correct steps to take with failed HD, to recover data

[llama thumper]

Apologies if this has been asked before, I'm sure it has, but I can't
find a relevant post searching through the group.

i'd like to find out what correct steps to take in order to maximise
chances of data recovery. I have a single 40GB drive that has failed,
or at least, the symptoms are the following:

in xp pro, opened the drive to see contents. opened a folder. expected
to see approx 10GB of folders full of photos. instead, i saw no folders
at all.
a few minutes later, while still thinking I might have accidentally
deleted the stuff somehow, i tried accessing the HD again, but it
doesn't even show up in the 'my computer view' (drive F) - is
completely absent.

unfortunately, I cannot hear what is happening because I am using
remote desktop, being in a different country. so i'm not sure whether
the HD made any sounds at all.

basically, what do i do now?
1. should i try restarting and launch some data recovery software? (any
reccomendations anyone?)
2. is it any use to run a drive copy/ghost programme, if those folders
i was looking for didn't show up before anyhow?
3. or is it better to just disconnect the HD and go to some data
recovery service?

any other hints anyone can give me?
i'd love to look this up on the web, but all i get are sites selling
products.... many thanks for any hints!

 

[Rod Speed]

Apologies if this has been asked before, I'm sure it has,
but I can't find a relevant post searching through the group.

i'd like to find out what correct steps to take in order to maximise
chances of data recovery. I have a single 40GB drive that has
failed, or at least, the symptoms are the following:

in xp pro, opened the drive to see contents. opened a folder.
expected to see approx 10GB of folders full of photos.
instead, i saw no folders at all.

a few minutes later, while still thinking I might have accidentally
deleted the stuff somehow, i tried accessing the HD again, but it
doesn't even show up in the 'my computer view' (drive F) - is
completely absent.

unfortunately, I cannot hear what is happening because
I am using remote desktop, being in a different country.
so i'm not sure whether the HD made any sounds at all.

And it presumably isnt clear if its even spinning up anymore.

basically, what do i do now?

Get someone to check the basics, particularly if the drive is
even spinning up anymore. If not, it can be something as basic
as the drive not getting power anymore because the metal
tunnels the power pins go into have opened up a bit over time.
The quick check for that is to use the power connector off
one of the optical drives etc and see if that fixes the problem.

If it still doesnt spin up, only pro recovery can get the data back now.

If the bios doesnt see the drive anymore, recovery software wont help.

Generally best to put the drive in another system to work out
if the drive has failed or something outside the drive has failed.

1. should i try restarting and launch some data recovery software?

Not likely to work unless the drive is actually visible to the
system at least on the black bios boot screen at boot time.

(any reccomendations anyone?)

I like Easy Recovery Pro but it aint free.

2. is it any use to run a drive copy/ghost programme, if those
folders i was looking for didn't show up before anyhow?

Not if the drive cant be seen by the system at all.

3. or is it better to just disconnect the HD
and go to some data recovery service?

Yes, but you'd better be sitting down when you see the price.

any other hints anyone can give me?

Have proper backups. Drives do die.

 

[llama thumper]

thanks for the reply, very helpful!

about 2:

2. is it any use to run a drive copy/ghost programme, if those
folders i was looking for didn't show up before anyhow?

Not if the drive cant be seen by the system at all.

assuming that the HD can be seen, and the folders dont show up, does it
make any sense to make a ghost copy?
would they show up again on the new HD, or would they not be included
anyhow in the ghost copy since they don't show up on the old HD?
i'm guessing here that something somewhere is wrong with an index
listing the files in the directory, since i didn't delete them.

 

[Rod Speed]

thanks for the reply, very helpful!

about 2:

assuming that the HD can be seen, and the folders dont
show up, does it make any sense to make a ghost copy?

Yes, the main reason for making a copy before attempting recovery
is that you dont care what the attempted recovery does, you can try
as many as you like if you let each one try a copy of the original.

You do need a sector copy for that tho, not the usual type of ghost copy.

would they show up again on the new HD, or would they not be included
anyhow in the ghost copy since they don't show up on the old HD?

The normal ghost copy does only copy what it considers to be valid files.

The sector copy just copys every sector, used or not.

i'm guessing here that something somewhere is wrong with an
index listing the files in the directory, since i didn't delete them.

Yes, the directory structures can get stomped on and
then the files can go missing, but still be on the hard drive.

 

[llama thumper]

right, thanks!

about the last thing yo said, ie that the directory can get stomped on
- how can i repair this? is this the so called boot sector repair??
(sorry, no clue here).

however since i guess it's more serious than that (since the HD stopped
showing up), but assuming the HD shows up in the bios next time i
reboot (still haven't), i guess my best bet is just to do a sector copy
and then mess around with the copy, right?

 

[Rod Speed]

right, thanks!

about the last thing yo said, ie that the directory
can get stomped on - how can i repair this?

Thats what the recovery software does.

is this the so called boot sector repair??

Nope, thats a separate issue. That shouldnt be the problem in your case.

(sorry, no clue here).

No problem, no one knew this stuff when born.

however since i guess it's more serious than that (since the HD stopped
showing up),

Yes, thats the critical bit, if it doesnt show up one the black
bios screen at boot time anymore, no recovery software will help.

but assuming the HD shows up in the bios next time i reboot
(still haven't), i guess my best bet is just to do a sector copy
and then mess around with the copy, right?

Yes.

 

[llama thumper]

great, thank you for all the info!