lol

I'm in need of some serious help! My main PC's hard disk crashed today - my most recent backup is not recent enough :-( I have a utility that can normally recover set right most hard disk problems (Spinrite) but it refuses to run now as it detects a firmware problem (and suggests a BIOS update).

The options as I see them:

1. Relocate the hard disk on to another old PC and run Spinrite from there (and pray!)
2. Get a USB enclosure for the disk and use my laptop to run Spinrite
3. Just give up and curse my luck

The disk is not booting up at all. Running Windows XP Repair from the original CD to run CHKDSK didn't help as it stopped after 49% reporting an irrecoverable error.

The drive is old IDE type drive. I'm not heavily into hardware but don't mind a bit of tinkering. What are my best options to try and get the disk working long enough to recover at least some of the data? Grateful for any help and pointers.

If it detects a firmware problem it is talking about the drive firmware, so moving to another PC or laptop won't help. The message probably just means that the drive controller hardware is broken and so the data on the actual disc can't be accessed through it. Not sure what you could do beyond the usual stuff of checking that all cables in the PC are secure and that the drive has been detected correctly in the BIOS (possibly the PC BIOS parameters do not reflect what is needed to access the disc). You could also try popping the drive in the fridge for a while.

Thanks for responding so soon, Kayak! I've just double-checked on Spinrite's website and they seem to suggest it could be a problem with the motherboard BIOS.

Spinrite and BIOS problems

However, I will re-open the PC first thing in the morning and check all the wires and how the BIOS sees the drive. As for the BIOS parameters for the drive, what can I look for that will tell me something's wrong?

Thanks,
Lal

Klal

Is the faulty hard disk the main disk on your computer? If it is then stop using it in that machine NOW! as Windows uses a lot of disk activity which is not good for a failing disk.

I've not used Spinrite, but know that it is one of the best recovery utilities and I have a lot of respect for GRC. Have you checked their website for advice?

When I have disk problems, I normally open a spare machine and connect the faulty disk to an IDE and power cable. They work perfectly well balanced on a couple of books. Direct connection is better than a USB for many diagnostic programs, but if you want to try USB then you could buy a USB to IDE/SATA adaptor which will fit and disk (balanced on a couple of books). If you want to go to the trouble of mounting in a USB enclosure then make sure you get the correct type (IDE or SATA).

If you can get the disk working at all, and your recovery utility supports it, start by trying to copy the entire disk to an image file. If that works, you should be able to work from the image file if the disk finally fails.

What caused it to crash, was it a software problem or a mechanical disk error. If the latter, you could try leaving it in the fridge overnight as a last resort.

There are specialists who can recoverm the disk for you. I understand that their prices start in the high hundreds and increase if it is difficult and/or you have attempted to sort it yourself.

Best of luck, let us know how you get on.

Thanks Optimist. Sure am glad to have valuable advice from yourself and Kayak.

I suspect the crash was probably caused by a mechanical error. I did get a couple of blue screens but managed to get around them by running Windows Repair (ran CHKDSK) and booted successfully. However, I kept getting blue screens after that with different reasons each time (Page Fault, Bad Pooler, etc). Finally, gave up fearing that repeated attempts to use the disk might damage it further.

I can't afford high prices for data recovery - so if this disk goes, it goes! In fact, I'll buy a new base unit. I will lose some data but that's the price for not running backups as often as I ought to have. Spinite has saved my bacon in the past - this time, it may not happen.

The idea of mouting the faulty drive as a USB drive to allow Spinrite to work on it is out. Spinrite can't work a USB drive as it needs to be connected directly to the motherboard. So my POA is go on the lines suggested by Optimist (connect the drive to a spare machine as a slave and let Spinrite do its thing).

Weird thing is just before the drive started dying, I noticed the sound from the speakers was deteriorating badly. Plugging the speakers into the laptop proved they are absolutely fine. Heck! That old PC has had its day for sure! Lasted a good five years.

Klal

The sound problem could well be linked to the disk problem. If Windows is struggling to sort out disk errors, then that takes priority over the sound. Not enough memory may also be a contributory cause if it's an old computer. These days, the absolute minimum RAM should be 500 MB though Windows will attempt to run on less. For a reasonable machine you should have 1GB+ of RAM and 2GB+ for Vista.

Er, at the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, if your machine exhibited two faults (disk and sound problems), are you sure the power supply is OK?

Optimist, the machine has 1.5 Gig RAM. So RAM is probably not the issue though when I got some of the blue screens I did wonder if faulty RAM could be an issue.

MM, powersupply is fine...I can boot from a floppy alright. I'm very sure the problem is the darned drive - it had been giving me a bit of grief for a while and I was due to replace it. It's hit me when I was days from ordering the new one...oh well, that's hardware and technology.

Klal
I had similar symptoms to yours and it turned out to be a faulty ide cable. Cheap enough to be worth a try

Thanks iiwarm. I will certainly keep that in mind! If it turns out to be the case, I'll owe you.

It is certainly worth replacing the IDE cable, but don't write off MM's comment re the power supply. Just because they seem to work does not mean that they are OK.

I gather that you are mounting it on a different machine, so that should eliminate all the non disc problems.

Optimist, will try every option, including powersupply. I do see this as a good excuse to buy a new PC! :-)

The option that you should try first, is mounting it as a slave on a different PC. Anything else reduces your chances of data recovery.

Yes, that makes sense. I've left the main PC powered off since yesterday. Going to carry out the rescue attempt soon after lunch. I've had tremendous help here for which I am grateful. I will post the results here as soon I'm able to get somewhere.

On the job now...opened up PC "A" which I will use to fix the faulty drive from PC "B"

The IDE cable that connects to the PC A's hard disk is pretty awkwardly placed to use for "B"'s drive. Can I disconnect the cable that connects to a CD drive in PC "A" and use it on the faulty disk?

Yes!

Obviously you will not be able to use the CD and the CD cable is likely to be a 40 wire one rather than the 80 wire for the HDD. It will still work but transfer rate will be slower.

Thanks Optimist. I'm now struggling to get the hard disk out from the faulty machine. I don't see any obvious screws holding the drive in place. What I do see are a pair of metallic "prongs." I can post a picture if that helps. Obviously, I don't want to tug hard and destroy something in the process!

Don't try to force it, look for any retaining screws and if there are none, then it will probably slide or swing out when you press the right bit.

By all means post the picture, someone may know the type.