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Unoriginal Name · 10-23-2011, 10:16 AM

My dad called me the other day and told me that his computer is giving him a Disk Boot Failure message when starting up. I went over there yesterday and everything looked to be connected inside. I am going to get a spare SATA cable and replace the existing one to be sure that the cable hasn't gone bad.

But on the chance that it hasn't gone bad and the hard drive is what is going bad they have no problem with buying a new computer, in fact they have been talking about getting a new one anyway since this one is getting pretty old. My mom's concern is that is there a way to get what is on that hard drive off? We had been recently talking about her backing up the hard drive but she hadn't done it yet.

Anyway, if the drive has gone bad and they need to replace it how do they go about pulling the stuff off the old one? Is it even possible?

Thanks!

snepp · 10-23-2011, 02:50 PM

Easiest way is to buy a SATA-to-USB adapter, they can be had for less than 20 bucks. Remove the old drive and use the adapter to connect it to the new PC. Assuming that the drive is still functional they should be able to access most (if not all) of their data.

They could also try to do a repair install, that will rebuild the boot portion of the drive. Might allow them to get the PC booted to copy their stuff off onto an external or flash drive.

Mabster · 10-23-2011, 06:18 PM

If the HDD is spinning then connecting it to another PC with a USB adapter should let you pull the data off.

If it's the mechanical function of the drive that has failed and it simply won't spin up anymore the data can be recovered but it's expensive. It involves taking the HDD apart, removing the disks and remounting the disks in a new housing.

Before going the expensive route though here's a trick you can try if it's not spinning. Freeze it. Seriously, I've done it and it works. You'll only get the drive to spin for 20-30 minutes but it should be enough time to pull the data off you need. Just make sure you put in a ziplock bag to prevent moisture getting to it and put it in the freezer for two hours or longer. Make sure you're ready with the other PC on to recover the data because like I said you only have a limited amount of time.

Unoriginal Name · 10-30-2011, 07:40 PM

I have one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=usb-dsc5

I connected the hard drive to another computer. It shows up under the Device Manager but it does not show up under My Computer.

I checked Disk Management and it shows up there but it wants to initialize it. That scares me to do...sounds like it will erase it.

What do I do? If it helps the hard drive was used under Windows XP and the new computer is Windows 7.

Thanks!

Burns11 · 10-30-2011, 08:13 PM

No, do not initialize.

Download and use this: http://findandmount.com

ehh · 10-30-2011, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unoriginal Name


	It shows up under the Device Manager but it does not show up under My Computer. I checked Disk Management and it shows up there but it wants to initialize it. That scares me to do...sounds like it will erase it.

I have seen instances where you have to manually assign a drive letter in disk management, did you try that?

Also, the PC you are connecting the USB-to-SATA to, is it a laptop? I've seen problems where the USB bus on a laptop doesn't have enough juice to properly power the USB-to-SATA kit.

Unoriginal Name · 11-01-2011, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	I have seen instances where you have to manually assign a drive letter in disk management, did you try that? Also, the PC you are connecting the USB-to-SATA to, is it a laptop? I've seen problems where the USB bus on a laptop doesn't have enough juice to properly power the USB-to-SATA kit.

I had read about needing to manually assign a drive letter but I didn't see that option. I will check again tomorrow when I am over. there.

The PC is a desktop, not a laptop. The USB-to-SATA also has its own power supply which I am using to make sure the hard drive is powered.

Unoriginal Name · 11-04-2011, 06:08 PM

No option to change the drive letter.

Going to try Burns' link.

10-23-2011, 10:16 AM	#1
Unoriginal Name Pro OVR: 8 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Illinois	Disk Boot Failure My dad called me the other day and told me that his computer is giving him a Disk Boot Failure message when starting up. I went over there yesterday and everything looked to be connected inside. I am going to get a spare SATA cable and replace the existing one to be sure that the cable hasn't gone bad. But on the chance that it hasn't gone bad and the hard drive is what is going bad they have no problem with buying a new computer, in fact they have been talking about getting a new one anyway since this one is getting pretty old. My mom's concern is that is there a way to get what is on that hard drive off? We had been recently talking about her backing up the hard drive but she hadn't done it yet. Anyway, if the drive has gone bad and they need to replace it how do they go about pulling the stuff off the old one? Is it even possible? Thanks!

10-23-2011, 02:50 PM	#2
snepp We'll waste him too. OVR: 32 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 10,008 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Disk Boot Failure Easiest way is to buy a SATA-to-USB adapter, they can be had for less than 20 bucks. Remove the old drive and use the adapter to connect it to the new PC. Assuming that the drive is still functional they should be able to access most (if not all) of their data. They could also try to do a repair install, that will rebuild the boot portion of the drive. Might allow them to get the PC booted to copy their stuff off onto an external or flash drive. __________________ Member of The OS Baseball Rocket Scientists Association

10-23-2011, 06:18 PM	#3
Mabster Crunchy OVR: 7 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 7,669	Re: Disk Boot Failure If the HDD is spinning then connecting it to another PC with a USB adapter should let you pull the data off. If it's the mechanical function of the drive that has failed and it simply won't spin up anymore the data can be recovered but it's expensive. It involves taking the HDD apart, removing the disks and remounting the disks in a new housing. Before going the expensive route though here's a trick you can try if it's not spinning. Freeze it. Seriously, I've done it and it works. You'll only get the drive to spin for 20-30 minutes but it should be enough time to pull the data off you need. Just make sure you put in a ziplock bag to prevent moisture getting to it and put it in the freezer for two hours or longer. Make sure you're ready with the other PC on to recover the data because like I said you only have a limited amount of time. __________________ Oakland Athletics San Jose Sharks

10-30-2011, 07:40 PM	#4
Unoriginal Name Pro OVR: 8 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Illinois	Re: Disk Boot Failure I have one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=usb-dsc5 I connected the hard drive to another computer. It shows up under the Device Manager but it does not show up under My Computer. I checked Disk Management and it shows up there but it wants to initialize it. That scares me to do...sounds like it will erase it. What do I do? If it helps the hard drive was used under Windows XP and the new computer is Windows 7. Thanks!

10-30-2011, 08:13 PM	#5
Burns11 Greatness Has Arrived OVR: 16 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,409	Re: Disk Boot Failure No, do not initialize. Download and use this: http://findandmount.com

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11-04-2011, 06:08 PM	#8
Unoriginal Name Pro OVR: 8 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Illinois	Re: Disk Boot Failure No option to change the drive letter. Going to try Burns' link.