Hard Drive, Partition, Data Recovery and Diagnostic Resources

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birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
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Here is a consolidation of the important information and resources I have been able to compile. This list is a combination of advice offered from many people here on the forum. Too many people have contributed to this for me to keep track of them all. If you see something in here that you mentioned in the past 2-3 months, then I probably borrowed it from you. A big "Thank you" to everyone for your advice. I hope this list will prove useful. Please let me know if you have any modifications or additions.


Table of Contents
  1. Basic tips for recovering files
  2. Hard Drive Lifecycle
  3. Hard Drive Manufacturer Diagnostic Utilities
  4. OEM Support Sites
  5. Data Recovery Programs
  6. Rescue Disks
  7. Hard Drive Related Products
  8. Write Random Data to Disk (or zeros)
  9. Partitions: Create, Delete, Format, and Change Drive Letter
  10. Partition Resizing
  11. Google Searches
  12. Bios Recognition
  13. Windows XP Command Line Commands
  14. Partition Strategies
  15. Procedure to transfer personal user data from system partition/drive ( C: ) to another partition/drive ( D: )
  16. Disk Management
  17. MS Windows File Ownership
  18. UDMA, PIO, 40 & 80 pin cables
  19. Memory Tests
  20. Notebook Hard Drive to Desktop Adapter
  21. Hard Drive Mounting Kit
  22. Professional Hard Drive Workstation
  23. MBR, Partition Table, and Boot Record Tools
  24. Partition Size Limitation at 32GB, 128Gb
  25. Typical reasons for hard drive failure
  26. Hard drive failure prevention
  27. Hard Drive Freezer Technique
  28. Detecting a defective hardware component
  29. Spyware Scanning
  30. Copying The MS Windows Operating System To A Replacement Hard Drive
  31. Swapping a hard drive, with the system files ( C: ), from one system to another
  32. Windows Repair Install
  33. Slow System Startup
  34. NVidia nForce4 NCQ Driver Causing Slow System Startup



  1. [*]Basic tips for recovering files
    • When recovering files (data) from a working windows operating system, such as if a file was accidentally deleted, it is best to shut the system down as soon as possible to prevent the possibility of the operating system from reclaiming that disk space and writing data over the files (data) you wish to recover. If the drive shows signs of physical failure, such as making the infamous clicking sounds, then it is also a good idea to shut down the system or at least disconnect the drive so the drive is not further damaged.
    • It is then good to either:
      1. use a Rescue Disk with data recovery tools on it, such as UBCD4Win, to copy files from one drive to another,
      2. install this hard drive in another system as a "slave" drive to copy files from the damaged/deleted hard drive to the good hard drive. Ensure proper placement of the drive jumpers for IDE hard drives, or
      3. install an operating system (MS Windows) on a good spare, empty hard drive or partition to copy the data files from the damaged/deleted partition (drive) to the good partition (drive).


    [*]Hard Drive Lifecycle
    • "Bare metal" hard drive -> create partition(s) -> format partition(s) -> install operating system or store files
    • Formatting a partition is the same as creating a filesystem on that partition.


    [*]Hard Drive Manufacturer Diagnostic Utilities

    [*]OEM Support Sites

    [*]Data Recovery Programs

    [*]Rescue Disks

    [*]Hard Drive Related Products

    [*]Write Random Data to Disk (or zeros)

    [*]Partitions: Create, Delete, Format, and Change Drive Letter
    • Windows Disk Management utility:
      right-click My Computer, select Manage, select Computer Management/Storage/Disk Management


    [*]Partition Resizing

    [*]Google Searches

    [*]Bios Recognition
    • If bios does not recognize hard drive, then continue rebooting until that one time the drive is recognized. If this does not work, put drive in another system and hope the bios of the other system detects the drive.


    [*]Windows XP Command Line Commands
    • Command-line reference A-Z
    • FIXBOOT - Writes a new partition boot sector to the system partition. (Recovery Console only)
    • FIXMBR - Repairs the master boot record of the boot disk. (Recovery Console only)
    • SCANDISK C: /AUTOFIX /SURFACE Provided by FlyingPenguin.
    • "CHKDSK /F" - Checks a disk and displays a status report.
    • CHKNTFS - Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.
    • HELP - Provides Help information for Windows commands.
    • RECOVER - Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.
    • SET - Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.
    • TREE - Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or path.
    • XCOPY - Copies files and directory trees.


    [*]Partition Strategies

    [*]Procedure to transfer personal user data from system partition/drive ( C: ) to another partition/drive ( D: )
    You can transfer all the users personal files to the D: partition by following this procedure:
    1. copy C:\Documents and Settings\* D:\WinXP\
    2. Then login as each user on the system and go to:
      right-click My Computer, select Properties, select Advanced tab, select Environment Variables button at bottom,
      in the "User variable for <username>" section, create a variable named "USERPROFILE" and give it the value "D:\WinXP\<username>".
    3. In the "System variables" section, create a variable named "ALLUSERSPROFILE" and give it the value "D:\WinXP\All Users".
    4. If you desire, you may hide the D:\WinXP folder by right-clicking it and selecting Properties, then giving it the "Hidden" attribute, but only for that folder and not for its subfolders.


    [*]Disk Management
    • right-click My Computer, select Manage, select Computer Management/Storage/Disk Management


    [*]MS Windows File Ownership

    [*]UDMA, PIO, 40 & 80 pin cables
    • Comparison between 40 & 80 pin cables
    • udma2 = ata 33 speed
    • udma5 = ata 100 speed
    • udma6 = ata 133 speed
    • 40 pin cables will only support udma2 (ata 133 speed)
    • Check your hard drives within Device Manager to ensure proper settings.
    • Hard drives should be set with udma 5or6 and not be set at PIO mode.


    [*]Memory Tests

    [*]Notebook Hard Drive to Desktop Adapter (2.5" to 3.5")

    [*]Hard Drive Mounting Kit

    [*]Professional Hard Drive Workstation

    [*]MBR, Partition Table, and Boot Record Tools

    [*]Partition Size Limitation at 32GB, 128Gb

    [*]Typical reasons for hard drive failure
    • Power fluctuations (mechanical failure)
    • Overheating (mechanical failure)
    • Driver problems (buggy software)
    • Incorrect jumper settings (configuration failure)
    • Failed cable (configuration failure)


    [*]Hard drive failure prevention
    • Use a good power supply (Power Supply 101)
    • Understanding Power Requirements
    • Obtain a UPS battery backup with undervoltage protection
    • Physically place drive in bottom slot with at least one open slot directly above, to assist heat dissipation
    • Rig a case fan to blow air directly over hard drive(s), to assist heat dissipation
    • Create a good data backup plan, which may include an external hard drive, additional drives in case, RAID 1, creating a partition or drive image, DVD copies, ...


    [*]Hard Drive Freezer Technique
    This technique is useful due to thermal contraction of mechanical parts
    1. Place drive in an anti-static bag
    2. Put drive in freezer for at least one hour
    3. Remove drive from freezer
    4. Quickly install in system
    5. Attempt data recovery


    [*]Detecting a defective hardware component
    1. Remove or disconnect all hardware components except for the PSU, CPU, RAM, and video card,
    2. Start the system and run memtest for 2 passes minimum and preferably longer than 12 hours,
    3. Connect the system hard drive and run manufacturer diagnostic tests on the hard drive,
    4. Start windows and see if error occurs,
    5. Shutdown the system and add one hardware component,
    6. Start windows and see if error occurs,
    7. Repeat steps 5&6 until component is detected.


    [*]Spyware Scanning

    [*]Copying The MS Windows Operating System To A Replacement Hard Drive
    Provided by FlyingPenguin
    • Use a diskcopy program provided with the manufacturer diagnostic utility.
    • Then perform a Boot Sector Repair to install the drivers necessary to recognize the new drive, such as SATA drivers.
      • Boot from the XP Install CD-Rom and choose the "Repair from Recovery Console" option during setup.
      • At the command prompt type FIXBOOT and press the Enter key.
    • In some cases you may need to perform a Windows Repair install to install other necessary drivers.


    [*]Swapping a hard drive, with the system files ( C: ), from one system to another
    Swapping a hard drive with the operating system files on it, from one system to another is similar to changing a motherboard in one system. The hard drive and motherboard must communicate through drivers and if either the hard drive or motherboard are changed, then the drivers must be updated. There are different ideas on how to update these drivers for the operating system and these ideas include:

    [*]Windows Repair Install
    • Microsoft Support: How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
    • Michael Stevens: How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install


      =============================================================
      To set up XP now, press <Enter>
      F8=I agree

      =============================================================
      Windows XP Professional Setup
      =============================

      If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it.
      Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to select an installation.
      * To repair the selected Windows XP installation, press R.
      * To ocntinue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing, press ESC.

      Partition List
      C:\Windows "Microsoft Windows XP Professional"

      F3=Quit R=Repair ESC=Don't Repair
      =============================================================

      The correct action for a Repair is to select 'R' for Repair.


    [*]Slow System Startup
    • If the system seems to hang during startup, the problem may be a hardware/driver recognition problem.
    • Check any recently installed or reconfigured hardware for proper operation, connection to motherboard, and driver installation.


    [*]NVidia nForce4 NCQ Driver Causing Slow System Startup
    • If your system is taking a long time to startup, the problem may be with the NVidia nForce4 NCQ driver. If this is the case, all that is needed is to disable the NCQ driver property in Device Manager.
    • Go to device manager, look for the SCSI and RAID controller entry and double click the NVIDIA nForce4 Serial RAID Controller, click the Primary Channel tab and untick Enable Command Queuing. If you have a RAID setup, do the same on the Secondary Channel and then reboot.

    </OL
 
Farmer

Farmer

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2003
3,334
2
81
Birdpup:

Thanks for the help before on the hard drive issue. This deserves a sticky.
 
Fern

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
174
106
Originally posted by: Farmer
Birdpup:

Thanks for the help before on the hard drive issue. This deserves a sticky.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
B

birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
0
0
A major formatting overhaul took place that provides for easier viewing.
Thanks to mechBgon for showing me the potential of this forum's HTML formatting.

It is interesting to note that the quantity of hard drive failures and subsequent requests for data retrieval has greatly reduced these last two weeks. Considering the current end-of-summer and beginning-of-autumn season, this may show the importance of cooling hard drives during operation.
 
Googer

Googer

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
12,576
7
81
I have one issue here. It is the freezer method: Condensation from a rapidly warming hard drive will kill it. Why not just wait untill winter, turn off the heat, let the ambiant temperature hit 10° F, install a HDD Cooler/Heatsink, and then fire it up in the frigid air? You wont need to worry about mosture this way.

If you are running a prescott then dont worry about freezing your butt off, the TDP of that processor will keep you nice and toasty down in your basement.
 
K

KCEngineer

Member
Jul 1, 2001
57
0
0
Thanks for such an extensive and comprehensive post!

I am currently battling a hard drive failure and have tried several of the methods and steps you have mentioned. However, I could not get the drive to be recognized by any BIOS so I decided to take it to a local tech repair store. They indicated it was a bad circuit board, but they did not have a match and supposedly could not find a match (my drive is a 120GB Western Digital 8MB cache which they claimed was a "first generation" drive instead of the more current "third gen" drive).

Anyway, any suggestion(s) on my situation and how to do a board swap (means, methods, techniques, tricks, places to find replacements, etc.) would be much appreciated.


 
B

birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
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Originally posted by: KCEngineer
... They indicated it was a bad circuit board, but they did not have a match and supposedly could not find a match (my drive is a 120GB Western Digital 8MB cache which they claimed was a "first generation" drive instead of the more current "third gen" drive).

Anyway, any suggestion(s) on my situation and how to do a board swap (means, methods, techniques, tricks, places to find replacements, etc.) would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
I would suggest following the tech store's recommendation and finding another 120GB WD to swap the circuit board with. You should be able to find something from ebay with a search for:
western digital 120 gb
and possibly add a search for your drive's model number.

Then just switch the circuit boards and the drive will hopefully work.
 
K

KCEngineer

Member
Jul 1, 2001
57
0
0
Thanks for the reply. However, after more internet research I am even more confused. A post from ActionFront Forums here seems to indicate even if I find the same drive model (which is proving to be rather difficult) the firmware may or may not be compatible and might not allow data to be recovered. Any truth to this?



Originally posted by: birdpup
Originally posted by: KCEngineer
... They indicated it was a bad circuit board, but they did not have a match and supposedly could not find a match (my drive is a 120GB Western Digital 8MB cache which they claimed was a "first generation" drive instead of the more current "third gen" drive).

Anyway, any suggestion(s) on my situation and how to do a board swap (means, methods, techniques, tricks, places to find replacements, etc.) would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
I would suggest following the tech store's recommendation and finding another 120GB WD to swap the circuit board with. You should be able to find something from ebay with a search for:
western digital 120 gb
and possibly add a search for your drive's model number.

Then just switch the circuit boards and the drive will hopefully work.
Click to expand...

 
B

birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
0
0
Originally posted by: KCEngineer
Thanks for the reply. However, after more internet research I am even more confused. A post from ActionFront Forums here seems to indicate even if I find the same drive model (which is proving to be rather difficult) the firmware may or may not be compatible and might not allow data to be recovered. Any truth to this?
Click to expand...
This is possible. I do not have experience in this area to say for certain. If you find a possible drive on Ebay, for example, you could try asking the seller for the numbers on his circuit card and see if they match the numbers on your circuit card.
 
L

lukeles

Junior Member
Oct 5, 2005
7
0
0
I suggest a data recovery software.

DataRecoveryWizard is a complete range of data recovery software
for all Windows operating system platforms and supports various file
systems including FAT, FAT16, VFAT, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5 on
various storage media. DataRecoveryWizard ensures safe and precise
file recovery against numerous threats like accidental file deletion and
disk formatting and so on.

http://www.easeus.com/
 
T

tedkelly

Member
Oct 17, 2003
98
0
0
Thanks for the info.

You might edit to use the direct link to Penguin Blog - Why you should partition

Lots of other good practical info on computer issues at that site - Penguin Blog

Though after a couple hours looking I have yet to find a really good article on partition strategy. The Penguins one has some good info, and doesn't have lots of old or wrong info (like the Radified article and the one at Microsoft.com) - but as you say it's not really typical ... includes some stuff some wouldn't, leaves out some stuff.

Any other suggested links on partitioning strategy? Something between just having 2 partitions and having 13?

theEldergeek - lots of good info

I definitely plan to use a partition for temp files ... as much of the internet files, cookies, windows tmp, etc. as I can manage to move. Also wondering if a small separate partition for the pagefile makes sense.
 
B

birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
0
0
Originally posted by: tedkelly
You might edit to use the direct link to Penguin Blog - Why you should partition ...

Any other suggested links on partitioning strategy? Something between just having 2 partitions and having 13?
theEldergeek - lots of good info

... Also wondering if a small separate partition for the pagefile makes sense.
Click to expand...

Thank you for calling the link to my attention. I thought I had taken care of that but it seems I missed it. This has been changed now.

I used to create a separate partition for only the page file. I created a 4GB partition, which is the maximum Pagefile size created by Windows XP, and then transferred the pagefile over to that partition. I left the setting for windows to manage its own pagefile because I wanted to see if it would take over the partition but it did not. Through normal use, the pagefile never exceeded its default size of less than 1GB, which seemed to make it a useless endeavor to create a separate partition for this. I think if I was going to do this again, I would create the 4GB partition, then explicitly create a 3-4GB pagefile. But there is no way, that I know of, to know if Windows would even take advantage of this large pagefile or if the size of the pagefile would only serve slow down page memory seeking.
 
S

Slowlearner

Senior member
Mar 20, 2000
873
0
0
I am having a hard time saving this a document with active hyperlinks. Why cant this go into Anandtech's Howtos section - so that we have online access
 
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