Reading data on a HD

  • Thread starter Thread starter Martin
  • Start date Start date
M

Martin

Hi!

I had some problems with my PC and tried every possible ways to get Windows
XP back but nothing will work. I now have to re-install it, but I don't
want to format my HD before I can backup some important data.

I plugged my HD on another PC to try to transfer the data from one HD to the
other. I'm running Windows XP Home Edition. Windows sees the new HD and it
can show the capacity of it correctly, but I cannot double click the drive
to access the data, I'm always asked to format the drive (wich of course I
don't wanna do before I can get the info that's on it). I tried to access
the data via MS-DOS, but it won't work either, I get a message stating that
the drive doesn't have a valid file system (no FAT32).

Anyone knows a way to transfer the files I need from one HD to the other?
 
Martin said:
Hi!

I had some problems with my PC and tried every possible ways to get
Windows
XP back but nothing will work. I now have to re-install it, but I don't
want to format my HD before I can backup some important data.
Click to expand...

Why don't you just recover your important files from the backups that you
should be doing on a normal basis? Not doing any? Then I guess the data
isn't that important - just format and install Windows anew.

BTW, did you try to boot from the XP CD and do a recovery installation? That
should get the PC working without wiping out the whole drive
 
Martin said:
Hi!

I had some problems with my PC and tried every possible ways to get
Windows
XP back but nothing will work. I now have to re-install it, but I don't
want to format my HD before I can backup some important data.

I plugged my HD on another PC to try to transfer the data from one HD to
the
other. I'm running Windows XP Home Edition. Windows sees the new HD and
it
can show the capacity of it correctly, but I cannot double click the drive
to access the data, I'm always asked to format the drive (wich of course I
don't wanna do before I can get the info that's on it). I tried to access
the data via MS-DOS, but it won't work either, I get a message stating
that
the drive doesn't have a valid file system (no FAT32).

Anyone knows a way to transfer the files I need from one HD to the other?
Click to expand...

get Acronis, make a Boot CD using another comp.

replace the drive as per your original set-up.

borrow or buy an external (USB) HDD and fit.

Go into BIOS make the CD drive the boot drive.

place Acronis Boot disc into CDRom and shut comp down.

start comp and follow the Acronis boot sequence to reclaim your files to the
external HDD.
 
Ted said:
get Acronis, make a Boot CD using another comp.

replace the drive as per your original set-up.

borrow or buy an external (USB) HDD and fit.

Go into BIOS make the CD drive the boot drive.

place Acronis Boot disc into CDRom and shut comp down.

start comp and follow the Acronis boot sequence to reclaim your files to
the external HDD.
Click to expand...

If that does not work, there have been a number of people on this group who
have sealed their "knackered" HD in a bag and left it in the freezer
overnight. Next day they quickly plugged it in as a slave and were able to
read data until it warmed up too much. Some took a number of runs at it
but most seemed to get their data eventually. Search this group in Google
Groups for more details.
 
I had some problems with my PC and tried every possible ways to get Windows
XP back but nothing will work. I now have to re-install it, but I don't
want to format my HD before I can backup some important data.

I plugged my HD on another PC to try to transfer the data from one HD to the
other. I'm running Windows XP Home Edition. Windows sees the new HD and it
can show the capacity of it correctly, but I cannot double click the drive
to access the data, I'm always asked to format the drive (wich of course I
don't wanna do before I can get the info that's on it). I tried to access
the data via MS-DOS, but it won't work either, I get a message stating that
the drive doesn't have a valid file system (no FAT32).

Anyone knows a way to transfer the files I need from one HD to the other?
Click to expand...

Try either Knoppix or Windows PE / Bart PE
They allow you to boot your PC from a CD and access your
harddisk.

www.knoppix.org
www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
 
Keith Willcocks said:
If that does not work, there have been a number of people on this group
who have sealed their "knackered" HD in a bag and left it in the freezer
overnight. Next day they quickly plugged it in as a slave and were able
to read data until it warmed up too much. Some took a number of runs at
it but most seemed to get their data eventually. Search this group in
Google Groups for more details.
Click to expand...

The HDD isn't faulty, something has just damaged the install of windows.
It's possible the other PC has an earlier version of windows so won't read
the HDD.

Michael
 
Hi!

I had some problems with my PC and tried every possible ways to get Windows
XP back but nothing will work. I now have to re-install it, but I don't
want to format my HD before I can backup some important data.

I plugged my HD on another PC to try to transfer the data from one HD to the
other. I'm running Windows XP Home Edition. Windows sees the new HD and it
can show the capacity of it correctly, but I cannot double click the drive
to access the data, I'm always asked to format the drive (wich of course I
don't wanna do before I can get the info that's on it). I tried to access
the data via MS-DOS, but it won't work either, I get a message stating that
the drive doesn't have a valid file system (no FAT32).

Anyone knows a way to transfer the files I need from one HD to the other?
Click to expand...

Did you try this?
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
 
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