Ran chkdsk for corrupt external hard drive, need to restore missing files asap
Hello everyone and happy 4th of July! I have a Windows XP 2004 edition on a Dell Inspiron 9300. I have two external hard drives, one is a 250gb simpletech that I have been using for two years, and the other is a just yesterday bought 500gb seagate. Today the simpletech had problems and reportedly was corrupted. Windows told me to run chkdsk, so I did, and lo and behold the files on the external hard drive were deleted. Actually, they are still there (the same amount of disc space remains), but when I go into Explorer to look at the files, all that comes up is one folder of music, and when I click on it an error message pops up saying the data cannot be displayed. As far as I can tell, running chkdsk did not affect my C: drive or my other external hard drive that I just bought.
I have spent a couple hours researching how to proceed. I don't know too much about computers, but one recurring theme I keep running into is I need to find out whether I am having a problem with the hard drive or the software. Some people say I should create an image of the corrupted drive before doing anything else. Others say to run GetDataBack (I have used 249gb/250gb of the drive, and because it is a large drive it would be NTFS not FAV right?).
Here is a question I sent to GetDataBack support. You don't necessarily have to read it, but it talks about how I'm not sure how to use the GetDataBack software correctly.
"I would like to use GetDataBack NTFS to restore the files. I am a little confused about how to install and run GetDataBack. I read the FAQ and I am supposed to install it in a Windows drive that has not been affected. So would running it in the C: drive be fine? I am 90% sure the C: drive has not been affected, and I am 100% sure the 500gb external hard drive has not been affected. In which drive should I install the program? Additionally, I have to have enough space on the drive to restore the files. Since my C: drive is only 60gb and the drive that lost its files is about 230gb, I would need to install GetDataBack in the 500gb drive right? After that, I read that I should disconnect the broken external hard drive. I have been reading online and most guides say to not touch/use/disconnect the broken drive, and so I have not disconnected it like your guide says to do. Can I run the recovery program without disconnecting my external drive? Also, is using GetDataBack free? I read something about inserting a license code when the recovery process is done. I don't mind paying any money. I just didn't know if I should buy the program before running it or just use the demo program for now?"
If you guys could please help me out, I would really appreciate it. I have three questions:
1) What should I do in the meantime? Some people say not to access the damaged drive at all and not to disconnect it, while others say to disconnect it and plug it back in.
2) Is my data lost for good? I had a lot of movies and music on my drive, but nothing of life importance, so I can survive this loss. Does that mean I would be willing to pay around $100 to ship the drive to someone to have the data restored? Yes, but I would not be willing to pay much more than that.
3) What can I do in the next couple of days to hopefully restore the data? Also, how can I be 100% sure only the external drive was corrupted and not the C: drive as well? This may be obvious, but how do I know chkdsk did not damage the C: drive too?
If there is any information I left out that would be useful, let me know and I will add it.
Hello everyone and happy 4th of July! I have a Windows XP 2004 edition on a Dell Inspiron 9300. I have two external hard drives, one is a 250gb simpletech that I have been using for two years, and the other is a just yesterday bought 500gb seagate. Today the simpletech had problems and reportedly was corrupted. Windows told me to run chkdsk, so I did, and lo and behold the files on the external hard drive were deleted. Actually, they are still there (the same amount of disc space remains), but when I go into Explorer to look at the files, all that comes up is one folder of music, and when I click on it an error message pops up saying the data cannot be displayed. As far as I can tell, running chkdsk did not affect my C: drive or my other external hard drive that I just bought.
I have spent a couple hours researching how to proceed. I don't know too much about computers, but one recurring theme I keep running into is I need to find out whether I am having a problem with the hard drive or the software. Some people say I should create an image of the corrupted drive before doing anything else. Others say to run GetDataBack (I have used 249gb/250gb of the drive, and because it is a large drive it would be NTFS not FAV right?).
Here is a question I sent to GetDataBack support. You don't necessarily have to read it, but it talks about how I'm not sure how to use the GetDataBack software correctly.
"I would like to use GetDataBack NTFS to restore the files. I am a little confused about how to install and run GetDataBack. I read the FAQ and I am supposed to install it in a Windows drive that has not been affected. So would running it in the C: drive be fine? I am 90% sure the C: drive has not been affected, and I am 100% sure the 500gb external hard drive has not been affected. In which drive should I install the program? Additionally, I have to have enough space on the drive to restore the files. Since my C: drive is only 60gb and the drive that lost its files is about 230gb, I would need to install GetDataBack in the 500gb drive right? After that, I read that I should disconnect the broken external hard drive. I have been reading online and most guides say to not touch/use/disconnect the broken drive, and so I have not disconnected it like your guide says to do. Can I run the recovery program without disconnecting my external drive? Also, is using GetDataBack free? I read something about inserting a license code when the recovery process is done. I don't mind paying any money. I just didn't know if I should buy the program before running it or just use the demo program for now?"
If you guys could please help me out, I would really appreciate it. I have three questions:
1) What should I do in the meantime? Some people say not to access the damaged drive at all and not to disconnect it, while others say to disconnect it and plug it back in.
2) Is my data lost for good? I had a lot of movies and music on my drive, but nothing of life importance, so I can survive this loss. Does that mean I would be willing to pay around $100 to ship the drive to someone to have the data restored? Yes, but I would not be willing to pay much more than that.
3) What can I do in the next couple of days to hopefully restore the data? Also, how can I be 100% sure only the external drive was corrupted and not the C: drive as well? This may be obvious, but how do I know chkdsk did not damage the C: drive too?
If there is any information I left out that would be useful, let me know and I will add it.