HDD issue!! *please help me*

[SirCyber]

Ok, so some of you know I recently moved from Kansas US to Oregon US. I left my Shuttle PC there, but took my HDD from there, on which I have some very important software and other documents. now, I get here to Oregon, and I try to load up the disk on another computer. Nada. went to the Windows screen but didn't register the keyboard or mouse. Figured that it might be because I almost exclusively use my USB keyboard and mouse with that HDD and OS, so I plug in my keyboard and mouse. Still nothing. With either, I don't get num, caps, scroll, any of those locks even. Needless to say there was no action whatsoever with the mouse either. Ok, says I, it must be that my HDD doesn't like this computer. *never had this problem before* So I plug it into a different computer. This one uses Vista as it's native os on the HDD it normally uses. I disengage that hdd, plug in mine, and viola! nothing. not even a BSOD. Ok, says I, must be that the drivers on it are for vista and my XP won't register the video drivers. so, I'm sitting around today. I manage to land 3 free computers! only one works, an old Pentium 2 Sony Vaio. Now I throw my HDD in THIS system, and it does a loop of restarting. After the first loop, it brings up the nice little dialogue of "choose from safe mode, normal, blah blah blah". Ok, says I, now something has got to be wrong. so I use my live cd that my company uses for system cleans. *this is really cool cuz it allows us to run cleaning software from outside of the windows registry* and VIOLA!!!! there is NO HDD recognized from within my live cd! ok, now things are getting dire. I now have the drive slaved up to the drive I'm on, and it registers it! I'm getting exited, get into My Computer, double click my HDD, and OH NO!!!! "The disk in drive G is not formatted. Would you like to format now?" OH CRAP! so, I right click, go to properties, and my nice 250 GB hdd is registering 0 usage out of 0 bytes. I am thoroughly confused, worried, the whole nine yards. if my drive were dead, would it allow me to get into windows at all *as in the first time I hooked it up*, or register that there is a windows os on it but ask me how I want to start *as in the Vaio*? how can I retrieve the information on it? what can I do? would reinstalling windows help my issue, or do I need the Shuttle that I just came from? some more info. the HDD was NOT the original HDD of the shuttle, it came from a custom gaming rig that the mobo died in. ok, lets see if I can get some information!

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

Okay first. You cant just plug the hard drive in a new PC and expect Windows XP to boot. The hardware configuration is different that the system that was used to install widows and Windows doesnt like that. That is why all the attempts to boot were failures.

The hardware profile was different than what Windows knew of when it was installed and had the drivers for.

Now it seems that your partition tables were lost. Which could very well be the case after jumping it to so many different PC's and trying to access it.

So your only hope now would be to recreate the partition table with a PC that can access the drive as a 2nd drive and then use Recovery software to try and get back your files.

Cheers,
Mak

 

[SirCyber]

what recovery software would you recommend? and what do you mean create a partition table on the pc I'm on? why would this do it now, instead of in one of the last 8 computers I've run that HDD in?

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

I dont have a preference in Recovery Software. I have tried several already myself and found that each one has good and bad points about it. So you really just have to find one that works for you.

You need to use the PC you are on, if that is the one that recognizes the drive that you are trying to fix, and create a partition on that drive again. From there use the Recovery Software to get your files back.

I cant say why it happened now. It could be a factor from trying to boot the drive with several PC's that it was not configured for. It could just be that the traveling the drive did it got corrupted. Who knows. IT could be that it lost it partition tables during transport and that is why it didnt work in any of the other PC's. I cant really say.

Cheers,
Mak

 

[SirCyber]

create a partition on my hdd or the one I'm using right now?

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

Carete a partition on the drive that you are trying to fix. The one that you brought with you. The one that has your data on it.

Cheers,
Mak

 

[SirCyber]

btw, went into the disk properties, the file system is RAW, went into hardware properties, went to volumes, there is nothing there at all, no volumes. could it be possible that somehow it got erased or will the recovery stuff help me?

****EDIT****
It won't allow me to partition it, or rather, I can't find anything to give me the option to partition

 

[KurrentEweser]

This made someones day. Maybe it will make yours.

http://www.techist.com/forums/f84/corrupted-183142/

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

Try Kurrent's advice. But if the drive is in RAW format that means that your partition tables were lsot and that nothign is stored on teh drive right now. You will have to create a partition and possibly format it to get it active again.

RAW format is how a drive comes from the factory before it is installed and can be used.

Cheers,
Mak

 

[SirCyber]

Running software now, will update as it goes, right now i'm running the "Deeper Search" function of the software, already got a warning "Warning! Incorrect number of heads/cylinder 255 (NTFS) !=240 (HD)

****EDIT****
****UPDATE****
Ok, so the boot sectors were toast, forced to give up. currently I am attempting to recover the files from the drive, then I guess I will be forced to wipe and reinstall, I just hope that I can find my product key for the drive. I will leave it installed but not finished so as to not have to worry about locking the drive into a hardware config.... this is just to see that the drive is not furthermore damaged, as the warning above looks to be pointing to. thanks for the help Mak and KurrentEweser