OT: Computer prob-HD repair

Iv'e got an older HD with apparantly corrupted FAT or boot sector. Bios sees it, but Windoze doesn't. Can't run Fdisk-doesn't see the
drive. Googled, but ran out of patience with all the 'free download' BS. I need a free program that works, not a hobbled demo that does nothing. This is not a mission-critical project JR Dweller in the cellar -------------------------------------------------------------- Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses -------------------------------------------------------------- Dependence is Vulnerability: -------------------------------------------------------------- "Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal" "I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."
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On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:33:29 -0800, JR North

I had almost exactly the same problem a few weeks ago while installing a new SATA drive on a box that previously had only PATA drives. The drive would show up in the boot sequence screens, and in the BIOS setup, but neither Windows nor Windows install could see it. Resetting the BIOS to default settings fixed it, even though the reset didn't make any changes to the BIOS directly related to hard drive settings.
Before messing with the BIOS, have you tried fdisk from DOS? http://www.bootdisk.com /
--
Ned Simmons

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good luck with that.
Why does all software that people want to do real work have to be free at the same time?
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Why not? Good software, like good sex, should be free.
Outside of my work, I made many thousands of $$ with completely free software. I do not even work hard for this.
As to JR, he may be better off buying another HD, installing his current one as slave, reinstalling an OS on the new HD, and then recovering the data from the old one.
He may also want to stick this HD into another computer.
I would be surprised to see that only the boot sector got corrupted.
i
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On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:32:27 -0600, Ignoramus12856

Likewise. He'll be lucky to get any data off either.
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There are many thousands of people who write free software programs, whose products are available to all for free.
I am one of them.
I wrote two GNU copyrighted programs which are used by many years. Both are a source of income for me, in two different ways. I provide services based on one program and use another in my internal projects. Both are available for anyone under GPL.
One is inherently designed to be used for money making purposes (Net::eBay perl module) and I am totally fine with people making money with it.
I do not think that I should be compensated for every brain cell movement.
So when you say "whoever... should be compensated", apparently does not quite apply to all people.

I am afraid that I will not grasp this false concept.

Why, I am familiar with the feeling, having written some free software. That people use my product, makes me rather happy even if I am not paid.

There might be some truth to this.
i
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I meant "many people", not "many years", sorry, bad editing.
i

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If Ned's suggestion doesn't help... you might try Parted Magic:
http://partedmagic.com /
I downloaded the iso for a CD and burned one on my new/old computer I'm trying to setup with Ubuntu. It seemed to boot and work fine to repartion the drive and such. At least the price is right for giving it a whirl...
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI | Zone 5b
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I backup my systems to multiple drives. I have a stack of 40GB to 250GB drives removed from Dish Network and Direct TV PVRs purchased at swap meets and thrift stores for less than $10. So far I haven't bought one with a defective drive. I did get snookered on one where someone had already removed the drive..........Paul
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On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:33:29 -0800, JR North

You will want one of the Linux disk repair CDs that are downloadable from the internet...such as :
http://practical-tech.com/operating-system/linux/the-best-linux-system-repair-disk-graduates-to-10 /
Work very well.
Download here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/systemrescuecd/files/sysresccd-x86 /
Gunner
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I've had luck at times with spinrite. It isn't free, sorry.
Wes
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Go to the Mfg.'s site and download their low-level format utility...unless you need the data.
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I've done that with a seagate and had it fix the boot sector. All the data was still there afterwards. Karl
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JR North wrote:

It's been a while since I had a similar problem and my memory is rather faded with DOS now I reckon you need to format the boot sector IIRC the dos command is FDISK/MBR
Not sure if this will help if fdisk cant see the drive.
--
Kevin (Bluey)
"I'm not young enough to know everything."
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Depending on how valuable the data is to you, you may want to consider stopping dicking around with the drive (and quite possibly making it worse), and shipping it off to a shop that REALLY knows what their doing, like Seagate Data Recovery, which has saved a few of my customer's asses.
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Here's Easus Data Recovery, a beta version, given away as freeware: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/EaseUs-Data-Recovery-Wizard.shtml
I've had good luck with DFSee http://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/index.php DFSee is difficult to learn how to use, but if there isn't an electronic problem with the hard drive or an area of the disk that was physically damaged, DFSee will recover it. The download is fully functional. What you get for registration is the software author's step by step customized instructions on how to use his software to repair your hard drive. You've got a lot of reading otherwise, but DFSee will get your data back.
RWL
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I have recovered quite a number of hard drives using DFSee, www.dfsee.com. This isn't freeware, but you CAN use it for a limited time. If you buy into it, you can get a bootable CD image that works for IDE drives and for some, but not all, USB drives. It's not for file system tyros, you have to know what the basic structures are for the file system you're trying to repair. It will rewrite botched boot sectors and file structures, I've used it to recover USB sticks where Windows rewrote the device type and they became invisible to Windows. I've added it to Bart's PE to make up a CD/DVD that I can use to repair otherwise non-bootable machines. That's been handy for defanging and recovering infested Windows boxes. On otherwise unrecoverable disks with hard sector errors, you can set the file system type in the program and recover what files you can to another hard drive, obviously you'll need another of the same size or bigger. I use it to regularly make exact copies of my system drives for backup purposes, if a machine goes down due to a bad drive, I can pop the backup in and be working in minutes. Registration also gets you personal help with your disk problem from the author.
Your problem sounds like my experience with the device types on the USB sticks.
Stan
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Download the utilities from one of the hard drive makers. Every function you will need is there, and they are free! They don't even have to be the same maker as you're hard drive!
Steve R.
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The Universal Boot CD (whcih can also be instlale donto a USB stick) is a very handy and well worthwhile freebie download for anyone fixing computers. http://www.ubcd4win.com / Geoff
On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:33:29 -0800, JR North

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