Any way to recover pics/movies?

[godfire]

I did a transfer from my old IDE hd to my new WD hd recently...with less than ideal results. A *lot* of my picture files (digital pics, etc) and movie files (home-made movies, random humor vids, music vids, etc) just don't work anymore. They're still the same size and everything, but I get a format error when I try to open them.

Anybody know if there's a way to fix these files? It taunts me because the filesizes are the same so it makes me think that all the info is there, just...incomplete or something. I don't know.

Any advice would be awesome.

(Oh, and before you mention it - yes, I know I should have just backed them up if they were important. Next time. Right now I'm trying to deal with this problem.)

 

[TheCorm]

Most odd....I have had this issue AFTER running recovery software on files but not after moving from HD to HD.

Did you change file system in the transfer (ie old drive FAT32 and new one NTFS). Have you tried more than one program to open the files?

What about burning them to CD and then trying to access them (long shot but....)

Also this should be transferred to Operating Systems or Tech Support rather than here in Off Topic...

 

[Palek]

Is it possible that you used an ATA cable for the transfer that does not meet specifications? Specifically, did you use rounded cables on an ATA66 or faster controller/drive? Is your cable longer than 45 cms (I think that's the maximum permitted length...)? If so, there is a very good chance that your data became corrupted during the transfer, in which case there is no way to recover them unless you have the original files.

For future reference, NEVER use rounded ATA cables on hard drives! (Optical drives are safe as they are all still ATA-33)

 

[TheCorm]

For future reference, NEVER use rounded ATA cables on hard drives! (Optical drives are safe as they are all still ATA-33)

WTH are you talking about.....

 

[nebula]

I sure hope you copied the files to the new HD rather than just move them. But sounds like no so let that be a lesson to ya! You should always do that just in case things like this happen. Once you verify the data, then you can erase the old HD.

But definitely go post this is General Hardware.

 

[Palek]

Originally posted by: TheCorm

For future reference, NEVER use rounded ATA cables on hard drives! (Optical drives are safe as they are all still ATA-33)

WTH are you talking about.....

Well, you may be unaware, but ATA-33 cables have 40 wires while ATA-66 and above require 80 wires, yet they still use the same connector. The reason for this is that ATA-66 and above require much faster signalling, which in turn requires higher voltages, which in turn generates more noise, therefore an extra shielding wire between each signal wire was introduced to swallow up that noise.

Thus the flat structure of ATA-66 wires is actually necessary for signal integrity, and when people mess with it by making their own rounded cables, they are also messing with signal integrity. I would imagine that certain makers rounded cables would totally ignore this and just bunch the split cables together, totally destroying the shielding funcionality. Just like there are cable makers out there that make extra long out-of-spec ATA cables.

While I can imagine that manufacturers with good reputations would actually add proper shielding to their rounded cables, I can also imagine the opposite happening, and to be on the safe side I would never use rounded cables with hard drives. There is a reason why strict specifications are in place.

That explain it?

(I did not come up with this myself, there was an article explaining the issue on LostCircuits, and those guys know what they are talking about.)

 

[MustISO]

Do you still have the files on the old drive? Do you still have the old drive? If you have the drive but you "moved" the files, use something like GetDataBack. It does a great job of recovering files that you think are gone or deleted.

 

[TheCorm]

Originally posted by: Palek

Originally posted by: TheCorm

For future reference, NEVER use rounded ATA cables on hard drives! (Optical drives are safe as they are all still ATA-33)

WTH are you talking about.....

Well, you may be unaware, but ATA-33 cables have 40 wires while ATA-66 and above require 80 wires, yet they still use the same connector. The reason for this is that ATA-66 and above require much faster signalling, which in turn requires higher voltages, which in turn generates more noise, therefore an extra shielding wire between each signal wire was introduced to swallow up that noise.

Thus the flat structure of ATA-66 wires is actually necessary for signal integrity, and when people mess with it by making their own rounded cables, they are also messing with signal integrity. I would imagine that certain makers rounded cables would totally ignore this and just bunch the split cables together, totally destroying the shielding funcionality. Just like there are cable makers out there that make extra long out-of-spec ATA cables.

While I can imagine that manufacturers with good reputations would actually add proper shielding to their rounded cables, I can also imagine the opposite happening, and to be on the safe side I would never use rounded cables with hard drives. There is a reason why strict specifications are in place.

That explain it?

(I did not come up with this myself, there was an article explaining the issue on LostCircuits, and those guys know what they are talking about.)

Ah I see...Well I use quality rounded cables without issue. The one that came with my MSI motherboard looks a bit cheap, I had it connected to my CD-ROM drives until recently when I swapped it for a UV reactive one.

I do see the point, I never use overly long cables.

 

[agnitrate]

Originally posted by: Palek
(I did not come up with this myself, there was an article explaining the issue on LostCircuits, and those guys know what they are talking about.)

There is a CHANCE your data could be corrupt. However, I've been using Rounded cables for like 2 years and after MANY transfers spanning several gigs and upwards, I have never had any problems whatsoever with my rounded cables.

-silver

 

[godfire]

I copied, not moved...but I don't have the other HD anymore. =\ So I guess effectively it's the same.

What really infuriates me is that for some of the picture files, when I click on them I can see the preview of it on the left...but it won't actually open.

 

[Allio]

What programme are you using to open them? Some are a lot pickier than others. There might be one out there that can ignore errors in the image and still display the data. If you're using the Windows image viewer, don't expect to see anything - but if something like Photoshop or Irfanview can't open them, then maybe it's no good

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: Palek

Originally posted by: TheCorm

For future reference, NEVER use rounded ATA cables on hard drives! (Optical drives are safe as they are all still ATA-33)

WTH are you talking about.....

Well, you may be unaware, but ATA-33 cables have 40 wires while ATA-66 and above require 80 wires, yet they still use the same connector. The reason for this is that ATA-66 and above require much faster signalling, which in turn requires higher voltages, which in turn generates more noise, therefore an extra shielding wire between each signal wire was introduced to swallow up that noise.

Thus the flat structure of ATA-66 wires is actually necessary for signal integrity, and when people mess with it by making their own rounded cables, they are also messing with signal integrity. I would imagine that certain makers rounded cables would totally ignore this and just bunch the split cables together, totally destroying the shielding funcionality. Just like there are cable makers out there that make extra long out-of-spec ATA cables.

While I can imagine that manufacturers with good reputations would actually add proper shielding to their rounded cables, I can also imagine the opposite happening, and to be on the safe side I would never use rounded cables with hard drives. There is a reason why strict specifications are in place.

That explain it?

(I did not come up with this myself, there was an article explaining the issue on LostCircuits, and those guys know what they are talking about.)

The information you have is correct, but imcomplete(sort of). Many new rounded cables use twisted pair wires, wrapping the ground wire around the signal wire. This keeps the noise issue at bay. IIRC manufactures have been doing this for several years now. I use rounded cables in all my computers, all 5 of them. All bought at 2 years ago, if not 3. This includes 4 Floppy cables, 14 IDE cables, and 2 U160 68pin Scsi cables. I have never had data corruption or any of the issues with improperly rounded cables. So going along with what you said, as long as rounded cables are made correctly, there should not be a problem with them.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: nebula
I sure hope you copied the files to the new HD rather than just move them. But sounds like no so let that be a lesson to ya! You should always do that just in case things like this happen. Once you verify the data, then you can erase the old HD.

But definitely go post this is General Hardware.

I learned this the hard way. Never MOVE... but rather do a COPY, then verify, then you can delete from old path. Much agreed. COPY then delete is faster than MOVE anyway (compared it many times).

 

[Palek]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: nebula
I sure hope you copied the files to the new HD rather than just move them. But sounds like no so let that be a lesson to ya! You should always do that just in case things like this happen. Once you verify the data, then you can erase the old HD.

But definitely go post this is General Hardware.

I learned this the hard way. Never MOVE... but rather do a COPY, then verify, then you can delete from old path. Much agreed. COPY then delete is faster than MOVE anyway (compared it many times).

Indeed! I just had to buy a file recovery program recently because I decided to (I do not know what I was thinking ) move pictures off a memory stick instead of copying and pasting. Then I proceeded to fool around with my TV-tuner during the move, which caused the computer to lock up, and all the files were gone when I booted back up!

MOVE = BAD, COPY/PASTE = GOOD!

As for the rounded cable issue, I realize good cables can be made, I am just way too paranoid when it comes to stuff like this and would rather be on the safe side instead of trying something that might or might not work... One horror story is enough to make me stick with flat PATA cables and look to SATA instead for cable clutter redemption.

<EDIT>I continue to suck at teh emoticon</EDIT>