View Full Version : HELP! My hard drive crashed!
Tonight the power blinked on/off sever times real fast. I ran in to check my computers and now my external hardrive only has 4 folders on it. There should be hundreds! The thing is when I check the four folders they only show a few gig, but there is 200 gig worth of data on the drive. But when I check under my computer to see how much space is available it has only 40 of 300 which is correct. So according to the available space nothing is missing but the folders aren't there.
Where is all of my folders? Is it possible to recover them?
I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP! Please help.
First, take a deep breath. We don't need you puking all over the forum; it's hard to clean up and the janitors are on vacation. :D
Try connecting the drive to another computer. When I had a drive "die" that's what I did. For some reason everything was accessible, copy-able, etc. I copied everything important to the other computer's drive, then did a format of the "dead" drive, reloaded OS, and was good to go.
Good luck,
Kevin
If that doesn't work, there is a lot of software out there that can recover "dead" drives. As long as it's not failing mechanically you can probably recover the data. If it's important enough, you can pay companies to salvage the data even if the thing got run over by a car.
I don't have a lot of experience with recovery software so I can't make any educated recommendations. Google comes up with quite a few hits, though.
http://www.google.com/search?q=data+recovery+software
SpinRite is a good one. A bit on the expensive side though. Or the UBCD for Windows works OK. Takes a while to run.
linnetwoods
6-18-08, 01:08 PM
In 1998, my beloved dropped my Toshiba Satellite laptop on a concrete quay in Trinidad. The only copy of a 300-page magazine was inside it, unbacked-up (that was one helluva way to learn why you should always back up your backups) and I ended up having to fly to Cambridge, Mass where two fabulous Armenian guys eventually managed to retrieve the contents of the broken hard drive and hand them to me on a stack of CDs. I don't remember all the costs involved (flights etc) but I do remember that their part of it was $1800 and it took a few days... Ouch! Ever since, I have always kept everything on CDs as well as external drives, catching up as often as possible - It may be like wearing a belt and braces (or suspenders as they are called in the USA) at the same time but I never want to go through that again! You have my sympathies and I hope you get it sorted out easily and cheaply.
You could always make backups, seal them in waterproof containers, and set them adrift. Sorta like backup in a bottle! :)
Catching up with them if and when they are needed might be a little tough. :D
I wonder if scottsw ever got his problem resolved. Hopefully, he did and didn't heave.
Builder, that's why you attach bouys to them. :)
I wonder if scottsw ever got his problem resolved. Hopefully, he did and didn't heave.
Been wondering about that my own self.
Builder, that's why you attach bouys to them. :)
C'mon Doc -- move into the 21st century! Each container should be equipped with an EPIRB (http://www.landfallnavigation.com/epirb.html). :)
Hey, just found this:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/data-recovery-wizard-professional-v334/
Free for today (June 18) only.
Personally, I'd attach it to a great white. But that's just me. :)
I wonder if scottsw ever got his problem resolved. Hopefully, he did and didn't heave.
Builder, that's why you attach bouys to them. :)
Thanks for all the tips!
Actually, I did have a backup of most of the data. It was stored offsite at an undisclosed location ;) but was about 3 months old. I drove all the way home with that thing (the backup) in my arms! I kept the air condition on cold and avoided bumps in the road. That's about 10 years of hard work on that thing. I couldn't sleep until I knew the backup was going to work. The last three months of data is important too though. I did some research and found some good recovery software - VirtualLab is one that found the data and actually still has the correct file and folder names instead of file001... like a lot of recovery software. That program is 200 bucks! It's pretty cheap compared to the one guy who had to fly to get his recovered but still 200 bucks is almost a tank of gas! I'm waiting on a friend to bring me a copy of his recovery software that I will try first, and then I will dish out the 200 if all else fails.
Lesson learned: Always backup and then backup your backups backup and for goodness sake don't keep them all in the same place!
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