Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here? Update..

[ajm]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

Thanks! I didn't understand the "Linux distro porteus" bit (i'll webbrowse it later tho) but i can do the physical extraction of the harddisc and pop it into an external casing for interrogation. I'll try that first i reckon.

If you have such a thing, that's going to be your easiest approach (I suggested the other one first because most people don't have a SATA-USB adapter lying around but do have a spare USB flash drive.)

 

[legrandefromage]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

As AJM said - HDD looks to be going, going, gone

Using a second operating system allows you to read the files stored by the original XP and save them to something else

In order to recover some files off my beloved HP, I used Linux 'Puppy' OS.

http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20a ... tarted.htm

Puppy (and others) are small enough to sit inside the RAM allowing the computer to essentially bootup without the hard drive. I then used it to find the files that I needed and transferred them to a memory stick.

Alternatively, buy a usb disc caddy and a new HDD. Install new HDD and XP back into your laptop, put the old HDD into the caddy, connect it up and hope it still works long enough to recover any wanted files.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-5-IDE-ATA-T ... 5400bf82cb

 

[RadNomad]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

OK i removed the harddisc and connected it to another laptop via an external casing (not the casing, just the wires and toffees..). The good laptop runs Windows 7 Enterprise OP and i have several flash drives and two external harddiscs which worked on both computers - until the XP machine failed. So plug-in devices seem compatible with both Operating Systems.

The good laptop regonizes the plug-in device (little sound when plugging in plus removable storage icon appears) but when i click on the icon it doesn't 'open' i just get the message in the first screenshop below. After clicking 'cancel' i get the message in the second screenshot. If i right-click the icon and check properties it shows a blue pie chart (full) but 0 bytes. I have not formatted or reformatted the harddisc. There is definately data on the harddisc but it seems invisible to the good laptop.

Basically i'm looking for a way to access the data on the harddisc, if possible. Any clues please? Or is it just toast? :? Thx!

 

[Neil]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

OK i removed the harddisc and connected it to another laptop via an external casing (not the casing, just the wires and toffees..). The good laptop runs Windows 7 Enterprise OP and i have several flash drives and two external harddiscs which worked on both computers - until the XP machine failed. So plug-in devices seem compatible with both Operating Systems.

The good laptop regonizes the plug-in device (little sound when plugging in plus removable storage icon appears) but when i click on the icon it doesn't 'open' i just get the message in the first screenshop below. After clicking 'cancel' i get the message in the second screenshot. If i right-click the icon and check properties it shows a blue pie chart (full) but 0 bytes. I have not formatted or reformatted the harddisc. There is definately data on the harddisc but it seems invisible to the good laptop.

Basically i'm looking for a way to access the data on the harddisc, if possible. Any clues please? Or is it just toast? :? Thx!

You could try some partition recovery tools - EASEUS do, or used to, a free one - it might get the partition mountable, then you may just be able to get any data off.

Soft formats don't tend to be that destructive, you may be able to recover some data afterwards, but I wouldn't truly count on it.

How important is whatever is on it?

 

[RadNomad]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

How important is whatever is on it?

Not highly critical data, but worth a try to salvage.. and i like a challenge

 

[Neil]

Re: Windows XP boot-up fail - any IT gurus here?

How important is whatever is on it?

Not highly critical data, but worth a try to salvage.. and i like a challenge

Well you could try this, not sure what the free version of this is good for - it's a good while since I've played with it.

Otherwise maybe payware - or some of the embedded Linux distros may have some disk tools - but may have precious little that will do much, write wise, with NTFS.

 

[highlandsflyer]

First thing I would aim to do is copy the whole drive with a tool like Norton Ghost. Beauty of that is you can play around with the data on a new drive avoiding the risk of a failing drive completely packing in whilst you are asking it to make sense of its bleeding entrails by putting them in the right order.

Likely has a hidden partition on it or something for the maker's recovery or such like. Messed up MBR or some such.

Like Neil suggested, run a utility that looks for such errors.

 

[integerspin]

I would look online for, I forget what it's called but it's along the lines of "the ultimate boot disk", it's a CD and has lot's of tools plus you can fire up linux from it.
I run Linux and copy anything that was important. If I can, I copy the entire drive, plug another drive into the system and copy to it.
If I couldn't fix windows I would re-install windows, don't go for the format option and when it's installed all your programmes and files should still be there and working.

 

[FluffyChicken]

HirensBootCD always came in hand for this sort if thing.