Hard drive failure ???'s

BlkDrgnZ28

Registered
Ok well i went to sign on my computer tonight and i couldn't pull up my external hard drive. Usually when i pull it up on my computer it shows a western digital logo and now its just the regular icon, and when i clicked it it says its not formatted and i need to format it which will erase everything on it. This wouldn't be a huge deal except its got all my pictures from the last 10 years on it and all my music and i can't really replace either of those. Its got pics of all my highschool days and a few good freinds that have died over the last few years, 2 of my buddies that recently died in the amry and some great memories and sucks i can't figure out how to get them back. All my cd's were stolen from my car after a road trip and that was close to 400 and i can't afford to buy them over again. I hate to say but really upset about this and i don't know what to do i've tried restarting so many times unplugging restarting turning it off for a while, tried up dating drivers and im really frustrated
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Any help suggestions or ideas or anything would be greatly appreciated so anyone who works with computers please please let me know please tell me theres a
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Once you recover your information you should be able to exchange your hard drive because most of them come with a 5 year manufacters warranty. Pending a receipt
 
Power down your CPU, Replace the cable, power up, then re-install the driver CD.
Sometimes things need to be done in a certain order.
If all else fails, take the unit to the doctor and have them extract the
data before reformatting. Cost you $50.
 
I had a similar problem a few months ago with my main HD on my computer. My dude, BBBusa co-worker (IT) gave him a Linux software that was able to retrieve about 90% of the info on my inoperative HD. I purchased a new HD and external HD from Microcenter. Then I place the damaged HD in the external sleeve connected to the USB, the new HD inside the computer, and the linux software into another available USB drive. We booted the system from the USB using the Linux software to recover everything. What was so sweet about it, the LINUX recovery software was able pass all the securities I had in place even the Admin s.  Every other way we tried before this was not able to get around the admin security for retrieveing other files.

I'll pass this link to him to see if he can suggest anything.
 
Your problem depends on whether or not the failure is mechanical in the hard drive itself, or just in the boot partition, the part it uses to boot up.

If it is a mechanical failure, you will likely need to send it out to a professional that may be able to retrieve the info using a highly specialized software or by pulling the platters (discs) and reading them in special equipment.  This is the problem I have with one of my drives, and I don't really feel like spending a couple hundred bucks on it.  One day I will send it out though.

Rhythm's problem was in the boot sector, and once we booted a computer we were able to see the (now external) drive and access the data.  So to be clear, you're saying that the computer is seeing the drive, but it says it's empty, or needs formatted?
 
Once you recover your information you should be able to exchange your hard drive because most of them come with a 5 year manufacters warranty. Pending a receipt
Call the ORIGINAL HARD DRIVE MANUFACTURER with a serial number. You could end up with a new free larger drive. But first Download and install all their DIAGNOSTIC software listed on their site and try to run it. Good luck

oh and.... MAKE BACKUPS, EVERYONE! Hard drives DO NOT last. PERIOD!
 
I would buy a new cheap case from frys and rule out the case it is in. I have had 2 of those fail, and a friend of mine has gone through 3 of them.... All the while, the drives were fine.

Cheap try
 
There is a program that will recover the data for you. As long as it spins the date is able to be recovered. its call OO Disk recovery. I used it while i was deployed. It recovers any kind of media. Not free though but may be your best option. GOod luck i know stuff like this sucks.
 
Yeah Wife smoked one of my external drives a few years ago. Since then I have duplicates one running, one camping out backed up about once every couple of weeks...

Just bought 2 new drives as well. A 750Gig for home and a little 250Gig for carrying around.

Sorry to hear about the untimely demise, but given the built in obsolescence it's important to keep yourself backed up.

Now then most likely your data is recoverable, just do some nosing around.
 
You might try just booting a live linux os and see if it can read the disk. Knoppix is my fav for stuff like that but others might work just as good. I have used booting to a Knoppix cd before to recover data from a harddrive with a corrupt partition table. It would only cost you the download time and 1 cd to try.
 
You might try just booting a live linux os and see if it can read the disk.  Knoppix is my fav for stuff like that but others might work just as good.  I have used booting to a Knoppix cd before to recover data from a harddrive with a corrupt partition table.  It would only cost you the download time and 1 cd to try.
+1 Knoppix is what I used.

This could work if the problem isn't mechanical.
 
You might try just booting a live linux os and see if it can read the disk.  Knoppix is my fav for stuff like that but others might work just as good.  I have used booting to a Knoppix cd before to recover data from a harddrive with a corrupt partition table.  It would only cost you the download time and 1 cd to try.
You can't beat that!!! Good lQQkn out Cerberus.
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well i can hear the disk still spinning inside and feel a slight vibration when i click to open the drive like its spinning it, its not quite 2 years old and this was my back up but uggg frustrating but im gonna try the Knoppix and have on of my friends who's pretty good with comps come over and check it out this weekend but Cerberus do you have the download link for the software?
 
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