Hard HD Crash -- Recovery Tools Possible?

[cooltouch]

The machine runs Win7 and I had recently bought a 2 TB hard drive for it, onto which I'd transferred most of my machine's data and program files. I have a network 1 TB drive I use for backups, but I don't use it as often as I should, and as a result, there are a number of data files on the crashed drive that I'm hoping against hope I can rescue.

Here's what happened. We moved to a new house and as I was taking my PC off a shelf, the 2 TB drive fell out (I just had it sitting inside the case with the sides off and forgot about it when I grabbed the PC). It fell about four feet to a carpeted floor. But apparently that was enough to do some damage. One thing I don't like about SATA drives are the cables. They don't hold onto a drive worth a damn. This would have never happened with an older style drive with the big ribbon connectors.

Now, when I try to boot Windows, it errors out. And when I try to check the disk, it tells me that there is only 1.4 gigs available.

I went online and found a couple Linux diagnostic utilities. Burned them onto disk and tried them out. I don't have the disks handy, so I don't recall their names offhand. But the first I tried wouldn't even load and the second just saw a 1.4 gig disk and that was as far as I could get it to proceed.

So I'm wondering if there are any more robust disk diagnostic and repair utilities out there that might help at all with this. I mean, a four foot drop shouldn't have been that catastrophic. It probably damaged only a few sectors, and I can't see why I just can't lock them out and gain access to the rest of the disk's data. Doesn't this seem plausible?

If you need any more precise information, let me know. I'll go and boot the machine and do whatever I can to add to the data you may need.

I appreciate the knowledge base to be had in this forum and you folks have steered me in the right direction on a number of occasions. I'm hoping this can be another one.

 

[GokAy]

Perhaps use a bootable version of the HDD maker's diagnostic tool to check the drive. Sorry can't offer much, maybe others will comment in a more knowledgeable manner.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Justify however you wish but I don't see how failing to secure a drive is the connections fault :/
Heck blame the movers

This works usually for dead os's but a dead hdd :/
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/287439-emergency-kit-save-your-files-dead-os.html

 

[cooltouch]

Thanks for the reponses, guys. I'll give both your suggestions a try. I think the drive is a Seagate. Huh, never did care much for Seagates . . . Anyway, yeah I reckon that the Emergency Kit may not help, but it's worth a shot. I've got an empty 4GB flash drive I can use for it.

Meanwhile, I still look forward to more suggestions from the folks here. Haven't given up hope yet.