I have an external hard drive that i use as storage. It does have an OS on it and (before this mess) will boot up. It has since crashed. Is there a way to recover the data without booting it up? (or trying to anyway)
I am a former computer tech and network engineer but never had dealings with this. We backed up everything so if a HD failed, out the window it went and just buy a new one.
thanks
B
You don't need to boot it. Since it's external it could just be the bridge (USB or firewire?) thats faulty. I'd remove it from the enclosure and plug it in to an IDE channel.
I have done that… put it in the box as the master but still doesnt boot. I am just hopeing that there is a way i could recover it from the external box which is connected through USB. It sounds like that is not possible which means now i have to put it back in the box. This is where i am lost. I dont know which software to use and how to use it.
thanks
B
Excuse me, bman, but I still can't understand what you intend. Do you want to reboot the HD or not? In case you just want to take data out of it without booting it… where exactly is the problem? Can't you mount the drive to copy data, or is it erased?? Sorry but I didn't quite understand.
I want to get the info off of it. But it doesnt show when i hook it up as a second slave drive, as an external through USB, or if it is the master. It has an OS on it and if working correctly would boot, but i cant even get it to show up as a storage drive. It spins, it doesnt click…so i am assuming it is the board.
Bman, on the USB external's I'ved used, the drive had to be a Master. Cable select is iffy, and slave won't work. Also, I have had some drives that would work with one external carrier, but not another.
The drive might also be visable to a Linux Live CD but not to Windows. Can't explain it, but sometimes. . . .
It worked fine in the external for awhile. It just doesnt read anymore. Thats why i believe it may be the board