Motherboard fried, need files off of HDD. (SATA to USB)

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  1. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
       #1

    Motherboard fried, need files off of HDD. (SATA to USB)


    A while ago (about 7 months now) the motherboard in my desktop computer went bad and I haven't had the money to replace it. I haven't particularly needed anything off of the Hard Drive until now. I went on Amazon and bought a SATA to USB kit so that I would be able to do it. I got everything hooked up and the drive powered up and I plugged it into my laptop. When I did this, it failed to install drivers for it and would flash the drives in Explorer for a second and then they went out and it said that I needed to format each one before use. I can't really do this because I need the information on them. Even when I click to format them, it can't bring it up (Says that Windows cannot access the drive and it is not connected properly). Help please! I could really use those files.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 166
    Windows
       #2

    When you connect the hard drive to the USB adapter, can you hear the hard drive spin up? Lightly put your finger on the drive - can you feel it moving? The adapters are pretty much plug and play. But there's always the chance the drive you're trying to access has died.

    Right click on My Computer and select Manage. Scroll down to Disk Management under Storage. Do you see your USB drive listed there?

    As a test, try your adapter setup on another computer or with another hard drive - just to make sure the connections are all working.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    The drive spins up properly when power is connected. As I said, it shows that the 3 different drives are there as I have 3 different partitioned sections. But they flash up for a second and then say that I need to format them. But then they disappear. I have tried the setup with different hard drives and it works fine.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 166
    Windows
       #4

    I'm assuming the laptop you're connecting the external hard drive to is formatted as NTFS (not FAT32)?

    It could be that you have file or partition table errors on the external hard drive. You may have to run something like check disk or Test disk on the external. I would make an image of the external hard drive before running any of the above programs. Easeus has some free backup and imaging software
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    The laptop is NTFS. How am I to make an image of it or test it when my laptop cannot even find the drives?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 166
    Windows
       #6

    If you install EaseUS To do backup on your laptop, Easus should be able to recognize the drive in raw format. Then you'd do a disk/system backup, backing up all the partitions on the problem drive.

    The EaseUS software also has the ability to make a bootable CD which you can boot to and do backup/restore tasks outside of Windows. It's hard to say exactly what the problem is with your drive from here. So a backup is always a good idea.

    You could also try running the hard drive maker's diagnostic tools on the disk, but I would try to back it up first to prevent any possible data loss.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Alright, which program do I need off of that link you gave me for EaseUS?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 166
    Windows
       #8

    Look for the link forEaseUS Todo Backup Free in the middle of the page
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Will this backup the entire space of the partition, or will it only backup what is written? Because I only have the space on my laptop for use and no funds right now for a new external drive.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 166
    Windows
       #10

    You'll have the option to backup the entire disk (all partitions) or choose individual partitions. Backing up the entire disk before trying to repair it is what I was suggesting, if you have the space.

    Start Easeus and choose File Backup. See if the software even reads your external hard drive. If it reads your drive, try a test: Try and backup a few files or folders you need from the external to your laptop. Then open the new backup saved on your laptop and see if you can access any of those files.
      My Computer


 
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