Data Dump Help??

[rx7000]

This post is for a friend, not myself. Heres the problem.

He got a second hard drive to use as a data dump, his first hard drive is petitioned. He transfered all his music games etc to the new harddrive, the formatted the first hard drive so he could make it non partitioned and reinstall windows. Now that he reinstalled windows, its showing his data dump hard drive as only having the space left that his data files didnt use, but it isnt showing his files, its basically showing a blank hard drive and the space he took up and the files he sent are looking like there not even on it.

How do you make it show up as a normal drive ready to go without having to formatt it etc??

Thanks for the help in advance, hes really freaking out and posting on some tech support forum where I think they have more good intentions then they do actual knowledge.

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[Toejam31]

A couple of comments.

First off, formatting a hard drive does not remove partitions. In fact, without a partition (at least one!) there is nothing that <i>can</i> be formatted. All hard drives must be partitioned and formatted before they can accept data. Without a partition, there is no way to tell the computer where and what kind of file system should be created during the format. Nor can a non-partitioned drive be assigned a drive letter.

There are several possibilities as to why the files aren't showing up on the second hard drive ... but without seeing it myself, or having additional information about the system, I won't even try to speculate.

In this case, I'd suggest trying out some kind of file recovery software, and see if this solves the problem. I prefer a tool like <A HREF="http://www.ontrack.com/easyrecoveryprofessional/" target="_new">Ontrack Easy Recovery Pro</A>, which I've used successfully several times in the past when working on other systems.

In addition, a program such as <A HREF="http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/" target="_new">Partition Magic</A> might be able to move the unseen data to another, new partition on a separate drive (perhaps the first hard drive), or possibly repair the current partition master boot record on the second drive, if there is damage, which may be the case in this situation.

Toey

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[rx7000]

Ok I know you need one petition, and formatting his harddrive did take care of the multiple partitions he made on it, before getting the second hard drive he had two forty gig sections but now that he has the second harddrive, he just wants it to be one big one, he formatted and reinstalled windows on the first harddrive which is fine now. Lets not go off in the wrong direction...

Basically what was asked is, if you have a hard drive with data on it, how do you hook it up and start reading off of it without having to formatt it. <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Rx7000 on 02/14/05 01:06 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Toejam31]

Normally, if you hook up a drive that has been previously formatted with a file system that is supported by the operating system, the OS will detect the drive, assign a drive letter, and any data on the disc will be visible and accessible. It may not be accessible if it was previously encrypted ... but that's another slant on the subject.

If the data is not visible, or the problem is severe enough that the partition/hard drive has not been assigned a drive letter, then what is likely to be wrong is that the partition table has been damaged.

Usually, third-party software is used at this point to attempt a <A HREF="http://www.google.com/search?as_q=repair+partition+table&num=100&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=lang_en&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images" target="_new">repair</A> of the partition, and/or recover the data.

Typical programs for partition repair are something like this; <A HREF="http://www.handyarchive.com/Utilities/Disk-Utilities/15545-Partition-Table-Doctor.html" target="_new">Partition Table Doctor 3.0</A> or <A HREF="http://www.partition-recovery.com/partition.htm" target="_new">Active Partition Recovery</A>.

You should be aware, though, that no software of this kind can be considered to be 100% effective, and may not work as advertised. That's why I prefer to use something like the Ontrack software to try and recover the data, and then use more standard methods to simply wipe the drive and recreate any lost partitions. Afterwards, I wouldn't trust the drive, even if new, until it had been thoroughly tested by a reliable software utility from the drive manufacturer, and I'd also recommend a low level format or erasure, just in case the drive had bad sectors, which can sometimes occur simply from rough handling, such as during shipping. I regularly low level format and test all new drives before installation in a system, just to avoid problems of this nature.

Personally, I think no new drive should be trusted with data that cannot easily be replaced, (unless the data was previously backed up by other means), until the drive has been low level formatted, tested, and then used for regular data transfers at least a week. Sometimes you don't have an option, or that much time available, but it's still a good rule of thumb.

It's also a good idea to have only one HDD connected to a cable when installing an operating system. Other discs can be added later, after the OS is installed. Mistakes can happen during a partitioning process, even to the most experienced user.

Toey

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[Codesmith]

Nothing is needed to recognize/use a formated partion on a hard drive.

If it was readable before he reinstalled his os, and he didn't do anything to it, then its still readable.

Formating doesn't allow an OS to recognize a partion, formating erases all the data on a partion and setup up its files system.

Its possible that he installed a version of windows that cannot see the partion because its >127GB or NTFS. In which case he needs to update to XP SP1a.

My guess is that at some point he accidentally formated his data dump drive.

However the data is not gone until something else is written on the same spot on the hard drive. However many recovery tools require a 2nd drive to store the recovered files.


No changes made to his 1st drive will have any effect on the 2nd.

Nothing specail needs to be done to get the reinstalled OS to recognize his 2nd hard drive.

My guess is that he accidentally formated the wrong drive/partition.

 

[Toejam31]

It's because he mentioned that the free space showing on the drive is minus the space allocated by the previously transferred files that I made the guess that the partition table might be damaged ... instead of thinking that the partition has been formatted.

It would have been nice to have had some system specifications, such as the operating system previously installed, and the version of Windows used after the format. Simple details make all the difference. But without being able to drag that out of the user, I just didn't feel inclined to play fifty questions. Guess I've lost my taste for ESP troubleshooting.

In any case, it's fairly obvious that partitioning and formatting is something still a bit confusing for both individuals. Anyone who thinks that a standard format of a drive removes partitions needs to read up on the subject. As I'm sure you'll agree.

Toey

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