Viewing files on Hard drive

[Jeff]

I recently got a blue screen and subsequent shutdown of my PC. It now opens
up the page with various start options (safe mode, safe mode with
connectivity, last known something or other etc etc) and a countdown timer.
None of these work and I have been told I have a boot loop error by my
compueter manufacturer...

So, i cannot start win xp. and am somewhat worried that this was caused by a
hard drive failure. I have set up my hard drive as a slave on another PC to
make sure I have still got all my files. Everything seems to be ok except
that I cannot view/copy/access the user files/folders under my user name
(this is the administrator logon with password in OS).

My question is, can I not view/copy these folders/file because of the
password - or is this part of my hard drive wrecked? I need to find my
sisters wedding photos on the hard drive so any solutions would be gratefully
received...

What can I do to recover this data?!?!?!

[Malke]

Jeff wrote:

> I recently got a blue screen and subsequent shutdown of my PC. It now
> opens up the page with various start options (safe mode, safe mode
> with connectivity, last known something or other etc etc) and a
> countdown timer. None of these work and I have been told I have a boot
> loop error by my compueter manufacturer...
>
> So, i cannot start win xp. and am somewhat worried that this was
> caused by a
> hard drive failure. I have set up my hard drive as a slave on another
> PC to
> make sure I have still got all my files. Everything seems to be ok
> except that I cannot view/copy/access the user files/folders under my
> user name (this is the administrator logon with password in OS).
>
> My question is, can I not view/copy these folders/file because of the
> password - or is this part of my hard drive wrecked? I need to find
> my sisters wedding photos on the hard drive so any solutions would be
> gratefully received...
>
> What can I do to recover this data?!?!?!

You can determine if the hard drive is physically sound by running a
diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive mftr.'s website. Make
either a bootable floppy or cd with the file, boot with the media, and
do a thorough test.

Otherwise, with the drive still slaved in your working XP box, try
taking ownership of the files:
Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP [Q308421] -
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

If that doesn't work, you can try and retrieve the files with Knoppix, a
Linux distro that runs from CD. You will need a computer with two cd
drives, one of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR a usb thumb drive with enough
capacity to hold your data. To get Knoppix, you need a computer with a
fast Internet connection and third-party burning software. Download the
Knoppix .iso from www.knoppix.net and create your bootable cd. Then
boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows files. If you are
using the usb thumb drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to
get its properties and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then
click on it to open it. Note that the default mouse action in the
window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead
of the traditional MS Windows' double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b
burning program to burn the files to cd/dvd-r's.

If Knoppix can't read the files (indicating damage to the partition or
the hard drive), you might be able to use data recovery software to
retrieve the files. I use Ontrack's Easy Recovery Pro, but that is
expensive. Here are some links to other recovery software (I haven't
used them):

http://www.collina.us/files/REST2514.htm
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
PCInspector File Recovery -
http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/welcome.htm

When all else fails, a professional data recovery firm will be able to
retrieve your data, although the cost is not low. Here are links:

DriveSavers - http://www.drivesavers.com
Seagate Data Recovery Services -
http://www.seagate.com/support/service/drs/services.html

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[Jeff]

I have tried the recovery disk that came from the manufacturer - but this
hangs when it tries to load 'kernel debugger DLL'......

I am assuming that all my files are still on the hard drive somewhere as the
capacity is showing as the same as it was previous to the 'crash' it just
seems to be locating them????

"Malke" wrote:

> Jeff wrote:
>
> > I recently got a blue screen and subsequent shutdown of my PC. It now
> > opens up the page with various start options (safe mode, safe mode
> > with connectivity, last known something or other etc etc) and a
> > countdown timer. None of these work and I have been told I have a boot
> > loop error by my compueter manufacturer...
> >
> > So, i cannot start win xp. and am somewhat worried that this was
> > caused by a
> > hard drive failure. I have set up my hard drive as a slave on another
> > PC to
> > make sure I have still got all my files. Everything seems to be ok
> > except that I cannot view/copy/access the user files/folders under my
> > user name (this is the administrator logon with password in OS).
> >
> > My question is, can I not view/copy these folders/file because of the
> > password - or is this part of my hard drive wrecked? I need to find
> > my sisters wedding photos on the hard drive so any solutions would be
> > gratefully received...
> >
> > What can I do to recover this data?!?!?!
>
> You can determine if the hard drive is physically sound by running a
> diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive mftr.'s website. Make
> either a bootable floppy or cd with the file, boot with the media, and
> do a thorough test.
>
> Otherwise, with the drive still slaved in your working XP box, try
> taking ownership of the files:
> Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP [Q308421] -
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421
>
> If that doesn't work, you can try and retrieve the files with Knoppix, a
> Linux distro that runs from CD. You will need a computer with two cd
> drives, one of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR a usb thumb drive with enough
> capacity to hold your data. To get Knoppix, you need a computer with a
> fast Internet connection and third-party burning software. Download the
> Knoppix .iso from www.knoppix.net and create your bootable cd. Then
> boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows files. If you are
> using the usb thumb drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to
> get its properties and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then
> click on it to open it. Note that the default mouse action in the
> window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead
> of the traditional MS Windows' double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b
> burning program to burn the files to cd/dvd-r's.
>
> If Knoppix can't read the files (indicating damage to the partition or
> the hard drive), you might be able to use data recovery software to
> retrieve the files. I use Ontrack's Easy Recovery Pro, but that is
> expensive. Here are some links to other recovery software (I haven't
> used them):
>
> http://www.collina.us/files/REST2514.htm
> http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
> PCInspector File Recovery -
> http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/welcome.htm
>
> When all else fails, a professional data recovery firm will be able to
> retrieve your data, although the cost is not low. Here are links:
>
> DriveSavers - http://www.drivesavers.com
> Seagate Data Recovery Services -
> http://www.seagate.com/support/service/drs/services.html
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>

[Malke]

Jeff wrote:

> I have tried the recovery disk that came from the manufacturer - but
> this hangs when it tries to load 'kernel debugger DLL'......
>
> I am assuming that all my files are still on the hard drive somewhere
> as the capacity is showing as the same as it was previous to the
> 'crash' it just seems to be locating them????
>
Then do as I suggested:

1. Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility.
2. Get the data off the drive in one of the ways already suggested.

If this sounds too complicated (and there is no shame in admitting
this), take the machine to a professional computer repair shp (not your
local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[Rock]

Jeff wrote:

> I recently got a blue screen and subsequent shutdown of my PC. It now opens
> up the page with various start options (safe mode, safe mode with
> connectivity, last known something or other etc etc) and a countdown timer.
> None of these work and I have been told I have a boot loop error by my
> compueter manufacturer...
>
> So, i cannot start win xp. and am somewhat worried that this was caused by a
> hard drive failure. I have set up my hard drive as a slave on another PC to
> make sure I have still got all my files. Everything seems to be ok except
> that I cannot view/copy/access the user files/folders under my user name
> (this is the administrator logon with password in OS).
>
> My question is, can I not view/copy these folders/file because of the
> password - or is this part of my hard drive wrecked? I need to find my
> sisters wedding photos on the hard drive so any solutions would be gratefully
> received...
>
> What can I do to recover this data?!?!?!

See if it's an ownershp issue. In Start | Help and Support type
ownership, or see this link:
HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User