Re: Need help with a totally avoidable problem

"Joe Gill" <joegill@[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
|
| "Frog Prince" <[email protected]> wrote in message
| news:[email protected]...
| >
| > "Joe Gill" <snip >
| >
| > | > How to do this if the system will not recognize the drive?  I've put
| > this
| > | > drive on another computer running the same OS as a secondary and get
| an
| > | > error message that the drive needs to be formatted.
| > | >
| > | >
| > |
| > | 1) Did the old system at least 'recoginize' the drive?
| >
| > For a time but I wasted valuable time looking for a virus when I should
| have
| > been working to salvage the data (0ne file actually)
| > |
| > | 2) How big is the drive? It may be a case of the drive not being
| > recognized
| > | correctly by the new system, due to size, and/or BIOS restrictions.
| >
| > Duplicate computer (to the extent possible) with the same make and model
| HDD
| > |
| > | 3) Many of the vendors have software that allow you to
| > | check-out(not-destructively) the drive! Maxtor now supports the
Quantum
| > | line.. Look @ the POWERMAX utility on their site, It runs from a boot
| CD,
| > | and runs with low-level disk commands...
| >
| > Does that distroy the data?  Also I think PowerMax will only work on
| Maxtor
| > drives but I'll give it a try.
| > |
| > | 4) When you attempt to access on the new system, is there any
mechanical
| > | noise from the drive or does it feel like the drive is 'spinning up'?
| >
| > No noise and there is the spin up sound but no access.
| >
| > At this point they are resigned to finger boneing the data into a new
| file.
| > My efforts are basically my attempt to salvage but more for the
experiance
| I
| > might gain.
| >
| >
|
| I am assuming that the BIOS recognized the drive and you went through that
| process...
|
| Since there have been no other updates... I am not sure where you are on
| playing with the drive....
| You may want to try the 'freezer bag' trick, which has helped many users
but
| especially WD drives...
|
| But this goes with the disclaimer that this method, IF it works, will
| usually work 1-2 passes and then you end up with a really dead drive.
|
| ***************************************************
| * This is a method of LAST RESORT                                *
| ***************************************************
|
| 1) Reserve a block a time or map out the time based on the items below.
| 2) Get a good 'zip-loc' type freezer bag.
| 3) Work in a non-humid area.
| 4) Removed drive and place in bag, squeezing out as much air as possible,
| and seal it
| 5) Place is freezer for one hour (Some sites say 30 minutes, some 60, some
4
| hours)
| 6) Remove drive from freezer and bag and place in PC..
| 7) If you can now access it, you must move QUICKLY, you may be able to
| access for a while, and you may not...
| 8) If you cannot access it, try a couple times, over the next half hour,
| power-up / power-down
|
|
| You can look around the web for references/stories about this technique
|
|