O&O DiskRecovery 6

I would like to use this program, since I already own it, to recover some data on a hard drive that just failed. However, I'm unable to do so because when that drive is connected, it causes Windows to freeze.

I know that the new version of this program talks about being able to make a O&O InstantDiskRecovery emergency disk, but all that I have found for this version is something about an instant installation on a removeable drive, which sounds as though it would still have to interface with a functioning Windows system. I may be wrong, because the description of this is not very clear to me, but what I need is for it to be totally stand alone, so that I can boot to it on a DVD. Is there any way that this can be done...without shelling out more money on the new version?

The only thing that you said that confuses me is the part about needing the full version. I have the full version of version 6, but not of version 7, if that is what you mean? Obviously, I have no idea of how it works from a recovery disk, but it works fine, if ran from Windows.

I scanned the page in your link, and I got the impression that it is simply for repair of systems, not for recovery of files from a dead drive...am I wrong?

I regret that you have such a low opinion of the program, but it worked very well for me, when I used it installed in Windows, but as I said, I can't on this particular drive. From what I read on your link, it requires using ntfs-3g to mount the Windows drive in a readable fashion. Does that mean that it is already part of the rescue CD? The reason that I ask is because that was something that required special installation, that last time I attempted to use it in Linux. Obviously, it would also require having drive space somewhere to store the recovered data, since it would not be able to store it on the CD, so would it be able to find a hard drive that is in an external case?

Great! I will give it a shot. I don't know that any software recovery is possible, regardless of how it is approached, but this is worth trying, if for no other reason than for the experience. I just want to know if it is possible with this particular drive, because of the manner in which it failed and the manner in which it now runs. That is one aspect that seems to make it possible, because it does spin, and I suspect that the data on it is intact, but that the logic board on it is shot.

You are right, it is not a sure thing, but the drive that I did recover the data from previously had a bad logic board, and I was able to do the recovery without exchanging logic board. I have another drive that is exactly like this one, that I damaged by breaking off the little plastic guide on the SATA connector, and wasn't able to use it as an internal drive. However, I am able to use it in my external case, because of the rigid manner in which the case and drive interface. I had tried using the logic board of another working drive to replace that damaged one, and it didn't work, even though the drives were identical. From what I read, I think that this is due to the fact that the logic board retains some data from the drive's operation that is not originally designed into it. That is why I tend to doubt that exchanging boards would work now.

Eh, as expected, it didn't work. The drive isn't even detected by the BIOS, so no program could either. I even tried MHDD, because I was confused by the systemrescuecd, but it is still something good to have. Maybe I will have more patience with it at some future point when it is needed. I have one more drive for my collection of dead ones. Some day I will make a wind chime out of them.