Accessing data parition after disc failure

I run win 7 SP2

I have my hard disc partitioned with programs in the C drive and data in the H drive.

If my disc failed would I be able to still access the data on the H drive?

If I could, how would I do that?


In case this helps someone.

I use a thing called IOBit Uninstaller. It works very well as it has a 'do a deep scan' option which pops up after the standard uninstll which it performs fist. It nearly always picks up folders that are left over. Touch wood, this program has never not got rid of a problem program

You would be supprised how many folders are left over after the standard uninstall of itunes.







I run win 7 SP2

a reply to: Azureblue

If the disk fails catastrophically, then all the data will most likely be inaccessible, even if you have other partitions on the disk.

originally posted by: Azureblue
I run win 7 SP2

I have my hard disc partitioned with programs in the C drive and data in the H drive.

If my disc failed would I be able to still access the data on the H drive?

If I could, how would I do that?

Get a rescue ISO and install it on a CD/DVD or better yet, use an USB storage.
Look here for a Rescue ISO
www.sysresccd.org...

Or choose any live Linux installation. It will give you access to your NTFS drives, and you can safely recover your files over network or other means. Assuming your drives aren't completely fried.

It really depends; generally the best advice is to go and get an external drive and copy all the stuff of importance on a regular schedule and if possible try and keep it at a seperate location such as a works locker/parents/friends etc so if the place burns down/you get robbed/the drive just fails and goes to the silicon graveyard you only have a 5 min job to recover the data.

If the drive is damaged sometimes specialist software can help get at the data but if its really damaged it may require the pro's and then it aint cheap

Place the defective drive in an external USB box, plug it into another computer and try and access it.

The lack of a working operating system on your defective drive will prevent access to other partitions perhaps but using an operating system on another computer may give access to your data.

for $20 us you can buy a ide->usb dongle that lets you plug the failed drive into a usb port on a working computer.
I've had some luck doing this. BE prepared to copy everything you want quickly the first time you plug it in
it may not work a second time

I agree with others above...remove hard drive and USB/Data cord it into another computer....it should be able to be "seen" that way....I've recovered everything that way a couple of times

The best option would be to just keep a routine backup. You can get an external hard drive (or internal) for relatively cheap and then schedule automatic full and incremental backups to it. I do a full backup once a week and incremental the other 6 days. That way when your drive fails (which it eventually will), you haven't actually lost anything. I personally use a paid software called StorageCraft ShadowProtect, but you can easily use built-in OS backup features or any other free software that does the same thing.
If you ever have an issue where your operating system becomes corrupted and you can't boot, you can try either plugging the HD into another computer and accessing it on that, or booting from an operating system installed on a USB drive and getting into the HD that way.
www.pendrivelinux.com...

originally posted by: Azureblue
I run win 7 SP2

I have my hard disc partitioned with programs in the C drive and data in the H drive.

If my disc failed would I be able to still access the data on the H drive?

If I could, how would I do that?


In case this helps someone.

I use a thing called IOBit Uninstaller. It works very well as it has a 'do a deep scan' option which pops up after the standard uninstll which it performs fist. It nearly always picks up folders that are left over. Touch wood, this program has never not got rid of a problem program

You would be supprised how many folders are left over after the standard uninstall of itunes.







I run win 7 SP2

It may still be accessible , The only way to find out , boot to a Windows cd and go to a recovery console . Try accessing the drive by typing dir h: Any other result than a listing of the folders means the drive may not be accessible , As a last resort type chkdsk h: /f and enter . This may enable you to access some of what is on that partition.

RAID 0 all the way....Redundancy . I dont need no stinkin redundancy....

If you have a PC and this does concern you purchase another drive as close to the one you have as possible. Most storage controllers today have at least a RAID 1 mirror ability. Then if 1 drive fails , you are still , in most cases , perfectly operational...just replace the failed drive at will , synchronize the logical drive and it will be the same as ever.

a reply to: Azureblue

It depends. If the disk hardware has failed (i.e. the motor won't spin or the arm has seized) then no you can't. If it is something like you try to boot, the windows screen comes up and then you get a BSOD then you can. That just means the OS corrupted. If that is the case, you will need a HDD (SATA, eSATA or PATA) to USB cable and plug it into another computer. You can usually tell by how the disk sounds when it is running. If it is clicking loudly, the arm is likely locked or broken, if you can't hear it spinning, the motor is dead. If it is a hardware failure, you can, if the data is THAT important to you, go through a repair or recovery service but usually it costs a lot (upwards of $200+).

If it is a mechanical problem with the hard drive rather than a software problem, the USB trick is maybe the best way to start trying to recover your data.

There are also a couple of tricks to use to resolve a broken hard drive long enough to recover data before another failure.....

1. Place the drive in a freezer overnight IN A SEALED POLYTHENE BAG. Sometimes this can free up stuck parts due to the slight shrinking under cold temperatures of the internals.

2. LAST RESORT!....Hold the drive level a few inches above a smooth, hard, flat surface and SLAM down once. This can also free up stuck parts.

Good luck.

Another thought. Keep the valuable data backed up on usb sticks. A 64 gb usb drive is probably big enough to hold simple data. 128,256, and 512 are also available. And there is 2 TB drives for less than $100 for larger needs on Ebay these days.

Just plug them in and do a copy and paste on the data directory you keep everything in. And also don't forget the cloud. Keep a working copy of your data on the internet. Though I would be wary of the security of anything really important on the cloud though.

a reply to: Azureblue

Thanks for the help people.
cheers

There are specialist companies out there who would be able to recover the data. but its not cheap.

Check google.

By splitting your disk into partitions you have caused it to work harder. As the arm moves from one partition to another reading and writing from each. The best way is to use separate hard drives.
If your current setup goes bad it is very likely you will not be able to recover the second partition with your DATA on it. Seen it too many times.