Hard drive woes

[keith4444]

Hi Guys,

Got a laptop in last week which is running XP MC edition but gives the following errors on startup:

MULTI(0)DISK(0)RDISK(0)PARTITION(2)\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\NTKRNLPA.EXE

MISSING OR CORRUPT:
<WINDOWS ROOT>SYSTEM32\NTOSKRNL.EXE

It will not boot in safe mode either.

now I have tried to copy a new version of the above file across from the XP disk but still no joy. I've used the UBCD and run tests on the drive (seagate) and it fails with 99 errors. I'm coming around to the fact this drive is dead BUT how can I get the files off of it? I've tried connecting it up to another PC via a usb cable and it reads the drive VERY slowly and then as i try and drill down into the folders (most are empty so it says) it throws up errors saying it cannot access the drive. I've used spinrite 6 to try and repair it and also various "data recovery" programs I have but NONE have managed to get the files the customer wants (personal documents in the "my documents" folder)
Am I wasting my time or is there a way I can get the data off?

Yours hopefully!

Keith

[admin]

Hi Keith

Here is a thread I found with some people with the same problem, and some solutions:

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic74955.html

[keith4444]

Hi Admin,

Many thanks for the speedy reply!
I have tried the expand command from within the recovery console a few days ago. I just tried to access the recovery console again to run checkdisk but its now asking me for an administrators password. The owner of this laptop doesnt use a password to log on so what could be the administrators password and why has it started asking me for it now when I didnt need it the other day??

Any advice welcome!

Keith

[admin]

Strange why it has started asking for the password when you have not been asked before. Could you run checkdisk before without the need for a password?

[keith4444]

I did manage to run checkdisk before.

Further developments since I last posted........

I tried to do a repair installation using the windows CD but it failed due to drive C: being "corrupt" so windows couldn't continue.

I assume now that this drive is totally beyond saving? I have ordered a replacement drive for the client but just frustrated I cannot get their files off of this drive as i can see some files and folders on there!

Any suggestions before I give up trying to recover the data?

Keith

[admin]

If you can see files on it they are recoverable, if you can see them the drive must be running, how are you seeing them? are you running it from another PC. If you can get access to it, if you have not done so already, go to: http://www.piriform.com/recuva and download Recuva and run it. See how you get on.

[keith4444]

Thanks again for the help

I have tried numerous file recovery programs to retrieve these files, I can see the directories I need (my documents folders) but they all show up as empty??? I know there are files in there but trying to access through explorer (using a USB adaptor) it just freezes my machine then tells me it cannot acces the drive due to an I/O error.

I've even tried freezing the drive in the freezer to see if that helps!

I will now try this recuva program and let you know how I get on!

Keith

[keith4444]

Ok I ran recuva and left it going 24 hours. It found a bunch of files and said that quite a few were good and recoverable but when I went to recover them it looked as I'd it was doing it then at the end said no files could be recovered?

Anything I'm doing wrong here? I did select deep scan at the start.

Help!

Keith

[admin]

Hi

Have a look at this: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-r ... vista-2010

I am talking to someone who described the same problems as you and he had that virus in his machine.

[keith4444]

Hi admin,

Thanks for the reply however I cannot even bot this drive into ANY form of windows therefore I am unable to run MBAM.
Also would a virus prevent me accessing the drive through a USB adaptor? I thought windows had to be running for these "hijack"type rougue programs to run?



Thanks

Keith

[Sangean]

Hi there

This is my first post, so hello everyone. I only recently started learning about laptops/computers, so I don't know as much as others here. However, I saw this thread and it seems similar to something I have experienced. Apologies if this sounds a bit amateurish.

Anyway, perhaps you could try a freeware program called Unstoppable Copier (http://www.roadkil.net). I have used it successfully to get files off a 60GB laptop hard drive with many bad clusters, and which was causing the machine to run very slowly or just freeze. The same thing happened when I attached it to my desktop machine via a USB cable. I also tried Recuva, which took AGES, but it found nothing recoverable (sorry, no pun intended). However, I just put this down to my lack of experience in this sort of thing.

I looked through some computer magazines and found a mention of this Unstoppable Copier program. It sounded a bit unlikely, but I downloaded it and it found files quickly once you specified a target location.

The hard drive came off a machine I bought off eBay, just to dabble with and learn on. Anyway Keith, your experience sounded similar, regarding the slow/freezing drive, so thought I would mention this.

This really is a great forum, with lots of good information! It is very much early days for me, but having done the laptop repair course I would like to perhaps venture into computer repair as my current day job is looking a bit shaky....!

Take care.

[keith4444]

Hi Sangaen

Welcome to the forum and many thanks for making your first post on my thread!

I am open to any suggestions to get the files off of this drive, its becoming a sort of mission impossible for me to find a way of getting anything recovered from it!

I will certainly try the program you mentioned and will report back, if it works you can send me your address and I will send you a beer LOL

Thanks again

Keith

[Sangean]

Hi Keith

Well in that case, I hope you get it working!

One tip: having had my machine freeze up so often when trying to access anything on the duff drive, I made sure I didn't do anything to it (like clicking on it) once it was plugged into the USB port. As soon as Windows saw it, I opened up the Copier program and away I/it went.

Best of luck.

All the best,
Alan (aka sangean)