Hi, I'm looking for a little education on procedures to recover data on a drive that is no longer visible from ubcd4win. Should I first remove it and slave it and see if that helps? Is there a good data recovery prgm to try? I assume I shouldn't try chkdsk or should I try some other disk repair utility? Don't want to risk damaging the data more, the drive is quiet, no clicking.
Methods & prgms for data recovery
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seedubya
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Is the drive visible in the bios?
yes it is, there are viruses on it I'm told
seedubya
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Agree with ACG on this. If you lose the data what happens?
purple_minion
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It really depends on how important the data is to them. Bank stuff, photos, business statements send it off. If it's their bookmarks or something give it a try. It will cost them up to several thousand dollars for the professionals, depends what it is worth to them.
Also I had a drive that refused to show in the bios on two machines, but my usb/ide connector saw it perfectly! Saved my ass for sure.
You could try getdataback, recovermyfiles, photorec and testdisk, chkdsk, hdd regenerator, spinrite, ontrack professional, etc.
Is the partition screwed up? Bad filesystem? Drive making noise? Do a google search, there is a wealth of info out there.
Again, you need to talk to the client and have them SIGN something about their data. Prioritize what they want and get that first if the drive is iffy, and then get the less important stuff.
Also I had a drive that refused to show in the bios on two machines, but my usb/ide connector saw it perfectly! Saved my ass for sure.
You could try getdataback, recovermyfiles, photorec and testdisk, chkdsk, hdd regenerator, spinrite, ontrack professional, etc.
Is the partition screwed up? Bad filesystem? Drive making noise? Do a google search, there is a wealth of info out there.
Again, you need to talk to the client and have them SIGN something about their data. Prioritize what they want and get that first if the drive is iffy, and then get the less important stuff.
So there is a possibilty even if the drive is only visible in the bios and not from a ubcd? I am burning a ubcd with getdataback plugin right now.
purple_minion
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Usually if the bios doesn't see the drive it's hosed. If the bios can't see it you can't communicate with the drive. I think my usb adapter simply ignored it, or perhaps the drive took too long to respond and the bios just timed out.
I would investigate if the drive shows up as the size it says on the case, if there is a partition, etc. Also linux is good to see if there is something wrong with the drive. I've had windows not say a peep, but linux will tell me about all kinds of drive timeouts, or crappy partition tables, etc.
Think I read somewhere that MHDD can (sometimes) see an HDD, even if it doesn't show up in the BIOS.
It's available (boot CD) at the webpage below:
http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2005.10.02-MHDD/
It's available (boot CD) at the webpage below:
http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2005.10.02-MHDD/
CHKDSK will not damage data but it might cause more damage to an already failing hard drive.
As the disk is seen in BIOS all is not lost - can you hear it spinning-up? Is it clicking or very noisy. If it's spinning-up and not obviously failing I would run a CHKDSK if there are any bad sectors shown in CHKDSK's report then I will only agree to continue to work on the system if the customer agrees to a replacement hard drive.
You will probably then be able to see the file system, the chances are it will probably also boot, but I wouldn't risk putting it back into service. What I always do under these circumstance is advise the customer that a new hard disk is the most certain fix. I will then clone the old hard disk onto the new. As long as the file system was not too badly damaged in the first instance the chances are the system will boot normal, but look out for any errors or broken applications - you may need to do a repair install and/or reinstall applications. As an additional precaution do a clean-up and virus scan on the restored image and confirm with your customer that all files can now be read.
Now, if the file system can't be recovered to a bootable state or if you can't see the files then is the time to do a forensic data recovery. I use Ontrack's Easy recovery software for this, but there are other good ones.
If the drive is not spinning or is clicking then the only option would be a clean-room strip down and recovery. This is both expensive and will take some time. It's not something you can do yourself unless you have a proper clean room environment and platter recovery rigs - this is all very expensive an is why there are only a few dedicated forensic recovery specialists about.
Once you've done and the customer is happy that all is working again spend some time with them getting an effective disaster recovery plan and procedure together.
Be logical & systematic in your approach and do not not take unnecessary risks with the data and you'll have a good chance to recover all the user's data.
As a side note, usually the damage on a failing hard disk will be at the inner segements of the disk - these are the ones that get most use and will also and fortuitously be the ones with the operating system on. repairing /restoring a broken OS is no big shakes once you have the user data secured.
OMG, did I get lucky with this one, (or I should say my customer got lucky) I booted to a Gateway disc utility just because I found it in my pile of stuff, and it showed the drive passed a short smart test, when earlier it had failed another read/write test. So I pulled the drive and connected it via usb enclosure then patiently waited while windows tried to pull it up, it took a couple restarts to get it to finally see it, then I was able to view 1 partition of 3, 2 were not accessible. I quickly copied the data from the one partition, ha! it looks like his docs are in it! burning them now, lucky.
I wouldn't rely upon the SMART test, I've known that to give a drive the OK when CHKDSK shows bad sectors and manufacturer diagnostics show it's operating below their minimum performance thresholds.
Glad you got it sorted and got the customer data back, now help them with a good disaster recovery procedure and advise them how a regular check-up from an IT Pro could have helped them avoid a near disaster for their business.
EDIT: Just off to do a similar recovery for a customer of mine.
purple_minion
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I've attached power/data cables to one once, double ziplocked it with a desiccant with the cables hanging out and frozen it. Then upon removing from the freezer I had a giant mixing bowl filled with a salty ice bath. It didn't work for me, but the principle was to keep the condensation off the drive, protect from any leaks, keep it as cold as possible, and not have to open the ziplocks at all.
purple_minion
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For me it was a last ditch effort. It was for my Mythtv box, and while I'd lose the database nothing else was important. I believe I sent it off under warranty, but it did suck having to reteach it all my viewed programs again. It was also a long shot, but worth a try.
