Recover data from bad laptop

xscooterx

New Member
Messages
2
Hello,
I have a laptop that was damaged badly. I need to get the pictures and documents off of the hard drive, the hard drive it's self seems fine. I took teh HDD out and used a SATA to USB converter to hook it up to my windows XP machine. When i hook it up, nothing appears in my computer. Looking at device manager, i can see the drive. Looking in disk management, i can also see the drive, but it wont let me mount it or anything.

IS there some way that i need to mount a windows 8 HDD. I also have a second windows 8 laptop that i hooked it up to. The same thing happened. I can see it in device manager, and in disk manager, it looks like one drive.

please help
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
In Device Manager you may try to change the drive letter and make sure it is active. Worth a shot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Hi there
Can you show us the screen shot in
Control Panel==>Administrative tools===>Computer management==>Disk management -- screen shot enc.

Against the HDD you'll probably see no letter assigned -- so Right mouse click on that disk and then change drive letter and path letter via a drop down. The disk should then mount and data will be available with File / Windows explorer

(In my screen shots I have multiple disks assigned to the same letters (D and F) -- that's only because I'm using Spanned Volumes -- just in case anybody is confused by my screenshots.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Yes.

Add a drive letter for the drive if there is none, in Disk Manager. It will show up in "My Computer" then.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
It seems I am unable to assign a drive letter. I am starting to think even thou the drive looks fine, it was damaged when the laptop fell.

ss 1.jpg

ss 2.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
XSCOOTERX,
I think the problem is that you are trying to have 2 active primary drives which windows won't allow. download a free partition manager and boot it instead of windows, then making sure of the usb drive change it to a logical drive and set some letter other than C: for its name. restart machine in windows and you should have access to your files.
Hope this helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    custom
    CPU
    amd phenom 2 965
    Motherboard
    asus m5a88-v evo
    Memory
    12gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    his isilence 6670

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
Use a live distro like ubuntu or parted magic to retrieve the files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570 @ 3.4GHZ
    Motherboard
    Lenovo Mahobay
    Memory
    16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG L192WS
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 Pro
    Seagate ST31000524AS
    PSU
    Corsair HX620
    Case
    Thermaltake V4
    Cooling
    CoolerMaster Hyper212+
    Keyboard
    Dell SK-8115
    Mouse
    Razer Copperhead
    Internet Speed
    100Mbit up/dn
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    MSE (Built-In Windows 8)
That's right. I go with the last two posters. It looks like the disk is unallocated that's why you cannot assign anything.

You need to recover the files if re-inserting the disk in another USB port gives the same result or if you don't see anything in a live linux cd as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
When a drive shows up as "unallocated", that means that windows has determined that the drive is un partitioned. You can't assign a drive letter to an un partitioned drive. If you partition it in windows now you will loose any data on the drive. That drive may be GPT partitioned which may explain why XP doesn't see it. You may have to plug that drive into a Windows 7 or 8 PC to see it properly and get access to the file system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Sometimes a full drive will show up unallocated if there is any kind of read element failure, before you hook it up on another machine, check the drive with GWscan. I always tell people this, it has solved all kinds of problems for me. IN order to scan the drive using GWscan it must be mounted on IDE or SATA bus.

I'm telling you this, just in case the drive is damaged in some way, a drive can be prefect one day then suddenly develop read element failure. Before you accept the drive as being either blank, un-allocated or bad, always check the full surface- CHKDSK will not do this, but GWscan can repair a multitude of errors that would cause a drive to suddenly show up black. I constantly move drives from Windows 2000 through 8, and they can all read on every system- SO if it is not showing up on a system, it never hurts to spend 2 hours scanning the entire surface.

If you have a Seagate drive, you can use their tools to scan it. If however the drive is a drive inside of a My Book or other WD USB case, there are special utilities for those.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Hi, I think you need a hard drive data recovery tool. I advice you go to this page:http://tinyurl.com/mzjk775
This wiserecovery data recovery had helped me solved my lost files on my computer after crash. you can try it.
follow this guide to use:1. Download WiseRecovery Data Recovery Software, install it and launch it. Click the "Start Scan" button on the main window of Data WiseRecovery.
2. You can see the list of all volumes found on your computer, select the exact drive and click the "Next" button to start scanning. If you can't see the drive, please make sure your external drives are connected, and click 'Refresh' button.
3. It will take about 2-10 minutes to scan, it depends on your disk size and files amount on the disk. After scanning is finished, you can preview text document and picture files.

Note:If you are not able to get the desired results after Deleted File Recovery, go back to home window and select the option "RAW Recovery" or "Partition Recovery ".

related link:How To Rescue Deleted Files on PC - WiseRecovery

If it did not work, i think you have to a technical shop to ask for help.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7 64 bit
Hi, I think you need a hard drive data recovery tool. I advice you go to this page:Best Data Recovery Software - Since 2002 - WiseRecovery
This wiserecovery data recovery had helped me solved my lost files on my computer after crash. you can try it.
follow this guide to use:1. Download WiseRecovery Data Recovery Software, install it and launch it. Click the "Start Scan" button on the main window of Data WiseRecovery.
2. You can see the list of all volumes found on your computer, select the exact drive and click the "Next" button to start scanning. If you can't see the drive, please make sure your external drives are connected, and click 'Refresh' button.
3. It will take about 2-10 minutes to scan, it depends on your disk size and files amount on the disk. After scanning is finished, you can preview text document and picture files.

Note:If you are not able to get the desired results after Deleted File Recovery, go back to home window and select the option "RAW Recovery" or "Partition Recovery ".

related link:How To Rescue Deleted Files on PC - WiseRecovery

If it did not work, i think you have to a technical shop to ask for help.


This thread was started in 2013. I think this issue has been resolved already, one way or another.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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