suddenly could not access folders in old drive, explorer not respondng

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  1. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
       #1

    suddenly could not access folders in old drive, explorer not respondng


    I bought an IDE-to-usb adaptor for my old hard drive (Seagate Barracuda ATA IV, 40gb, model ST340016A) from my old windows xp computer (around year 2003-2007), which is partitioned (20/20 gigs i think). When i first plugged it in i was asked to check the disk, but i didn't. Instead, i browsed different files and folders in the "data" partition and i was able to access most of it without encountering any slow down/problems. Then i accessed the os partition and was still able to view some files and folders, but when i got to open the Program Files folder it suddenly slowed down. It took too long for the green bar to fill the address bar so i just killed the operation by pressing crtl-alt-del. I cant remember if i also safely removed the hdd or if i just unplugged it w/o safely removing, but when i plugged it back in, everything slowed down. First i was able to access some folders (not tried files) in the data partition but after a while of repeating it (cause i always end up killing the operation), now the first few layers of folders just takes too long to open, and the pictures folder (which is the 3rd or 4th layer from the root) just makes windows explorer not respond. I think i even got the "the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" message after waiting to see what happens while explorer was "not responding."

    I tried running chkdsk on the OS partition, but its still slow and i think it just deleted some files so i'm afraid of running the same on the "data" partition. I hope my drive isnt dying yet. Pls help! Would love to be able to back up some of the files.
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  2. Posts : 1,784
    Linux Mint 18.2 xfce 64-bit (VMWare host) / Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit (VMWare guest)
       #2

    How are you powering the IDE drive? Did you get a power adapter with the IDE-to-USB adapter? I have read horror stories about people who purchased one of these hard drive adapters, and the power adapter that came with it was poor quality and ended up damaging the hard drive.

    A better plan would be to get a Molex (power) extension cable, and extend it out of the back of the case; and then use the Molex connection to power the IDE drive, rather than the A/C adapter that came with the IDE-to-USB adapter. In this way, you know that you are getting the correct power to the drive, and that you won't damage the drive by connecting a bad A/C adapter to it.

    Here's a Molex extension cable that is six feet long -- plenty long enough to power your drive:

    https://www.amazon.com/inch-Molex-Ex.../dp/B0014XDBIA

    If you don't have any available Molex connections, you can use something like this:

    https://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-Go...NVKN17T3SP7ANB
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Yes I'm using the A/C adapter that came with it. But the hdd is connected to the adapter via molex. Here:



    I'm not sure if it's getting enough power. But since everything slowed down, the hdd sounds like its stuck. Do you really think it's a power issue? We're using 220v in our country.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,784
    Linux Mint 18.2 xfce 64-bit (VMWare host) / Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit (VMWare guest)
       #4

    How can you be using both the A/C adapter that came with it AND the molex power connection for this drive? There's only one power connector on the drive; you can't plug in two power sources at the same time.

    When I speak of a power issue, I'm speaking of the possibility that the A/C adapter that came with the IDE-to-USB adapter is defective. 220V in your country is a totally separate issue. The 220V that your country uses goes through some sort of adapter/converter/power supply before it gets to the hard drive. Otherwise, it would destroy the hard drive. So what I was saying was, the safest way to power this hard drive is by powering it from the computer's power supply. That's why I suggested getting the Molex extension cord, so that you can actually do that.
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  5. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #5

    Michkelo said:
    When i first plugged it in i was asked to check the disk, but i didn't.
    Everything says that you have a failing drive.

    Open a CMD window and type
    chkdsk x: /r
    Where x: is your data partition. It can take a long time. Be patient.
    Do the same with the OS partition
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Mrjimphelps

    Sorry what I meant to say was that the hdd is connected to the adapter via molex and the adapter is connected to the Automatic voltage regulator via the A/C adapter. Pls see picture above. I'll still try your suggestion though.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Megahertz07

    I already tried chkdsk with the os partition and it did take almost a day to finish. I still encounter sluggish access to folders in that partition. It even deleted some hidden files, that's why I'm afraid of using chkdsk with the other partition cause I've quite a few hidden files as well that I'd like to preserve. Will this procedure enable me to access my files and folders again?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #8

    In my opinion, you have a failing drive.
    If you run check disk, it will try to fix it. If the clusters are physically damaged, yes, you're going to lose some data.
    If you don't run it you're going to end with a unusable drive.
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Thank you sir for that information. I might eventually have to do that, meantime will have to find an alternative solution to preserve the data. I do believe in what you're saying, it's just that I want to increase my chances.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #10

    Try your luck booting with Live Linux.

    Creating a bootable Lucid Puppy flash drive: My post#8 here: Is there any way of saving a completely unrecognisable hard drive? Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums

    Note: Use an empty flash drive. If you have data on it backup elsewhere. All data in the flash drive will be lost as Rufus will format your flash drive before writing Lucid Puppy into it.

    How to use Lucid Puppy: Straightaway go to the topic Recovering files from the non-bootable Internal Drive: in Lucid Puppy way to recover files from a non-bootable computer - Windows 7 Help Forums In your case it will be your problem drive. If you can see all the data copy it to another drive.

    Please note that all data in bad sectors is already lost. You will be able to recover only the data in good sectors.
      My Computer


 
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