Emergency Kit - save your files from a dead OS

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  1. Posts : 36
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #190

    Oh I forgot to note that, yes its for win7 drive
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  2. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #191

    You will likely still to need to try it out as if it was an 8 or newer drive due to the security updates since that have come for 7. If the 7 install there had been password protected a similar secured state where Windows locked everything might have been seen in a different form which could explain the problem as well.

    If this is drive on a system that suddenly went DOA on you it could also be possible the drive itself is where the problem was! That would also explain why any live data recovery attempts would fail. Slaving the drive internally on another system would seem to be the best option for either confirm or rule out that being a problem where you could run tests on the drive itself.

    Here I had one drive later found to be in perfect working order one of two main storage/backup drives suddenly hard to access but fortunately as it turned out not one of the OS drives. Once out in an enclosure it worked like new! And there are then times when trying to get an MS volume mounted in another OS or trying to get a Linux volume mounted with Paragon's Ext5 for Windows app will seem impossible as well.

    Here I keep a few self powered hard case type enclosures with on/off switch for spare drives or for simply finding out the status of any drive good or bad. I can toss in an old ide as well as Sata I, II, or 3 if not an SSD for trying a drive out. Those can come in very handy at times!
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  3. Posts : 7
    Windows 7 64 pro
       #192

    Im trying to make the boot usb stick but the operation keeps hanging on "creating a persistent file". Ive trying different versions, 17.1,17.3 18.1 and it hangs every time. I only have 1.7 gigs of free space on HD but have the files on a 64 gig usb to write to another 32gig usb. Its a crappy HP laptop with Windows 8.1 and only 2gig memory. Would the lack of memory be causing the hang? Trying to make a bootable USB to recover files from non bootable Win7 computer. Thanks-Chris
    Theyre Lexar Usb sticks
    Last edited by Pigdog99; 02 May 2017 at 10:15. Reason: Add usb brand
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  4. Posts : 51,383
    Windows 11 Workstation x64
       #193
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  5. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #194

    One of the older options as whs reflected at the mid point of the guide here was:

    The traditional advice is to salvage the data with a live Linux CD from Knoppix, Puppy, DSL or alike. That works fine if you are familiar with any of those programs or take the time to understand them. But they all have one thing in common - they are very Linux and somewhat alien for a Windows user.
    But instead of burning the option media like a cd-r you would see the particular iso for the distro you select written to a flash drive made bootable. That would be done by downloading the free version of Macrium Reflect to either create the iso needed from an existing live cd or dvd in the case of Linux Mint or another Debian release if not the more compact Ubuntu live Knoppix now being a bit outdated since the other distros have progressed to be a little cross platform user friendly while still being Open Source. Step 2 in the guide for this then has you download the YUMI Multiboot USB Creator when then takes the iso made or downloaded from SorceForce or an alternative site and sees that create the usb rescue drive. MACRIUM REFLECT - Create Bootable Rescue USB Drive - Windows 7 Help Forums

    Another outside source if needed would be the ISO to USB guide with the freeware app seen at ISO to USB Often used for Windows sticks as well as at times for varying Linux distros. The Windows USB/DVD Download Tool was a bit more commonly advised for 7 a few years back as one more option available but not for much longer it appears since the Codeplex site where you download the free MS tool from will be shutting for good soon! Windows USBDVD Download Tool - Home

    The Overview and Instructions for use are seen at the MS Online Store found at: Windows USB/DVD Download Tool - Microsoft Store

    That still remained the 1.0 version for the tool however was the Recovery Drive z3r010 pointed is quite a bit more updated as a few other freewares out on the web as far as seeing iso images written to usb. If you go to use any live tool the one other to mention here is making the target the files are being retrieved isn't the reason the OS went DOA! A Failed Drive would then likely the help of a data recovery service where the drive's platters are carefully handed under controlled circumstances to avoid air and other types of exposures untile the data is recovered either to another drive or blank media.
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  6. Posts : 4,776
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #195

    Night Hawk said:
    If you go to use any live tool the one other to mention here is making the target the files are being retrieved isn't the reason the OS went DOA! A Failed Drive would then likely the help of a data recovery service where the drive's platters are carefully handed under controlled circumstances to avoid air and other types of exposures untile the data is recovered either to another drive or blank media.
    See thread here: Stuck in startup repair loop and no safe mode access - Windows 7 Help Forums

    Something screwed with drive letters and possibly MBR.
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  7. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #196

    Hear any tapping sound at all from the drive? You may have to take the side cover if this is on a desktop to hear it over the cooling fans however. Once a drive gets worn the arm with the read/write heads will start slapping up against the spindle unless being an SSD type drive where it would simply go doa like a memory dimm or flash drive might fail.

    On the pair of desktops here provided you are not running a labtop where a friend kept seeing one drive after another quit suddenly from his youngest rough handling it most likely! I had to put Vista on fresh for each new drive until the parents got into a pair of used 8.1 labtops bought off of someone else fussy about things and lazy to learn in that selling after just buying! Just lately on the main build's 10 side where I dual boot 10 and 7 across two separate drives in case one fails having two OS drives in the second mini tower as well for testing purposes the main suddenly would not get past the lock screen and I then had to boot into safe mode hard at first to get the F8 key to take since the usb support in 10 was shaky!

    Finally once up in safe mode I created a new temp account since the automatic login to the Admin account tweak had failed likely to a partial attempt at the WU in trying to download and install the latest Creators build for that version of Windows. The thing to note as to why z3r0101 pointed at the 10 recovery has to do with seeing things like the command prompt and other standard MS type tools commonly seen in Windows since the 2000/XP days.

    What I suspect however could or even would likely be needed if not wanting a full clean install of everything from scratch would the need for a possible repair install of 7 where all the main system files are refreshed while your personal files and most apps won't be lost if this is a rather old copy of Windows now seeing continuing headaches! The difference however that would be the absolute last resort to follow failed attempts at this only being a minor issue but stubborn to get at. And that also why when things are going well that will be the best possible time to see a full system image backup created you can opt to restore at times like this when no solution might be found.
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