Hard Drive Crash - Roman

Hey Roman,

My hard drive (the big C one) is not being recognized at all at this moment. When we go to the BIOs menu, the C drive just does not exist....you can see everything else.

Would a rescue cd help. We don't have one. Can you recommend where we can get one? Since it does not see the C drive I don't think the rescue CD will work. Do you have any other suggestions we cab try?

I don't think there is anyhthing wrong with the C drive. I had just done diagnostics on it recently.

My biggest problem is that there are certain files (most particularly my software codes) which I do not back up onto my network drives. It stays there. I don't want to lose that info if I can avoid it.

Thoughts?

James

www.easeus.com

check it out

Thanks, Preston. If I DL a copy of it on to an alternative computer (like my laptop), is it possible to create a recovery disk for my primary desktop? I cannot use my desktop at all right now.

Thanks
James

Welp, no go. . The program is not working because the computer cannot see the boot drive at all.

James

I think the controller is dead.

James

LOL, OK...maybe it is not the controller. I am doing some research and I think it may be the back-up battery.

James

Ok, the way I would do this if I were the tech working on this is to buy a hard drive USB kit that turns your hard drive into a USB drive.

This would require another PC (like maybe a laptop) to work on as you cant use the pc you have because the C:\ drive is dead.

Get a kit like this one:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/151265/Tripp-Lite-USB-20-to-SATA/

Then plug the drive into the other computer and if it can be read, it will show up just like any other USB drive.\

If it dosnt show up, then your hard drive is DEAD, as in hardware dead. The only option then would usually be a recovery service that takes the platters out in a clean room enviornment and re assembles them in another drive that the mechanicals are working in. Then they recover any data you request to be recovered.

A company like the one below would perform such a service:
http://www.salvagedata.com/hard-drive-recovery/

You will have to contact them to figure out the price. It was about $280.00 for the last one I did for where I work, and that was about 3-4 years ago.

Roman

As far as the backup battery, this is possable. I didnt think about the bios backup battery on the main board. It can do some flakey things when it goes south. But usually it is quite consistant in loosing all the settings, but finding them after a bit and fading in and out. You said is seems to be finding everything else OK.

If you have a spare hard drive, plug it in as well and see if it reacts the same...or sees it as ok.

If it sees it, then your hard drive is still the culprit. If it does not, you might have a bad SATA cable or maybe a bad SATA port that the cable plugs into. Try plugging it into a diffrent SATA port, and make sure your BIOS has that port turned on (Most main boards allow you to control the on/off state of each sata port)

If that dosnt help, you might need a new battery.

1. So first try new sata port even with the old drive.

2. If that fails, and you have a spare drive around, swap it into the same port the origonal is in and see if it recognizes the drive. If it does 9even though you cant boot up with it) it tells you your SATA port and cable are OK, that leaves the BIOS battery and the hard drive.

3. Buy a replacment bios battery. It will be a minimal investment and good to replace anyway if your system is over 2-3 years old.

4. If BIOS is ok, that leaves the hard drive. The USB kit is fairly inexpensive and an easy way to test the hard drive for functionality. You cant boot with it, but if the hardware is good and the hard drive data has failed, (making the Operating system inoperative) Its also good to have around at upgrade time.

5. If that fails, your only option is the recovery service, as the hardware is hosed to the point of being inoperative. The platters still have the info, it just needs to be removed and placed in a working drive case. (only to be performed in a clean room environment with a tech that knows what they are doing.)

Roman

Thanks, Roman. It was not the HD. It gets power in the harness we just bought. However, the HD is now a problem. Somehow, I cracked the back piece of the HD pulling it out. That was pretty stupid.

Anyway, I am sending the HD for recovery service. I am still debating what I want to do with the rest of the desktop (i.e. it is older and my laptop is probably more powerful). However, the good news is that the HD is recoverable....

James