Question
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CreatorTopic
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November 24, 2011 at 2:00 am #2207955
How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Lockedby healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
I have a portable drive that has some files in it. Somehow all of a sudden the files in there are not visible or retrievable. Connecting it to a computer USB port, I can only see a message saying the drive needs to be formatted.
If I follow the prompt to format it, I can imagine I would lose all the files in there. Is there any way I can go around it? I wonder!
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November 24, 2011 at 2:00 am #2446555
Clarifications
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Clarifications
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November 24, 2011 at 6:56 am #2446543
Yes
by johnjackson1132 · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Portable USB drive…If you’re being asked to reformat it…then it means Windows is not able to read it’s original formatting..Was it formatted as NTFS or FAT32? Did you use it on a Windows computer or MAC? When did it last work, what changed since? ie: Cables, USB Ports, New Drivers etc…
There is a way to access raw data but it requires certain tools. I recommend looking around the Internet for a CD/Tool called “Hirens”…or an “ERD” CD…these are great and valuable IT tools used on a daily basis.
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November 25, 2011 at 12:04 am #2446479
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November 25, 2011 at 5:58 pm #2446418
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Yes
The portable drive was used without formatting. So it must be whatever default format it came with. I suppose it would be FAT32 like USB in spite of its size. Am I right?
Anyway, what is the significance of it being NTFS or FAT32? Are files on FAT32 easier recoverable?
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November 24, 2011 at 11:40 am #2446521
OK the most likely thing to have happened here
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Is that the drive was disconnected without being dismounted. This can be OK 99 times out of 100 but you are eventually going to hit that 1 in a 100 time that the partition Tables go south.
What to do here all depends on just how [b]”IMPORTANT”[/b] the data on the drive is. If it’s [b]”IMPORTANT”[/b] stop using the drive IMMEDIATELY and pack it up and send it to a Data Recovery Specialist Now.
However if it would just be [b]Nice[/b] to recover the data and you can afford to loose it all there are several things you can try but you need to remember that every time you unsuccessfully do something it’s just that much harder to recover anything at all and if you then send it to a Professional Data Recovery House you will have drastically increased the costs as well as reducing the chance of getting a 100% recovery.
If you just disconnected the drive without using the Safely Remove Option you can go the Run Command and enter [b]chkdsk /r[/b] for the Drive letter that the External Drive should be and hope that Windows can repair the Partition Tables. It may or may not work but what the hell it costs nothing and it just might work.
If that doesn’t work look here for a list of Data Recovery Software
http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/questions/101-342724?tag=content;discussion-table
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November 25, 2011 at 12:15 am #2446478
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to OK the most likely thing to have happened here
Sending it to a Data Recovery Specialist would be very expensive.
I will certainly try “chkdsk /r” when I get hold of it again. It is not my drive, just my friend’s.
Thanks for the list of Data Recovery Software. I didn’t know that “chkdsk /r” and data recovery software would work on “unformatted” disks though.
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November 25, 2011 at 1:07 pm #2446437
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to OK the most likely thing to have happened here
Both Chkdsk & Data Recovery Tools will work with a drive like this.
I do a lot of Data Recovery Work and I have yet to find a Utility that required the drive to be formatted. 😉
Col
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November 27, 2011 at 3:30 pm #2446312
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to OK the most likely thing to have happened here
Col,
Are you saying that data recovery utility software doesn’t usually require drive to be formatted before they can retrieve lost files?
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November 28, 2011 at 12:40 pm #2445139
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to OK the most likely thing to have happened here
Yes the drive doesn’t need an active partition on it.
Though it must of at one stage had a Active Partition on it.
The reason you have been asked about the Partition Type is because it depends on what Software to Attack the Drive with.
Currently there are 2 type of Data Recovery Software the first type recovers Files from a HDD the second Type Rebuilds the File Structure on that HDD. To use the second type you don’t need an active readable partition. 😉
Col
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December 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm #2444725
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to OK the most likely thing to have happened here
I apologize. I didn’t see your latest comment until today. I like the previous forum format better, it is clearer.
I don’t quite follow the two types of data recovery software. Don’t they both recover from hard drives? How do we identify which type of software?
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November 25, 2011 at 9:38 am #2446451
Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Assuming you haven’t formated it yet, try connecting the drive on a different USB port or on different computers. It happens very often that the lower than needed voltage of the USB ports makes Windows unable to read the file system of the removable hard drives.
Try also a USB cable with double connector, that should fix the issue if the file system in the drive is still intact.-
November 25, 2011 at 5:22 pm #2446422
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
I have also tried it on a different computer.
I don’t quite follow using a USB cable with double connector. I don’t know what is a double connector of a USB cable.
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November 26, 2011 at 8:52 am #2446394
Reponse To Answer
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
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November 26, 2011 at 8:59 am #2446393
Reponse To Answer
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
the two A connectors in the cable in the link I posted will sufficent power the portable hard drive, the other end type might be different for your drive, if not type B micro USB, you can buy these cables with an A connector on the other end as well… just do a search for it. Hope this helps.
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November 26, 2011 at 9:23 am #2446391
Reponse To Answer
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
and just one more thing, if the doublepowered UCB cable doesn’t fix reading your files in your portable hard drive, then your drive file system is really damaged, so follow the data recovery procedures as per OH Smeg’s suggestions.
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November 26, 2011 at 11:25 pm #2446356
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
Thanks for the picture of the USB cable with double connector. What is the purpose of using it? Are we supposed to connect the drive to two computers?
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November 27, 2011 at 11:51 am #2446334
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Try connecting it on different USB ports/computers
The correct term is Y Cable
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November 25, 2011 at 10:29 am #2446447
GETDATABACK for NTFS/FAT
by jamie.parisi · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
I have used this program many times on damaged formatted drives. It takes a while but will if the drive is not damaged too badly recover data.
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November 25, 2011 at 5:31 pm #2446421
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to GETDATABACK for NTFS/FAT
Thanks!
When I googled it, I found more than GETDATABACK for NTFS/FAT. I got the Recover My Files as well.
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November 26, 2011 at 5:41 pm #2446362
Let us know how it works!
by johnjackson1132 · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Let us know what your findings are.
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November 27, 2011 at 3:36 pm #2446311
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Let us know how it works!
Sorry,
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November 27, 2011 at 3:37 pm #2446310
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Let us know how it works!
Sorry, let you know how what works?
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November 27, 2011 at 11:58 am #2446333
The correct term for that USB Cable is Y Cable
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
It has 2 USB Plugs which plug into 2 different USB Sockets on the Computer to give the correct Amperage to the External Drive.
Each USB Port by Design is supposed to supply 5 V DC at 500 Milliamperes. That is the Apple design but with the move of USB to the PC some makers think that they know better and have reduced that 500 Milliamperes. Granted this mostly happens with NB’s and is claimed to increase Battery Life by their maker but it’s a Short Cut which hurts the system and really shouldn’t be taken. It also occasionally happens on Desktops where that USB Socket is in a Fly Lead so read that as Front USB Sockets and the like. 😉
If you carefully look at a Y Cable you’ll see that the Middle Connector has a standard Cable but the Cable to the second USB Plug is thinner than the other cable. This is because the second USB Plug only supplies the Current to drive the external drive so it has fewer wires in that part of the lead. There are no Data Wires just Power Wires.
You can plug one of these cables into 2 Different USB Sockets on a computer or into 2 different USB Sockets on a [b]Powered[/b] USB Hub. If you do not use a Powered USB Hub you are not getting the full benefit of the Y Cable as there will not be enough Amperage available at the Hub. 😉
I hope that helps you understand.
Col
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November 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm #2446309
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to The correct term for that USB Cable is Y Cable
This is a very good explanation. Thank you!
I have a question about the data recovery utility above asking if such utility does not require hard drive be formatted.
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December 27, 2012 at 11:46 am #2425918
Reponse To Answer
by jmcorn01 · about 11 years, 3 months ago
In reply to The correct term for that USB Cable is Y Cable
I applaude all those who replied with information on how to recover data. Kudos to you all for sharing your experience. However, this “Y- Cable” issue is another story.
Per the USB specs (USB Power Delivery Specification Revision 1.0 Version 1.1 dated 31 Octobber 2012 available @ http://www.USB.org), section 2.3 states in part “There is only one Source Port and one Sink Port in each PD connection between Port Partners.” The purpose of this statement is so the Source port can advertise its’ capabilities to the Sink port and the 2 ports can properly negotiate all necessary power issues (including “low-power” devices).
By using the Y-Cable applying 2 Source ports, you may temporarily get around a problem IF the issue is insufficient power. However, you have also just told all the non-electrician techie-wanna-be’s how to potentially damage otherwise perfectly good equipment.
In future, I suggest that IF you give out this kind of information, please also include any & all necessary caveats. In my 30+ years experience, I have found that only telling part of the story frequently is worse than not helping at all.JMC01
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November 28, 2011 at 6:57 am #2446277
Keep getting high Disk usage
by alphyrjl · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
My computer speed has been greatly compromised after I having been getting the message High Disk usage from the Norton Antivirus. I have run basically all the maintenance procedures available all the informations obtained is that everything is working okay but my computer continuously freezes and becomes unresponsive most of the time. It is really a nightmare for me and since i not have much knowledge on these troubleshooting issues I am really stranded. Window experience index has degraded from 5.9 to 2.9 but when I run it using HP troubleshooting tools the window experience is always 5.9. I do know that with microsoft troubleshooting tools the information is correct since my laptop has slowed down tremendous even if I had only use 388GB free of 444GB for local disc(C:). How do I solve this problem since I have already tried to restore it the date that it was working properly but this turned out to be a useless exercise.
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November 28, 2011 at 11:20 pm #2445109
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Keep getting high Disk usage
Your have to start a new thread.
Perhaps re-install the computer from scratch might help you.
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November 29, 2011 at 1:59 am #2445104
How to Recover data from USB
by parvez · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
I had the similar situation. The device was used on a MAC and it got unusable on a PC. What I did was that I formatted it and then used the RecovrMyfiles program to recover the data. I was able to recover every thing from tha USB device.
Parvez 29-11-2011
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November 29, 2011 at 2:38 pm #2445040
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to Recover data from USB
Wouldn’t it have been easier and considerably faster to
Just install the Partition Type that is used by the MAC onto the PC so that the Windows OS could read the MAC Drive?
Col
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November 30, 2011 at 12:23 am #2445019
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to Recover data from USB
Hi Col,
Is Partition Type a piece of software to be installed on a PC for use by MAC?
Are you also saying that data recovery utility software doesn’t require drive to be formatted before lost file can be recovered?
Thanks!
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November 30, 2011 at 2:48 pm #2444933
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to Recover data from USB
No by default Windows only reads Windows Partitions. When you plug a External Drive or any Storage Device into a Windows Computer it needs a Windows Partition Type on it to be readable.
To get around this it’s possible to install a piece of software that allows the Windows System to read different Partition Types. There are several of these but the most commonly used is Mac Disc
http://www.macdisk.com/mden.php
Col
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November 29, 2011 at 6:27 am #2445096
FIle Retrieve from USB Drive
by kenmos · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Probably – have you tried Disk Management? In W7 (admin) right click My Computer, select Manage, then Storage, Disk Management and you will probably see your drive as an item in the list. Volume will be blank, but check in the Capacity column, If there, select the drive, right click the blank Volume, and select Change Drive letter, then choose accordingly. It should then appear as normal. I’ve got a drive that shows this behaviour every time I retrieve it from storage!
Hope this works for you (a no cost solution!).
Ken-
November 30, 2011 at 12:28 am #2445018
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to FIle Retrieve from USB Drive
Thanks!
I tried but it didn’t fix it.
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November 29, 2011 at 6:39 am #2445095
So Healer, what have you tried from all the suggestions here so far?
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
So Healer, what have you tried from all the suggestions here so far? Have you been lucky in any way reviving it?
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November 30, 2011 at 12:30 am #2445017
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to So Healer, what have you tried from all the suggestions here so far?
I have tried everything except buying a piece of data recovery software.
So far I have no luck.
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November 30, 2011 at 7:02 am #2444995
Reponse To Answer
by the edidas · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to So Healer, what have you tried from all the suggestions here so far?
I have used Active@ UNDELETE and Active@ File Recovery with very good results in the past, give it a try… you can download a Demo for both and see if it reads your drive first. For more: http://www.file-recovery.net/products.htm
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November 30, 2011 at 2:16 am #2445014
SpinRite
by akjohndye · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
How about Steve Gibson’s “SpinRite” $ 89.00 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee.
See at (www.grc dotCom)
I’ve never used it, but Leo Laporte recommends it, good enough for me.
Good luck!
John -
November 30, 2011 at 8:56 am #2444983
Check for Drive Caddy connection failure
by boris the bold · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
I’ve had it before where the internal drive connection (HDD to USB board) has fried.
Open up the USB Drive caddy and remove the drive and stick it into another one, I bought one for ??5 and it has worked fine for over a year.
Mine was a western Digital passport drive.-
November 30, 2011 at 6:14 pm #2444904
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Check for Drive Caddy connection failure
It seems to me there is no screw or fastener that holds the things together. I am not too sure how to open it.
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November 30, 2011 at 10:22 pm #2444880
Reponse To Answer
by rj78 · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Check for Drive Caddy connection failure
you can use a minus screw to open it
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November 30, 2011 at 9:32 am #2444975
Have you tried Linux?
by jamblaster · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Many file access problems with Windows can be gotten around through using a Linux distro. They have so many that are easy to install and use from a USB drive (boot from USB) that its worth a try at least.
Try Unetbootin –> http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
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November 30, 2011 at 6:16 pm #2444903
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Have you tried Linux?
I am not too sure how this relates to my problem, to recover lost data.
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December 1, 2011 at 4:01 am #2444862
Reponse To Answer
by thmiuatga · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to Have you tried Linux?
Linux is a solution in that it may allow you to access and read the data on the drive. Unlike Windows and Apple/Mac, Linux can access and read ALL formats. The suggestion I believe is to try a distribution of Linux on a ‘live’ CD. this means that the operating system is on a CD or a DVD and will boot and run completely from that. I use linux and have used it to access unreadable drives that I couldn’t access with Windows.
Knoppix, Ubuntu, and Puppy are three of the distros I have attempted (and with success) to access to read and access a drive that could not be accessed with Windows. The Linux distributions are FREE (in case you were unaware) and are downloadable in ISO files to be burned to CD/DVD. I hope this helps you.
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November 30, 2011 at 3:37 pm #2444930
usb drive helps
by techno0001 · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
it will really help when dealing with reformating
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November 30, 2011 at 6:17 pm #2444902
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to usb drive helps
I don’t follow this.
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December 1, 2011 at 9:40 pm #2444780
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to usb drive helps
Thanks, I shall give it a go. I have to get the drive back and try. Hopefully it hasn’t been dumped or re-formatted.
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November 30, 2011 at 10:19 pm #2444882
using alternative cable/converter
by rj78 · about 12 years, 4 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
hey you can use another usb cable to connect otherwise you can use hdd to usb converter (you have to release the hdd inside to see which type of hdd connector SATA or IDE).
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December 3, 2011 at 1:36 pm #2444695
Currently there are 2 types of Data Recovery Software
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
The First recovers data from the drive and the second rebuilds Partition Tables etc.
Different Data Recovery Software do different jobs in a different way that’s basically the main difference. Some do a better job than others but basically speaking the Free ones are Data Recovery Software and read a Drive and recover Data from the drive. The more expensive types [i]Generally Speaking[/i] Rebuild Partition Tables and the like and don’t actually recover Data from the Drive and write it elsewhere they rebuild the drive and are generally speaking faster doing their thing than the Straight Recovery Type Apps.
However saying that you could try Recuva Free from Piriform
http://www.piriform.com/recuva/download
I don’t use it personally bit others here have said that they find it very good.
As to the new Design of the Site I hate it as it’s way too easy to miss things now. 😉
Col
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December 3, 2011 at 8:20 pm #2444684
Verbatim 62872 320GB (Samsung)
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Above is the drive from which I try to recover the files. I’ve got it back and tried again.
Today when I first plugged into my Windows 7 system. It was not even detected. Likewise when I tried with the Recuva Free I’ve just downloaded and installed.So I switched over to Ubuntu which was installed on the same laptop. The disk utility detected it. It didn’t seem to give me an option to mount it. I plugged in another working 4GB USB drive so that I could compare the information. I didn’t remember where I could access the Windows partition or the peripheral drive from the Linux file manager though.
Now I switched back to Windows 7. The portable drive was then detected but reported as healthy and raw. I tried the Recuva Free again and it said not formatted.
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December 5, 2011 at 11:59 pm #2444579
Reponse To Answer
by seanferd · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Verbatim 62872 320GB (Samsung)
Use something more sensible for this approach than Ubuntu. A Knoppix live CD or something similar would be better. Anything that automatically displays all detected drives on the desktop would be a huge step in the right direction, just for ease of use.
I’ve used various and several different live environments to access NTFS drives, and Knoppix almost always works when others don’t, and was just easier to work with.
Since you’ve already started file recovery – you are saving recovered data to a different drive? What did the vendor’s hardware testing utility tell you? What were the results of the original scan from Easus or whatever testing you did? Was there just a bit of partition information corrupted, or was data lost, or Windows file/directory corruption…
See, if you don’t need to, you don’t want to be taking hours of time scanning the raw disk data for probable files. If you can just fix an obvious partition error, you have the whole drive back pretty quickly. So you may want to scan with the Easus Partition software – if it has error-scanning abilities, I don’t know.
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=partition+recoverySince Windows decided the drive needed to be formatted, this is the direction i would lean towards. Unless there was a major physical failure in the drive, which is what the vendor’s testing utility would tell you about.
Note: Sometimes you may yet need to run the Windows
chkdsk /f
after fixing a partition or marking damaged data blocks as bad. -
December 6, 2011 at 5:19 pm #2444520
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Verbatim 62872 320GB (Samsung)
Thanks Seanfred for your recommendation. I am downloading the Knoppix live DVD V6.71 and shall try it. In the meantime, could you please refresh my memory where the windows drive and peripheral drive will show up under the Linux system. I can only see the Linux file system.
The Easus software doesn’t report the condition of the drive. However I did see quite a few lost/corrupted files. I have since uninstalled the software because it only allows free 1GB recovered.
I have not tried any drive test utility yet. As I am not sure which to use yet. Will the drive test uitlity erase the file or make it worse? I can’t use the chkdsk command because the Windows system doesn’t detect it at all.
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December 8, 2011 at 7:11 pm #2445484
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Verbatim 62872 320GB (Samsung)
Well, Knoppix v6.7.1 can’t see the files though it sees the drive.
So far only paid software did something. The EaseUS helped me recover about 900MB files. The limit is 1GB free. I am running MiniTool Power Data Recovery 6.6 at the moment. It has already been running for three days and it still hasn’t got to 20%. It is very time consuming. However it does find some files. This one is also limited to 1GB free. I have also tried Find and Mount. It didn’t see the partition in the drive at all.
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December 4, 2011 at 12:53 pm #2444668
Perhaps testing the drive with it’s makers Testing Utility
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Is in order here. It could be faulty. 😉
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December 4, 2011 at 3:22 pm #2444657
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Perhaps testing the drive with it’s makers Testing Utility
Thanks for the information. At this stage I am trying not to worry about saving the drive but saving the files in it until definitely there is no hope.
I have been running the EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition 5.5.1 for several hours since yesterday. It still hasn’t finished. This software is supposed to work in the worst environment. -
December 5, 2011 at 6:48 pm #2444592
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Perhaps testing the drive with it’s makers Testing Utility
I have managed to recover nearly 1GB data using EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition 5.5.1. Now I shall try to recover a little more.
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December 6, 2011 at 4:43 pm #2444524
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Perhaps testing the drive with it’s makers Testing Utility
I look at http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287#samsung, I am not sure which utility I should use to test the portable drive. The label of the drive says Verbatim. However when I looked at it through ubuntu it reported it as Samsung.
While testing the drive, will it erase the data?
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December 6, 2011 at 11:29 am #2444549
Just check what you have recovered
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Some may be part files and the like and not be readable even though they have a Header. 😉
Col
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December 6, 2011 at 5:20 pm #2444519
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Just check what you have recovered
I try my best Col. I haven’t got round to look at the quality of every file recovered.
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December 6, 2011 at 4:05 pm #2444526
Data recovery
by atsmar · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
I’ve used both TestDisk and it’s companion PhotoRec. I recovered 12 GBs off of a Sony 16 GB thumb-drive that I was sure had been fried. The thumb drive wasn’t being recognized by three different PCs (two running XP and one running Win 7) and kept telling me it needed to be reformatted. I found this software while looking in Google and wow…, it worked. I had critical data on that Sony and I got all of it back. Once I recovered the data I reformatted the thumb drive. Good as new. You can find it here: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk.
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December 6, 2011 at 4:44 pm #2444523
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Data recovery
I’ve just downloaded it and shall try it. Thanks!
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December 8, 2011 at 7:02 pm #2445485
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Data recovery
I tried it and TestDisk couldn’t see anything but an unformatted drive.
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December 7, 2011 at 1:25 pm #2444448
Recover data from hard drive
by wpmeade · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Download puppy linux-boot to the cd-connect usb drive and mount the drive–mount local hard drive or additional usb drive- copy and paste
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December 8, 2011 at 7:01 pm #2445486
Reponse To Answer
by healer · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Recover data from hard drive
If the partition is not readable, I don’t know if it would help using a linux system.
I have just tried ubuntu and knoppix. Both can see the disk with disk utility. Neither can see it in the file manager.
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December 8, 2011 at 11:52 am #2445511
Using the Makers Testing Utility
by oh smeg · about 12 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Will not hurt any Data on the drive and will in no way adversely impact on the drive if it’s OK.
However if it’s on it’s way to [b]Silicon Heaven[/b] all bets are off as just using it is a risk.
As for the Maker the Drive in this case is a Samsung so use that Utility. 😉
Col
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February 13, 2012 at 9:27 pm #2439495
recover data
by dia24 · about 12 years, 1 month ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
see i have similar kind of problem last month but in your case i think you require a program that can solely recover drives on its installation. logical partition drives can be restored on Windows different versions of Os with the help of recovery software. when i talked to senior colleague , they suggested to download a [http://www.myfilerecovery.net/software-for-windows.html]Windows file recovery tool[/url] and then i google to find one . i m giving you the link you just visit them.
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August 12, 2012 at 6:49 am #2886739
HOW TO RECOVER FILES FROM EXTERNAL DRIVE OR USB
by obetskie · about 11 years, 7 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Try ACTIVE@FILE RECOVERY PROFESSIONAL and surely it will work provided that you didn’t add or delete files on it. I tried a lot of times in the past and your files will be recovered 95 percent. It will take time depending on the size of your external drive or USB most especially so if you are going to recover video files.
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October 15, 2012 at 11:58 pm #2433459
You should recover your data first.
by dajiahaode · about 11 years, 5 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
1. Dont worry! It is not a big deal. Generally speaking, you should format your drive to make it work well again, but for the safe of your files, youd better apply a recovery program to restore them all firstly, such as iCare Data Recovery Free, Recuva, Vimx partition Recovery and Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free.
If you wanna know the further information about the recovery program, or deirectely download the freeware, you could come to
http://www.squidoo.com/tested-data-recovery-freeware-recommendations-for-you2. I Have to emphasize one thing that you should restore your data at first and then format the drive, for the format may damage the original data again, which would be bad for your data recovery.
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October 16, 2012 at 12:04 am #2433458
If you want to know the further information
by dajiahaode · about 11 years, 5 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
If you want to know the further information, you could come to this link:
Tested data recovery freeware
http://www.squidoo.com/tested-data-recovery-freeware-recommendations-for-you -
December 27, 2012 at 1:26 pm #2425912
Many Suggestions – No Solutions
by jmcorn01 · about 11 years, 3 months ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
Healer – Although all these answers may work in some situations, the one thing I have noticed is that all of these suggestions are “potential solutions” but no one has asked for more information so they could actually help diagnose the problem. Which solution is best depends on what you are trying to fix. Using a hammer when you need a screwdriver is not very productive. Likewise, trying to use any piece of software to fix a broken cable connector is futile.
1st things first –
#1 – DO NOT FORMAT THE DRIVE!
Ignore all those people who have told you that formatting a drive will not hurt your data. Clearly they do not understand what the FORMAT command actually does. I assume you have formatted drives before & probably remember seeing the Warning dialog box that pops up saying that ALL data on the drive will be permanently erased if you continue. We are talking here about a “high-level” format performed by the existing operating system. The purpose of a high-level format is to set up the file structure that will be used (boot record, partition tables, sector markers, cluster sizes, mark bad sectors, etc) AND it is supposed to write a 0x255H to each location on the drive that will contain data.#2 – Many drive tests ARE destructive. IF a drive test is NON-destructive, it is only testing to see if it can access and read each location. ALL thorough drive tests MUST write to the drive to test if the drive can be written. Every one I have ever seen warns you that the test IS destructive and any data WILL be lost. Be VERY careful which tests you run.
#3 – CHKDSK
Chkdsk is a very good disk utility. However, in almost every version of Windows Microsoft has changed the available parameters. I have seen reference to chkdsk /f which is not one of the available switches for Windows 7. Go to a cmd prompt and type “chkdsk /?” (without quotes) to see which switches are available in your version of Windows.Now, Divide & Conquer.
As always, the place to start is to identify & isolate the source of the problem. Is the drive the problem or is it the USB case and/or cable?To find out, remove the drive from the USB case and see if the problem still exists when the bare drive is connected directly to the computer’s disk controller. Make sure you verify that the disk controller and any cables are in a known good state by connecting a known good drive. Also verify that the connector pins on the problem drive “look” OK (not missing or bent, etc). Once you have that answer, then you will know how to proceed.
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February 22, 2013 at 10:18 pm #2427521
Flash Card Recovery
by jessymess · about 11 years, 1 month ago
In reply to How to retrieve files from a drive needed to be re-formatted?
In order to recover data from flash card, it is very important that user use an powerful recovery tool before it gets over-written by any new data. The automatic tool will easily retrieve all kinds of data very easily. http://www.flashcardrecoveryformac.com
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