus checker that you might try running, too.
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: North of Boston MA
Success!
I downloaded the trial version of Recover My Files. I ran it and after 20 hours or so (yes, 20) it came up with a huge list of files.
I then bought the software and have saved thousands of pictures and other files the kids want. Gigs of data saved. I am very impressed.
Thanks a bunch for the tip, Furball. I have a very grateful niece and a couple half-assed grateful nephews who just want their machine back so they can get back into the World of Warcraft.
I then bought the software and have saved thousands of pictures and other files the kids want. Gigs of data saved. I am very impressed.
Thanks a bunch for the tip, Furball. I have a very grateful niece and a couple half-assed grateful nephews who just want their machine back so they can get back into the World of Warcraft.
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