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Offline jraju

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(Solved) can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« on: January 26, 2015, 04:40:17 am »
Hi,
                      This has happened to one of my friends. All of a sudden, when installing windows 7 on already having os system, thro external setup.exe, normally, it create windows.old and overwrite the partition with new installation files.  But, when installing the new , when on first reboot after all the menu except finalising windows installation, the computer never reboot and stayed still on intel sign. He tried all sorts but this does not solve the problem. I think that c: has been corrupted somehow. But he has files in other drives, which could not be accessed because of this problem.
                          My question, could those be retrieved somehow.
while installing windows c: was deleted to install new windows .
                             
« Last Edit: February 03, 2015, 04:36:19 am by jraju »
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2015, 04:08:44 pm »
Depends on how the drive is having trouble. If it is hardware related then it will be hard to recover anything. If it is a simple file system error then you can use 3rd party software to recover the data before you wipe and reinstall windows :wink:

But there is no perfect answer for it, because it completely depends on the problem itself.

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2015, 11:46:05 pm »
additional input from my friend.
                         he tried to recover data from other computer. It showed the last position on that computer, ie., Finalising windows installation, when the problem started.
                            he did not have the dvd at the time. he asked his friend to delete the c: and format, so that he could install afresh. This was done. But when he tried to boot the os dvd, the same intel sign shows. He is fed up. Now his hard disc has no os but had his other three drives. Could it be possible to recover. It is not file system error.
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2015, 12:14:48 am »
You could try a delete recovery, but Windows install then wrote over a lot of that data, so he isnt going to be able to recover much.

What was the error he kept getting during the install? Was it an error about not being able to find a file or read the dvd drive? I have had that happen before and it turned out to be the dvd drive itself causing the problem (Old drive didnt like the dvd-r I used or the drive was bad)

So now I always install windows 7 from a usb stick instead, I bet he might have better luck that way. There is a free tool you can us to move the install from the dvd to a usb thumb drive, or I can give you the download links for the windows 7 isos.

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2015, 12:27:07 am »
Hi, Thanks for prompt reply. There was no error shown. When the install was completing, it should have rebooted to finish the installation, which did not finish resulting in intel sign. So, i think that it would have been failure of dvd at that point in time, but most probably hard disk faillure. Hard disk showed the screen when tried with the other computer, but my friend has asked for reformat the c: drive, i think that the OS was totally deleted . Would it corrupt the hard drive. Now he wants to retrieve the files he saved in those other drives. He has only tried to reinstall the windows in the existing system drive c:
                           If this is due to hard disk, could not the other drives files be some what retrieved?
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2015, 01:02:04 am »
Sounds like it was a simple boot manager problem. Most likly just need to change a setting in the bios, or check the drive lol

The files most likly cant be recovered because not only was the drive wiped and formatted, but the windows 7 install copied GB's to the drive, overwriting any data on those sectors, so that dat is gone for good. He didnt backup any of his files before he did the format?

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2015, 01:10:16 am »
Hi, he just wants to reinstall the windows in c: and hence he formatted it.
                       The other drives have no problem. But as i said, he has cleaned and formatted the c: drive while trying to retrieve the data from other computer. But what he has done wrong, would be to delete the c: in half installation.
                               Is there any way that boot manager could be used now to retrive
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2015, 01:12:10 am »
Go into the bios and see what mode the drive is set in, IDE, RAID or ACHI also in the bios check the boot order and make sure the system isnt simply trying to boot off the wrong drive.

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2015, 01:19:35 am »
Different computer has different bios as per their mother board. Some has these specifics easily identifiable where others are not. The first dvd installation was done by boot dvd sequence, and so there is no possible change of boot path, i suppose.
                                Now i am trying to recover. Would you please  say how to do about to know, whether the disc has any life on it?
                                 How to test this hard disc with external programs. Is there any shortcut to know whether the disc has any life left in it. Sorry for the details.
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2015, 01:21:41 am »
Are you able to get into the bios? You need to check the boot order and make sure the hard drive is set as the proper boot device and not one of the other drives.

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2015, 12:29:33 am »
Hi, There is no OS in the hard disk and it is deleted and formatted. That is the problem.
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2015, 04:39:58 pm »
Right, but that has nothing to do with the bios and if the bios sees the drive or not. The bios looks at the physical drive itself and you can set it to be the first hard drive boot device.

Shane
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2015, 10:47:37 pm »
Hi,
        Shane your are 100% on dot. Before seeing the reply , i also had that and checked with the other computer with trying to boot from dvd. I went to the bios and while setting the boot priority, found that it shows the hard drive.The technician i suppose would note that. The OS was reinstalled in the other computer and all the drives contents were safe. (except of course, the formatted c: drive). Today only i see your post and it strikes me. Strange. The technician firmly said that hard disk could not be repaired and has to be replaced. Thanks for prompting me to think on those lines. Everything saved and working properly. Kudos to Shane.
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Offline jraju

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2015, 01:17:09 am »
Hi,
                    Shane, so , if i did allow another fresh try of install at the DVD on his failed hard disc, the result would have been positive. Is it right?
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Offline Shane

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Re: can other drives files be recovered from failed hard disk
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2015, 04:47:39 pm »
Should be, yes. Since the drive isnt actually failed if it was nothing more than a wrong boot order in the bios.

Shane
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