Recovering files from hdd with partition error with Winternals Disk Commander

[Beckers99]

Okay.. I recently had some problems with PartitionMagic, which made one of my computers completely unbootable. There are some files that I don't have backed up, which I really need.. I've used Winternals Disk Commander off a bootable disk-- which enables me to see the necessary files, and makes it possible for me to back them up-- but only to a floppy (which isn't a possibility.. the files are all too large). It recognizes the bootable CD as C:, and the ram as R:

So.. what I really need, is to be able to back the files up to another working hard drive, which I already connected as the IDE Master. (the hdd with the damaged partition is a SATA)...

Well.. but Disk Commander won't recognize the IDE drive.. even though the BIOS does.

What can I do?? I've tried using another version of the Winternals Disk Commander, which is built into a live-cd by Winternals.. but that program can't even see that the SATA exists.

Any suggestions? I would really appreciate any help!

 

[junglemike]

Obviously your partition is just not bootalbe anymore but not damaged, otherwise you would not be able to see it in disk commander.
To fix this:
start from winxp/2000 bootable cd, choose repair option, than choose console option (black window).
In that console option type 2 commands:
1)fixboot
2)fixmbr
reboot w/o winxp cd, hopefully you will be up and running.

 

[Beckers99]

well, it's worth a try.. though I've done everything possible to fix the partition so far. Maybe this way will work.. I'll have to see.

Thanks

 

[Beckers99]

no.. it doesn't work. When I try to repair, Setup tells me that it can't find any harddrive to repair.

So... it's not just that the partition table is unbootable.

Does anybody have any other suggestions? Maybe some specific programs that would be able to rescure the files off of the drive, to another hard drive (or even flash drive)?

 

[junglemike]

Does the setup see any other partitions on the hard drive?
for example there is c:, d:, e:, but it just can't recognize the system partition and cannot find a operating system there.

Maybe some specific programs that would be able to rescure the files off of the drive, to another hard drive (or even flash drive)?

the ghin is - the most programs that do this sort of thing - require you to have a working operating system.
If you have no other harddirve , ... well.
Basically every Linux destribution has it's liveCD ( a cd that you can boot from and work, including browsing inet, just line normal system that's installed on your hdd.) You have Slax (slackware livecd,) Ubuntu livecd, and many others. All these live cd's don't require harddisk at all.
I even came across such livecd of WinXP (custom-made of course) which fully boots winxp off cd, and has pre-installed utitilities for fixing various problems - this is for exact situations that you're into.
I don't remember how this winxp livecd is called, I don't use xp, so i throwed it away long time ago :-(.
Anyway, you can find a lot of recovery tools both for windows and for linux by googling.. You need to boot from a live cd (again, either windows or linux), or if you have another harddrive- install another instance of XP there, and than fix your primary xp boot partition.
good luck.