Recovery of data from corrupt Windows Vista install

  • Thread starter Thread starter ncoathup.news
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ncoathup.news

Hi, apologies if this is not the appropriate group to post in ... I
have a PC with two HDD. The master HDD has a corrupted Windows Vista
installation which I can no longer access even in safe mode. However,
I have data that I wish to move from this HDD to the slave HDD or
alternatively the external usb drive that I also have.

Please can someone advise an appropriate utility that will allow my to
copy this data with the minimum of effort.

Thanks.
 
You will need at a minimum a bootable OS. Since I don't know all the tools
available to you, it's a little diificult to provide an exact recovery
sequence. But there are several avenues. For example, you can probably use
a live linux CD (e.g., SimplyMEPIS) which may be able to read the corrupt
partition as simply a data drive (esp. if it's FAT32, if it's NTFS, I'm not
sure if Linux can read it). You could also install another HD, install
Vista or XP again, and make your corrupted HD a secondard drive (again, just
data). You could also stick the HD in an external enclosure and access it
as a USB data drive.

In reality, there's really nothing all that difficult here assuming the
partition itself isn't corrupted (which if it is, then data recovery may be
impossible). But if it's just the OS that won't boot due to some small
problem but the partition itself remains viable, again, no big deal. Heck,
as long as you can boot at least some OS that can read that partition type
(FAT32 or NTFS), you're in business. Again, what makes sense just depends
on what tools you have available for your particular situation.

Jim
 
(e-mail address removed) wrote
Hi, apologies if this is not the appropriate group to post in ...
Click to expand...

Its close enough.
I have a PC with two HDD. The master HDD has a corrupted Windows
Vista installation which I can no longer access even in safe mode.
Click to expand...

What exactly happens when you attempt to read it ?
However, I have data that I wish to move from this HDD to the
slave HDD or alternatively the external usb drive that I also have.
Click to expand...

That makes it sound like you cant even boot anymore.
Please can someone advise an appropriate utility that
will allow my to copy this data with the minimum of effort.
Click to expand...

If the problem is that you cant boot anymore, you should be
able to install XP on what you call the slave, boot off that and
have what you call the master as the slave and get the data off.

You may well be able to boot a knoppix CD and copy the
data off what you call the master to whatever drive you like
too except that that wont write to NTFS formatted partitions.
FAT32 is fine. It will read NTFS formatted partitions fine.
 
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