Data Recovery from External Harddisk

Clarifications

Try running Recuva on it. http://www.piriform.com/recuva
I've had great luck with this software, sometimes it does take the option to do a deep scan to pull the files back from the dead though... It may help to check the option "Scan for non-deleted files" in your case...

hi

i have used easus data recovery,(http://www.easeus.com/product.htm) , i have also used spinrite (not sure it will work on externals though (www.grc.com)

Try Zero Assumption Recovery. It will scan your hard drive and recover the data. It is far quicker than the Un-Delete package I have by Datasoft that took 3 days to scan and recover data I had on a 320G drive. The free version of the program will allow you to only recover 4 items (or folders. it helps if the data is confined to folders) but the paid version allows no restrictions on recovery.

Also, if you are trying to access this drive you might try doing so with Linux. I had a drive that couldn't be accessed with Windows so I tried doing so with the previous version of Puppy Linux, Ubuntu 10.04 and Knoppix 6.3 and got success with Puppy and Knoppix. You may be able to transfer the data by using Linux to another drive as I did.

These methods worked for me and I hope they will be useful to you.

if it's [b][i]"Important"[/b][/i] you should pack up the drive immediately without doing anything at all to it and send it to a Data Recovery Specialist and pay them to recover your Data.

The more that you mess with the drive unsuccessfully now the more it's going to cost to have a Professional Recover the data and the less likely it is that you'll get a 100% Recovery into the bargain.

However if it would just be [b]"Nice[/b] to recover the data and you can afford to loose it all there are several options.

The safest is to use the [b]chkdsk /r[/b] option from the command line to rebuild the Partition Tables which is what is likely to have been corrupted during the power outage. Then you can attack the drive with any of the above suggestions if that doesn't help.

Col

thank you all for the replies.
I have tired all the softwares list above all of you with exception to linux one.
I will try linux one 2morrow.
Now my windows 7 machine is completely not able to see the external hard drive.
this is even from disk management aswell. I am gutted now.
Any more ideas?

I personally like Knoppix which you can download from here but that's just a personal choice. Any of the others should work as well.

http://www.livecdlist.com/

But I say again if this Data is [b][i]"Important"[/b][/i] you should send the drive to a Specialist Data Recovery House and let them recover what they can of your Data now before you destroy whatever is left.

Of course if the Failure is not related the the Power Outage the actual Case that the drive is in may need replacing and you'll have to destroy the case to get to the drive in it out and plug it onto something that you have which is suitable to access the drive.

This could be to mount it inside a Desktop Computer or use a USB to SATA Cable like the one here

http://shopping.indiatimes.com/Computer-Peripherals/Computer-Components/Technotech-USB-20-to-SATA-/-IDE-Serial-ATA-Adapter-/-Cable/ctl/20376650/cat/960309/pid/3096753

You should look in a suitable location for one of these as that was the first Hit I got searching for one of these devices. Though you need one with a Power Pack not just the USB Cable & Adapter.

Also if you have a Power Pack for your External HDD you should make sure that it is plugged in and actually working before proceeding any further. ;)

Col

Hi, As you have used many software but yet not got your data back. I will recommend you to consult data recovery services expert. They will properly analyse the storage media and then recommend the solution. I will recommend you to consult Stellar data recovery services. They also provide free phone consultation.
http://www.stellarinfo.co.in/services/hard-disk-recovery.php

Will try to get this adapter and check it . I am based in UK not India :P

Those external hard drives.. if all else fails... pop the case and plug the HD it into the motherboard. More likely to get a software program to retrieve data off the MB then from a USB.
I have File Scavenger 3.0.. will find any mounted drive (motherboard) and retrieve what it can. Another reason for a UPS on any PC equipment.

Again, as was said above, if the data is mission-critical, take it to a Recovery Specialist. They have resources and tools that we regular techs can't hope to maintain (like Clean Rooms.)

If it is important data, but not mission-critical, then I would start with a backup from a Linux LiveCD, using dd-rescue, to another 1TB drive, and then start the recovery with testdisk. This way, if the data you are looking for still isn't recovered, you still have the original disk and the option to take it to a Recovery Specialist.

If the data is "important" as in your daughter's pictures from her trip with the Girl Guides, and you don't want to hear her sobbing and pleading, then perhaps you can run something like Lexar's Recovery utility on the drive. Anything that the utility recognizes as having been even a part of an image will get recovered.

And, now the word of warning: If the external was a LaCie, stop using it! I have had more than enough issues with their externals, both professionally and personally to not trust them even for scratch space anymore. Just my 2 cents.

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