Recovering data off slave HD 2

[LilBob]

I slaved a WD HD running XP home to a Samsung HD running XP Pro to copy data. At reboot, the computer finds the new hardware but when I go to My Computer or Windows Explorer, the slave HD is not found. BIOS displays the WD HD. Checked jumper settings also. What am I missing?

THanks for any help! Bob

 

[gobleza]

Is the disk not maybe NTFS and you are booting FAT32?

Have you checked in your disk manager weather the drive is showing there?

 

[Lemon13]

have a look in diskmgmt, u need to assign a drive letter 2 the slaved drive

 

[LilBob]

I ran compmgmt.msc. The drive shows up there as Disk 1 with the master HD listed as Disk 0 Master is NTFS with C: as the Volume, Status Healthy (System). Slave HD is FAT 32, Status Healthy (Active) but no Volume assigned to it. Master is running XP Pro while Slave was running XP Home. NTFS should be able to read FAT32, I think. Plus BIOS finds both drives with the Samsung as the Master & WDC as the Slave. Why can't XP find it? Any ideas?

Thanks for your help so far. LilBob

 

[tlcscousin]

When you right click the drive in question in disk management what options do you get?

 

[linney]

What is Device Manager saying about your added drive?

Hard disk does not appear in My Computer or in Windows Explorer

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330140/en-us#appliesto

New drive or mapped network drive not available in Windows Explorer

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;297694#appliesto

Group Policy.
Local Computer Policy/ User Configuration/ Administrative Templates/ Windows Components/ Windows Explorer, see the "Hide these specified drives in My Computer" setting

 

[LilBob]

Right clicking the Slave drive only offers Delete partition option. Device Manager displays both HD's & no conflicts anywhere. Wife's PC is running ME with FAT 32 HD. I hate to take hers apart to slave this HD if not necessary. Other than this shot in the dark, any other hints?

Thanks again, LilBob

 

[tlcscousin]

Have you tried moving it onto the secondary IDE channel (if available)?

 

[linney]

Is the Bios also recognizing any attached CD/DVD or Floppy Drives?

Have you tried loading the Recovery Console and running ChkDsk X: /r where X is the FAT32 drive? Have a look at the MAP Command to locate X: drive in Recovery Console. See the FixMbr Command too.

If Recovery Console fails to recognize X:, try a ME or 98 Startup Floppy or CD and see if the old ScanDisk can recognize X:.

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

 

[BadBigBen]

Most likely the MBR got scrambled, follow the link that Linney mentioned on how to use the Recovery Console and the FIXMBR command...

when the MBR, or partition table is damaged, XP will see the drive but not what is on it. It can't get the GEOMETRY of the partitions, thus it will not assign a drive letter and you can't access it...

an alternative to using the Recovery console, would be to use a Recovery Software, such as File Scavenger or Recuva, these can scan drives and find files that can be recovered to a separate Partition, Drive, etc.


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[LilBob]

BIOS recognizes all CD & floppy drives. Tried installing Recovery Console & got the following error:

Setup cannot continue because the version of Windows on your computer is newer than the version on the CD.

Tried installing it using SP1 and SP2 CD's & get this error:

d:\i386 refers to a location that is unavailable. yada, yada, yada.

What now?

Thanks again all! LilBob

 

[vacunita]

Something must have gotten scrambled,
I would try a recovery app such s the ones mentioned. Or my personal favorite, GetDataBack from runtime.org

Its free to try, so you can run it and check what if anything can be recovered before purchasing it.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[linney]

You shouldn't have to "install" the Recovery Console to run it. Are you able to boot from any XP CD, or even a 2000 CD, and take the option (Pressing "R") when offered during the Setup process, to run Recovery Console via the CD?

 

[LilBob]

Tried something different; used a different PC & set the old (slave) HD in it as Master(changed jumper settings). You were right Ben, MBR is damaged. Another fine mess from Norton. From the error code I got @ boot, Norton's GoBack feature trashed it. I found directions for removing & repairing changes to the boot sector & partition by GoBack. Will let you know how it works.

Thanks once more! LilBob

 

[BadBigBen]

Yep, GoBack a great idea woefully implemented...

9 out 10 times something goes wrong when GoBack is installed... Every time I come across it, it gets deinstalled...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[linney]

The first link I posted targeted "GoBack" as a suspect, it is a problem that has been around for ages since it was owned by Roxio and then acquired by Symantec.

 

[LilBob]

Directions from Symantec worked; was able to remove GoBack. Ran ScanDisk after. If found 11 Directory entries with invalid characters & deleted them all and 78 lost clusters in 11 chains (saved as files). Reconnected old HD as slave, rebooted and HD was found. Old HD still not bootable but is readable to salvage files. Next on my list is to uninstall GoBack on my other PC's.

Thanks again for all your help!
LilBob

 

[mscallisto]

could you have fixed the MBR ?

It was easy to do in the old 95 98 and ME days using FDISK /MBR and I did it more than once.

I have never rebuilt a MBR in XP but it looks like it can be done:

http://www.ntfs.com/mbr-damaged.htm

sam

 

[BadBigBen]

@mscallisto - in XP it is not that easily done, you need to boot into the Recovery Console and once logged on enter the following command:

FIXMBR

that is it...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[linney]

Do you want to take the "still not bootable" problem any further, or are you quitting while you are ahead?

If you do, post the exact error message received when you attempt to boot, and in what machine you are trying to boot it in.