Hard disk failure

Running XP Pro. Hard disk crashed, non-bootable.
Manufacturer tells me data is unrecoverable because of
file system security. Any way to recover files assuming I
can access the drive at all? What do I need to do?

Hello

You can send your hard drive off to a clean shop but that can get
real expensive ok. So if your harddrive crash, go out and buy a new
harddrive, or send it off to the manufacturer provided it is still under

warranty. If not just buy a new drive and cut your losses.

Alvin


Ken wrote:

Running XP Pro. Hard disk crashed, non-bootable.
Manufacturer tells me data is unrecoverable because of
file system security. Any way to recover files assuming I
can access the drive at all? What do I need to do?

"Ken" wrote:

Running XP Pro. Hard disk crashed, non-bootable.
Manufacturer tells me data is unrecoverable because of
file system security. Any way to recover files assuming I
can access the drive at all? What do I need to do?

Were you using file encryption on the drive or did you just have access
permissions set?

If it was not encrypted then you may be able to recover something.

Download ReadNTFS.EXE from http://www.ntfs.com/products.htm

Boot your computer with a Windows 98 Startup disk (get one from
www.bootdisk.com if you don't have one) and then run ReadNTFS.

If it can read the drive and you can navigate to the folder where the
files you want to recover are located then it may be possible to recover
them by one of two methods:

1. If you have a network adapter in that computer and you have another
working computer on the network then you may be able to boot the computer
with a DOS Network boot disk (www.bootdisk.com has links to several of
these). Then you could use ReadNTFS to copy the files or folders that
you need and save them to a network drive.

2. Another option, provided the files are not too large, would be to boot
the computer with a startup disk that contains a large RAM disk (10 to 20
mb would be a good size). Use ReadNTFS to copy the needed files to the
RAM disk. Then exit ReadNTFS and use PKZIP to save the files from the RAM
disk to 3.5 inch diskettes. I used this procedure last week to recover a
bunch of documents and an accounting data file from an HP Notebook.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."