disk 1 is unknown, not initialized, unallocated

Hi,

We haven't heard anything from you on how things are going. Was the computer service point able to recover the data using FileScavenger?

Now I have some good news for you. After a relentless Google search, exactly two years back one user had reported that when Partition Wizard reported a bad disk, could not find the partition, he cancelled the process and then tried MiniTool Power Data Recovery which recovered all the files for him intact. Download free data recovery software and data recovery boot disk from Power Data Recovery.

At that point of time it was totally free but now the free version can only retrieve 1GB of data.

This does confirm that there is a possibility of recovering the data using other Data Recovery Software in this situation.

Based on this, I would suggest the following:

If the FileScavenger did not recover any data, ask them to try the demo version of EasyRecovery Professional.

The advantage as I had already reported in my post #75 is immediately after starting the scan, the left side pane shows the files recoverable as the scan progresses. So let them run the scan for an hour. They can then cancel the scan. You can view whether your photos show up and if it does, then take your drive to your friend who has the licensed version, run the scan fully and then copy all that to an external drive.

Once again, I wish you all good luck.

EDIT: I saw your post after posting. The posts crossed.Try the above.

They say they try the easy recovery professional but that it doesn't even show my drive. After changing the board, he say no luck. I ask whether its the same thing when I brought it in to him, he say yes ( unallocated, not initialize, showing as 2tb, plug in show that there is a drive but does not recognize it, light still on)

Now, I'm worried if I keep on trying all these stuff will I be making it worse? Because if so, should I just send it in to a company, I don't want to do all this stuff to it and make it worse and it's harder for them to recover the data.
I just can't believe that running recovery program didn't recover anything

I really don't know what else to do. What happen to the person that you research? Same problem as mine? Also, when is it that you CAN NOT recover data? Is it my case?

Just want to say thank you again for going out more then you did to try to help me. Can't thank you enough even tho I didn't recover anything "yet". Lol, there is still hope right? Hahahah

1. Rarely ever two cases can be alike in all respects and that is what makes data recovery at home a tiresome task. ( There is another OP here trying all sorts of Recovery programs to retrieve the data and yet another with a "Bad disk" and at last count, he was scanning with Partition Wizard. Hasn't yet returned.)

The point I caught after reading the successful OP's experience was that PW did show it as a bad drive and still he managed to retrieve all data. .( In his case, it showed the correct capacity.)

Can't Access External Hard Drive - MajorGeeks Support Forums

I wish I had seen this thread earlier. I would have then stopped you from handing it over to a computer service point and asked you to straightaway try EasyRecovery on your friend's computer.

2. Now what is to be done? Ask them to put it back as it was and sit with them and check it still shows in Windows Disk Management , the way it was in your screenshot at post #4. Then give the drive to your friend to try EasyRecovery.

3. As long as there is no mechanical damage, and you can feel the platters spinning inside without making any creeking noises, the data can easily be retrieved by a competent Professional Data Recovery agency. If you want to go that route, raise your query under General Discussions subforum here as to who that could be there in U.S.A.

When you say feel it spinning, I don't recall it vibrating like a normal external hard drive. It makes light beeping sound when I plug it in and ones the computer see the drive , the beeping sound stop and the computer say the new software successful instal but then again not showing under my computer.

Are you saying they might have damage it even more by opening it, or switching hard drive board?

If platter not spinning, it means yhe hard drive is definitely DONE?

If everything shows up as it was before after putting back the original HDD board, no damage has been done.

There would be no mechanical damage, even if they had changed the board.

In your case, I would think mechanically your drive is still good.

Ask your friend to run EasyRecovery.

They have ran the EasyRecovery and they say my drive don't even show under that program. Not sure what they meant.

But now 2 things for clarification:
If I keep running all these program on it and do all these stuff to it, will I make matter worse?
Second, like I said, the drive make no vibration and i don't feel it spinning, just light beeping in the beginning. Does that mean its damage? I'm not sure if I am using the terms correctly. I get confuse with damage ,defective and corrupted. I don't even know what mines is consider.

I'm getting he drive back tomorrow. If trying all these program on the drive don't make matter worse then I try what you say. But if I'm making it worse by doing more damage then it is ( at least that's what I'm thinking) then i think I'll just send it in and hope I didn't do much damage and they can recover my data

Also. I might have ask you this, but if I send it to these company , what are the chances they can recover my stuff based on what happen to my drive? After all if I'm paying maybe $1000+ ?

Please get the drive tomorrow, connect it to your PC, run Partition Wizard. Post a screenshot of how it looks like. If it looks same as before , go ahead with Easy Recovery. You yourself can download the demo version and try it. That process will not damage your drive in any way. So do not be overanxious.

Hi jumanji,
I finally got my drive back. Should I run the recovery program you posted? Or can you post me the link you try with EasyRecovery?

Hi,
First run Partition Wizard and post a screenshot so that we can confirm that the drive is as it was before - as in your screenshot at post #30