Hdd failure

[fidox]

Hey,

I have one hard disk Western Digital 500gb, which i think it has bad sector and won't boot anymore.

Bios recognize it normaly , also i can see WinXP logo while loading , but that's all,
it stays there.

Also, disk is not recognized with Winxp setup,
and when still in boot menu , when you power on computer, i can see S.M.A.R.T. = bad

Is there a way to fix that or is there any tip i can try , i have there some data, which i would like to save.
Maybe to repair that bad sector without loosing all data , or ?

Any tip would be nice,

Best,
Matej

[garyb]

well, you can put it in an external usb enclosure and get the data off that way, or you can try a repair install of xp.

to do a repair install, boot to the xp disk and go through the steps to do a normal install. when you get to the point where the installer detects the old version of windows and highlights c:windows, you will have a few choices, including repartioning and installing a new version of windows. choose "R", as the instructions direct, to repair the old windows installation.

don't get fooled by the earlier option to "repair using the recovery console". when that option comes up, choose "install windows".

the repair install should work, as it will overwrite the corrupted files. if the drive is failing in a big way, and it's not just a virus, a bad sector, or corrupted files do to improper shutdown or other act of god, then just using a usb adaptor on another computer and getting the stuff off before it fails completely would be a good idea.

[Zer]

get data back, if it fails: http://www.brothersoft.com/downloads/get-data-back.html

[fidox]

Thanks Garyb and Zer,

Garyb ;
sorry, i edited later mine text, that i can't see disk under winxp setup, or
i can't see disk if i put it behind my other computer,
cause WinXp won't load when i connect this WD disk.
also i can see at start ; S.M.A.R.T. = bad (maybe bad sector)

Zer ;
is this program works under WINXP or bootable cd ?
Cause i can't get to Winxp or i can't load any WINXP with this disk connected





Best,
Matej

[erminardi]

http://www.hirensbootcd.org/
this bootable disc witha huge set of tools is IMO fundamental.
Try it.

[fidox]

Thanks Erminardi,

first i'll download tool from WD and see how it goes, then i'll try your suggestion

I just want to save some scope projects and i didn't backup data few months

[valis]

If you can hear it spin up, you can try the 'freezer method'. If it's not even spinning up, then you can try the 'oven method'. Give the normal recovery options a shot first though, these are last-ditch things that can help (freezer=cool failing components to keep them from failing long enough to backup data, oven=reflow solder & loosen the internal lubrication on the spinning media.)

[fidox]

http://www.hirensbootcd.org/
this bootable disc witha huge set of tools is IMO fundamental.
Try it.

Thanks Erminardi

I solved mine problem with your suggestion.

I burned this bootable CD and checked for bad sectors,
indeed hdd is full of bad sectors.
I didn't waited for whole checking, cause after 61% , where bad sectors begin, after almost 2 days i didn't get anywhere,
so i tried something different.
I tried there option to install miniXP and i was able to get into miniXP and saw all my data there.
I then copied to external hdd what i needed (music project files, music data...),
ofcourse i noticed that hdd is really slow and i'm sure it will die soon or later.
I guess i was lucky to get that data down.
After that i deleted everything (partition), so i can now change it for new one, cause it still has guarantie

Thanks for all suggestions,

Best,
Matej

[erminardi]

Cool Matej, glad to be helpful

[valis]

With bad # of blocks that high, chances are there's a mechanical failure with the heads or something with the drive controller electronics. Just5 use recovery software that will do error correction & multiple read passes to try to extract as much data as *securely* as possible.

[kensuguro]

+1 for hiren's disk.. luckily, you got your data before the final crash! Keep hirens' disk around for future problems tho.

Also, another trick is to use a LiveCD from any linux distro (small distros are good, like puppy linux or damn small linux) which will give you access to your file system by just booting from the CD.