(uncommon?) problem with external hard drive

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  1. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #11

    Hi suez,

    Check whether you can access that particular partition in the external drive with Live Linux. If you can, then you can copy all data in it to another external drive/pendrive of adequate capacity.

    I would recommend you go the Lucid Puppy way. Easy to download and easy to create a bootable Lucid Puppy pendrive from which you can boot into Lucid Puppy.

    Download Lucid Puppy (Ubuntu Compatible Build) version 5.2.8 ISO (132.6 MB) Download latest Puppy Linux release

    Create your bootable pen drive using Rufus v 1.4.10 (616KB) Backup all data on your pen drive before using Rufus since all that will be lost when Rufus formats it.

    With your pendrive connected, run Rufus, check your correct pen drive is selected.
    In "Create a bootable disk using" select ISO Image with the dropdown arrow. (Leave everything else to dlefault.)
    Cick on the Disk icon next to it and select the Lucid Puppy ISO.

    Click on Start and allow Rufus to complete writing the ISO to the pendrive.

    Close Rufus.

    Now connect your problem external drive and another external drive on which you want to copy the recovered files and then reboot your computer.

    Use the one-time boot menu and boot from the USB pendrive.

    Wait for Lucid Puppy to load and you will be in the Lucid Puppy desktop.

    On how to use Lucid Puppy see Lucid Puppy way to recover files from a non-bootable computer ( Read only what is under the topic Recovering files from the non-bootable Internal Drive: - In your case it will be your inaccessible partition on your external drive

    Please note that all partitions will appear as drives and you should be able to recognise them by their size.

    If you can successfully recover all data, then you may try to repair your drive with File Check in MiniTools Partition Wizard or format that drive.

    I have given priority to the data recovery attempt.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 11
    none
    Thread Starter
       #12

    jumanji said:
    Hi suez,

    Check whether you can access that particular partition in the external drive with Live Linux. If you can, then you can copy all data in it to another external drive/pendrive of adequate capacity.

    I would recommend you go the Lucid Puppy way. Easy to download and easy to create a bootable Lucid Puppy pendrive from which you can boot into Lucid Puppy.

    Download Lucid Puppy (Ubuntu Compatible Build) version 5.2.8 ISO (132.6 MB) Download latest Puppy Linux release

    Create your bootable pen drive using Rufus v 1.4.10 (616KB) Backup all data on your pen drive before using Rufus since all that will be lost when Rufus formats it.

    With your pendrive connected, run Rufus, check your correct pen drive is selected.
    In "Create a bootable disk using" select ISO Image with the dropdown arrow. (Leave everything else to dlefault.)
    Cick on the Disk icon next to it and select the Lucid Puppy ISO.

    Click on Start and allow Rufus to complete writing the ISO to the pendrive.

    Close Rufus.

    Now connect your problem external drive and another external drive on which you want to copy the recovered files and then reboot your computer.

    Use the one-time boot menu and boot from the USB pendrive.

    Wait for Lucid Puppy to load and you will be in the Lucid Puppy desktop.

    On how to use Lucid Puppy see Lucid Puppy way to recover files from a non-bootable computer ( Read only what is under the topic Recovering files from the non-bootable Internal Drive: - In your case it will be your inaccessible partition on your external drive

    Please note that all partitions will appear as drives and you should be able to recognise them by their size.

    If you can successfully recover all data, then you may try to repair your drive with File Check in MiniTools Partition Wizard or format that drive.

    I have given priority to the data recovery attempt.
    Thanks for the suggestion - but I don't have enough USB ports to try this. Is it possible to try recovering from one partition to another, on the same drive? If not, I would have to find another computer to attempt, but it may be worth trying this first.
    Last edited by suez; 17 Sep 2014 at 11:02.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #13

    Don't you have atleast three USB ports free on your PC? - one for the Lucid Puppy pendrive, one for the problem external drive and one for the external drive on which you copy? If not, you can instead of writing the Lucid Puppy ISO onto a pendrive, burn the ISO to a CD and boot Linux from the CD.

    Your problem external drive HDD was removed from another laptop because obviously there was some problem with that HDD. No point in saving your data to other partitions on that drive.

    I do not recommend saving your data onto the system drive in your desktop. If you have a second data only internal drive on your desktop, then you can save the data into it.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 11
    none
    Thread Starter
       #14

    jumanji said:
    Don't you have atleast three USB ports
    I only have two USB ports, and no CD drive unfortunately.

    jumanji said:
    Your problem external drive HDD was removed from another laptop because obviously there was some problem with that HDD. No point in saving your data to other partitions on that drive.
    The other partition on the drive is absolutely fine and functioning properly - I can add/remove/manipulate files on it without issues.
    Last edited by suez; 17 Sep 2014 at 11:03.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #15

    On what PC are you connecting the external drive ?

    Your system Spec says PC/desktop. OS: none

    Are you having a PC/Desktop with no OS?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11
    none
    Thread Starter
       #16

    Hi - please ignore the system specs, that was just a placeholder since it wouldn't let me register with blank. The same issue has occurred on multiple computers, so the problem is really just the drive itself.

    I have actually now managed to recover data using a much, much simpler method! MiniTool Power Data Recovery has been able to read the drive, though I had tried this in the past and it hadn't worked, so I'm a little bit confused - but very pleased! The drive still has the same problems but somehow this software has managed to bypass what otherwise makes the partition unreadable. I can't actually access it to manipulate the files on it but MiniTool has been able to recover from it. I had tried things like Recuva, which couldn't scan it, so, again I'm not sure how but this worked.

    Now I have all the data I need from the drive - but I cannot delete it, and there is sensitive content. How should I go about destroying it, when I cannot even delete, format or anything?
    Last edited by suez; 18 Sep 2014 at 04:46.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11
    none
    Thread Starter
       #17

    Hello,
    I still need some help with this, if anyone can.

    I have been able to recover the data I needed but I have no means of erasing the drive.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #18

    Are you able to see the drive with MiniTools Partition Wizard?

    If seen, try to delete all the partitions with it and then wipe it.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 11
    none
    Thread Starter
       #19

    Thank you, but I have already tried this many times. The drive shows in Partition Wizard. I can manipulate (format/delete/erase/shrink etc) the other partitions without a problem. The problem partition, nothing can be done to it. It justs sticks at 0%. It cannot even be deleted.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 1,449
    Windows 7 ultimate 64-bit
       #20

    suez said:
    Hello,
    I still need some help with this, if anyone can.

    I have been able to recover the data I needed but I have no means of erasing the drive.
    if you want to erase the problem drive; and windows can still see the drive; have you tried to do a complete format of the drive? doing that should erase/delete all contents on the drive and format the drive for use again as long as the drive is usable and in working order.
    Last edited by matts6887; 20 Sep 2014 at 11:19. Reason: added info
      My Computer


 
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