HHD problem

[Afronaut]

One of my Hard Drives has a problem.

Partition Table has an error. Cannot fix it with most software, as they demand me to
fix the Partition Table before trying to fix anything.

So, if I make new partitions,say, about same sizes as they was,
would I lose the Data so that I cannot get it in any means?

Or, even if I lose the data on reformatting, can I get it back with same kinda
tools that is used if you delete something (on windows) and recover it llater.

Or, is there other ways around it?

[Afronaut]

I wonder if I had asked about this allready here, got teh DejaVus...

...pah. Im about to take a little nap, see if I got tips on this later.

[HailAntonLaVey]

well there "dawg",what you can do to fix your drive is to first an foremost tell abit more about your problem.Now going by what has been said,you may have to transfer your partiton to another drive,perhaps a small USB hard drive.Then format your current drive to clean,by that do a deep format to remove any traces of what you had on there.And lastly transfer your partition back to your current drive from the USB one.Merely suggestion,more information would be well and needed for deeper insight to the lovely world of me.Tell then adieu

[Afronaut]

Problem is, Partition Table Error.
Cant touch it. It needs a format, new partitions.

Nooone of the software i've tried this far wont "help" me.
They say I need to fix the Partition Table.

I know the Table holds the data of cluster sizes, partition sizes etc...
So, it cant be read, ie. it cannot be transferred, before I fix the Partition Table.
Atleast with the tools I've tried this far:

Partition magic 8
SpinRite 6
Bunch of other little DOS tools, cant remember what.

I also tried to backup with Ghost, probably something ImageDrive also.

Im running on XP Pro, but I dont think thats the issue, its the data on the HDD thats tells
the OS what size etc. everyting is, that is corrupt.

I just want to know, basically, if I format the HDD, meaning, if I make new Partitions innit, do I lose the Data? Could it be Restored even if its is Quick Formatted?

You know, when you Quick Format, the Data is not over-written, its still there.
So, in theory, it should be possible to restore the data.
Just like if you delete stuff from Trashcan, it can be restored with some software, cant remember what was it called...


I got like 30000 mp3's I'd like to keep, maybe even more...
Any tips?

[Smurfette]

Reformat and use EasyRecoveryPro to scan the drive in 'raw' mode and recover anything you like. Be prepared for nonsense filenames and a few corrupt restored files, but remember that even if you don't get everything back you will certainly have more than you do now, which is nothing.

[HailAntonLaVey]

Reformat and use EasyRecoveryPro to scan the drive in 'raw' mode and recover anything you like. Be prepared for nonsense filenames and a few corrupt restored files, but remember that even if you don't get everything back you will certainly have more than you do now, which is nothing.

Let me see,mmmmm NO.I dont believe with all due respect what smurf stated will more in all truth.I can remember at the begining of this year i had a bit of the same problem as Afro is had.My partition was a bit fucked,and i merely transfered it to my new drive,then formatted my old one to use has a slave.Now as for you Afro im glad you found out the hard way that the software you use is shit for the most part,Yes even the "god" of software Norton Ghost doesnt work.In truth there truly isnt any software persay that can fix what you have,its all about hardware.Again i believe the safest way is to buy or rent a USB hard drive,so you can mirror your partition to the USB drive and then clean format your current drive.Of course to transfer back.All the while,what you said is in fact true,depending on who your current drive is made by,it can well fuck you over many times over.Not to mention you can promise yourself of data security.Formatting is formatting,at times yes the theory you stated can work,yet only to an extent.Considering how you have mp3 files,that is classified as a different type of data.Therefore you cant be sure.What are the spec. on your drive.Tell then adieu

[Smurfette]

Let me see,mmmmm NO.I dont believe with all due respect what smurf stated will more in all truth.I can remember at the begining of this year i had a bit of the same problem as Afro is had.My partition was a bit fucked,and i merely transfered it to my new drive,then formatted my old one to use has a slave.Now as for you Afro im glad you found out the hard way that the software you use is shit for the most part,Yes even the "god" of software Norton Ghost doesnt work.In truth there truly isnt any software persay that can fix what you have,its all about hardware.Again i believe the safest way is to buy or rent a USB hard drive,so you can mirror your partition to the USB drive and then clean format your current drive.Of course to transfer back.All the while,what you said is in fact true,depending on who your current drive is made by,it can well fuck you over many times over.Not to mention you can promise yourself of data security.Formatting is formatting,at times yes the theory you stated can work,yet only to an extent.Considering how you have mp3 files,that is classified as a different type of data.Therefore you cant be sure.What are the spec. on your drive.Tell then adieu

How do you propose he transfers the contents of the drive when he cannot access them? Please read his reply to your last post suggesting this and reply with detailed instructions.
BTW even a full format will not completely rid the drive of its contents; how do you think authorities and data recovery agencies retrieve what they do? I'm not talking about accidental deletion & emptying the recycle bin here.

Easy Recovery Pro recovered many files that I thought I'd backed up when I fully reformatted and installed XP on the drive they were on. This program is not the only recovery tool, and it may not be the most comprehensive but it is easy to find and does a respectable job.

[Afronaut]

I am very thankfull for these tips.


I will get the Easy Recovery Plus but if I get a externealUSB to borrow anytime soon,
I will try to learn about this mirrioring a little more and have a go.
Allthought I cannot really understand how I could mirror it if I cannot access the data,
but there could be somethin on about it which I dont get it, yet.

The Ghost app should be able to mirror it toom thats basicallywhat it does, or any
other imaginf software.

I had a hunch about that Easy Recovery app, so I got me yesterday the
Ontrack EasyRecovery 6.3 Professional just in case...

Either way, im more optimistic about recovering atleast some of the Data.


Of course, more info about the "Mirroring" could be usefull, I had some difficulties
to believe how that should work.
Plug the HD to USB, and with What and How this mirroring suppose ot be done, exactly?