Strange issue trying to recover data from HDD

Stephen_129

Commendable
Dec 30, 2016
3
0
1,510
Hi all,

Thanks for reading and any assistance.

So, I've got a win 7, 2.5" SATA HDD that I've trying to recover data from.

When you plug it into the enclosure, it takes awhile for it to be recognized. The recovery partition is recognized first and is accessible. The primary partition will eventually show up but is not accessible in that when you go to access it, whether in disk Management or just through the GUI in Windows explorer and it will just hang for over three hours (longest I've waited).

However, I was able to see that it is RAW format.

So even trying to use testdisk, it will just stall on waiting.

So it seems to me that it has some bad sectors but I cannot run any chkdsk to attempt a repair since it is in RAW.

I did try it on a usb Linux distro and it read! I was able to access and see all the files but unfortunately was not prepared and only had one USB port available so I could not transfer anything. When I got my USB splitter out, of course it would not work again.

Oh, and it was from a dropped laptop but the HDD shows no signs of damage other than the issue I've outlined.

Again, thanks for reading and any assistance.
 
Hey there, Stephen.

You did pretty well with what you've tried so far. I really do like the Linux option as well, because it tends to help with RAW partitions more often than not. Could you give it a try once again with a different computer without using a USB splitter. If it's not externally powered, it's quite possible for the USB port not be able to power both devices at once.
If that doesn't help, since you've already tried data recovery software while booted to Windows, you could try some data recovery tools which have a bootable option, to see if you'd be able to get to those files this way.
And last but not least, unfortunately, if nothing seems to help, you could always go for the professional option and contact a data recovery company.

Hope that helps. Good luck!
Boogieman_WD
 

Stephen_129

Commendable
Dec 30, 2016
3
0
1,510


Hi Boogieman,

Thanks for your response. The USB splitter does have an external power supply - nevertheless I did try it on a different machine, minus splitter, with the same result (not able to mount - telling me to run chkdsk on Windows) from Mint.

Do you have any recommendations for a data recovery tool that has a boot option?

Thanks again.
 
Unfortunately I won't be able to recommend a specific tool you can use, I can't recommend products and devices, which are not under the WD brand. However, most of the popular data recovery tools have a bootable disk option. If that doesn't help, you could lookup some info on the web about it.

Once again, sorry for the inconvenience.
 

Stephen_129

Commendable
Dec 30, 2016
3
0
1,510


I understand, I appreciate your time and advice. Thanks again