Low Level Format

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dead Eyes
  • Start date Start date
D

Dead Eyes

Hi, someone I know has just done the following:

1. Used Award Bios Low Level Format Tool on a WD64AA (6gb HD)
During the interleaf scan, the computer stoped responding after
scanning the HD with an interleaf of 1
2. He restarted the computer hoping all was going to be alright again
3. BOOTDISK FAILURE mesage
4. He created a fat32 partition which he didn't format since he then
remembered he had some info left on his disk that he needed.

Now I got to fix it and try to recover the files but I got no idea how
to do it...

http://www.ameriwebs.net/groupworks/george/llf.htm
"If a large hard drive is accidentally formatted using this utility,
any damage can be undone with programs such as Ontrack's Disk Manager,
PC-Technician by Windsor Technology and Micro-2000's Microscope..."

The problem is...: He used to have 2 partitions, at 33 and 66% of disk
capacities + those programs aren't free + WD only offers somekind of
ridiculous rebate on those products.

So, I'd like to know if any of you have any idea of how I could recover
the data? Is it possible since it only crashed during the interleaf
scan?

thx
 
Dead said:
Hi, someone I know has just done the following:

1. Used Award Bios Low Level Format Tool on a WD64AA (6gb HD)
During the interleaf scan, the computer stoped responding after
scanning the HD with an interleaf of 1
2. He restarted the computer hoping all was going to be alright again
3. BOOTDISK FAILURE mesage
4. He created a fat32 partition which he didn't format since he then
remembered he had some info left on his disk that he needed.

Now I got to fix it and try to recover the files but I got no idea how
to do it...

http://www.ameriwebs.net/groupworks/george/llf.htm
"If a large hard drive is accidentally formatted using this utility,
any damage can be undone with programs such as Ontrack's Disk Manager,
PC-Technician by Windsor Technology and Micro-2000's Microscope..."

The problem is...: He used to have 2 partitions, at 33 and 66% of disk
capacities + those programs aren't free + WD only offers somekind of
ridiculous rebate on those products.

So, I'd like to know if any of you have any idea of how I could recover
the data? Is it possible since it only crashed during the interleaf
scan?

thx
Click to expand...



the chance of recovering any data at this point it close to impossible...
however if you google around...some utilities will give you a free
trial...to at least see if there is any recoverable data
 
Hi, someone I know has just done the following:

1. Used Award Bios Low Level Format Tool on a WD64AA (6gb HD)
During the interleaf scan, the computer stoped responding after
scanning the HD with an interleaf of 1
Click to expand...

So prior to the low-level format, it had not occurred to him
to backup data?

Why was it being low-level formatted? Drive already
failing? Did he run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics?
Generally speaking there's no reason to (pseudo) low-level
format with a motherboard bios tool/integral feature.


2. He restarted the computer hoping all was going to be alright again
Click to expand...

Alright as-in what? The drive is then empty so it'll not do
a whole lot but maybe blink after Verifying DMI pool if it
didn't mention lack of boot device(s).

3. BOOTDISK FAILURE mesage
Click to expand...

Sure, but it doesn't necessarily mean the disk failed, only
that there's no BOOT disk, and computer "fails" to go any
further.

4. He created a fat32 partition which he didn't format since he then
remembered he had some info left on his disk that he needed.
Click to expand...

I think the operative word here is "had", opposed to "has".
That that point he had whatever fragments of data were left
from whatever point the low level format
stopped/froze/whatever.

He might send the drive to a data recovery center, and if
the drive had not physically failed it might only be
ridiculously expensive rather than obscenely expensive to
recover those fragments- not whole disk contents.

Now I got to fix it and try to recover the files but I got no idea how
to do it...
Click to expand...

Well you could always try throwing it into another system
and runnning Ontrack Easyrecovery, but if you get 10,000
chunks of data numerically named as files, will he be able
to use them?

http://www.ameriwebs.net/groupworks/george/llf.htm
"If a large hard drive is accidentally formatted using this utility,
Click to expand...

"This" what, utility? I thought you wrote that he didn't
use that utility, instead the award bios routine for it.

any damage can be undone with programs such as Ontrack's Disk Manager,
PC-Technician by Windsor Technology and Micro-2000's Microscope..."

The problem is...: He used to have 2 partitions, at 33 and 66% of disk
capacities + those programs aren't free + WD only offers somekind of
ridiculous rebate on those products.

So, I'd like to know if any of you have any idea of how I could recover
the data? Is it possible since it only crashed during the interleaf
scan?
Click to expand...

Sure, but you still need software to try it... not like you
can load FDISK and click on "undo all damage done in the
past 24 hours".
 
If as you say you have no idea how (to recover the data) then you best pass
the job on to someone who does (know how).
 
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