After EaseUS deep scan can't find my files :(

[Barefoot_Wanderer]

Hi All

I've got a Maxtor 80GB HD from 2002 and it failed in 2004. I've kept it in the hope that one day I can get important text documents off it (I'm a writer).

I scanned it with EaseUs 5.8 a few years ago while the HD was still broke (clicking noise and not booting or being detected) and got 40 out of 80gb (the hard drive was quite full. Looked for the files I wanted and only found a few.

Yesterday, after doing some research on utube I found out how to stop the clicking noise by removing the cover and sliding the "stylus" back to the starting point. The hard drive stopped clicking so tried another EaseUs scan, found a few more files but nowhere near the number I was after, about 50 still missing.

The file type I'm looking for are Rich Text Documents (RTF) - these were what I used for my writing. I'm currently scanning the drive again with a more up to date application EaseUS 11.9 and it's been at it for a few hours so maybe it will find more but I'm not that hopeful, looks like the files might have gone. The drive hasn't been reformatted just stopped working and shoved into a draw. The drive is operating now (without clicking) but there are no files visible until after a deep scan. Reads as an empty drive/new drive would.

I have 2 questions:

Even though the files are not visible is it possible, now the drive is working, to be able to boot it in the old pc it was in? e.g. if I do a windowsXP recovery ?? I'm comfortable reinstalling windows/reformating or recovery modes etc. just not been in the position of fixing a clicking hard drive then trying to get it to reboot without its files being visible.

If after this current scan I'm still left with these missing files, apart from sending it to the professionals, what can I do next? Is there more sophisticated software out there which might recover these files?

Hope you can point me in the right direction, thanks in advance,

Barefoot.

 

[Jared]

[post]13552[/post] Yesterday, after doing some research on utube I found out how to stop the clicking noise by removing the cover and sliding the "stylus" back to the starting point. The hard drive stopped clicking so tried another EaseUs scan, found a few more files but nowhere near the number I was after, about 50 still missing.

I'm sorry but nothing you say here makes any sense or is even plausibly believable.

If there is any bit of truth to what you've typed here, then I should mention that your entire approach to data recovery is 100% backward and just plain wrong.

Priority #1 in data recovery is always, always, always, ALWAYS!!!! to clone or image the data onto healthy media. EaseUS (or any other data recovery software) should never be allowed anywhere near a failing hard drive. Logical recovery with software is only ever to be performed against healthy working media you've cloned it to. Had you done this in the first place, you'd have probably recovered 90-100% of the data on the first attempt.

Check out my ddrescue guide here: how-to-clone-a-hard-drive-with-bad-sectors-using-ddrescue-t133.html

If you can't clone it in ddrescue, you're beyond hope of DIY recovery.

 

[Barefoot_Wanderer]

Thanks for link Jared, I have a Knoppix live cd somewhere I'll try what you suggested and let you know what happens.

As far as whether or not I was telling the truth about taking apart the hard drive and fixing the clicking noise, I followed this tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Y7BniaRXg&t=109s

fixed the hard drive, ie it stopped clicking and when another Easeus scan was done more files were found just not all of them.

When the hard drive first failed I presumed it had broken completely, a mechanical failure. It wasn't until I did an EaseUs scan did I realise that it was still partially working, if i'd known more information maybe I would have cloned it then. I didn't so here we are.

 

[Jared]

Maxtor drives never get head stuck. I've never, ever seen a single case. So if you followed that "totorial" all you did is screw around inside and make things worse. If your drive was spinning in the first place (which it must have been to be running easeus against it) then this was just idiotic to try.

 

[Barefoot_Wanderer]

I just checked - it's a seagate not maxtor, my mistake.

 

[Barefoot_Wanderer]

Jared, If I clone the hard drive will it copy the files which are inaccessible? - There are currently no files visible and only a deep scan (EaseUs) shows that there are files. Help appreciated.

 

[Joep]

OMG that YT idiot. Over 7 million views, sigh.

Cloning primary goal is to get as much data as possible to another disk or image file. If files will be there after cloning is not the question, cloning is the priority in itself. Cloning does not care about files, it copies sectors, initially in a sequential fashion so the disk is stressed as little as possible, where file recovery goes back and forth, back again etc. ect.. Cloning software does not know and does not care what it is copying. First get the clone, then worry about the rest.

No one can tell in advance if files will be recoverable, but you have at least a stable starting point to attempt recovery.