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    #1

    Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

    I lost a hard drive a week ago, and the system don't recognize it any more. I
    can not mount it. When I boot up the drive light stays on 24/7. Can anyone tell
    me if I use one of those rescue CDs could I recover files from that drive even
    tho I can not mount it? Or is that just wishful thinking!
    If recovery is possible using the rescue CDs is there one that's better than
    the others?

    Here are some rescue CDs I have found at Distrowatch:
    Ubuntu Rescue Remix
    SystemRescueCd

    Thanks in advance. fireboy
    Tags: None
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    #2
    Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

    It's unlikely a rescue CD will help you with a hardware failure, I'm afraid. You might try booting up with a live CD but if the drive's toast no software utility is gonna help.

    Sorry I didn't have better news -
    we see things not as they are, but as we are.
    -- anais nin
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      #3
      Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

      Don't give up yet. A couple of tricks that have worked for me in the past. Number one is to check the cables going to the hard drive and replace them. Sometimes a faulty cable will will be the only problem. This is especially true of older IDE drives. Sometimes merely unplugging them, and plugging them back in will correct the problem. We are dealing with micro voltages here, and the slightest bit of a bad connection can cause failure. If that fails, take the hard drive out of the computer and put it in the freezer overnight. The next morning reinstall it and if it mounts up, work fast to recover your data. It will quit again as soon as it warms up. This has only worked for me about 25% of the time.

      Finally, if the hard drive failed due to some component on the circuit board going bad you can try this. If the hard drive failed due to a mechanical problem it won't work. Go on Ebay and see if you can find an identical hard drive. Must be absolutely identical. Remove the circuit board from both drives and swap them. This is really not that hard to do and what do you have to lose? This will work only if the problem is the circuit board.

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        #4
        Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

        Originally posted by Detonate
        Don't give up yet. A couple of tricks that have worked for me in the past. Number one is to check the cables going to the hard drive and replace them. Sometimes a faulty cable will will be the only problem. This is especially true of older IDE drives. Sometimes merely unplugging them, and plugging them back in will correct the problem. We are dealing with micro voltages here, and the slightest bit of a bad connection can cause failure. If that fails, take the hard drive out of the computer and put it in the freezer overnight. The next morning reinstall it and if it mounts up, work fast to recover your data. It will quit again as soon as it warms up. This has only worked for me about 25% of the time.

        Finally, if the hard drive failed due to some component on the circuit board going bad you can try this. If the hard drive failed due to a mechanical problem it won't work. Go on Ebay and see if you can find an identical hard drive. Must be absolutely identical. Remove the circuit board from both drives and swap them. This is really not that hard to do and what do you have to lose? This will work only if the problem is the circuit board.
        All good suggestions

        If the hard drive isn't recognized by BIOS it's either a power cable, data cable or controller board failure. The persistent drive light kinda points to controller board, but even that's not certain.
        we see things not as they are, but as we are.
        -- anais nin
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          #5
          Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

          I forgot to mention, that to try installing the hard drive in a different computer. Because the problem could be with the controller on the motherboard.
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            #6
            Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

            Links

            Testing

            > How to Test Your Hard Drive with Smartmontools
            > Ubuntu Documentation Smartmontools


            Rescue - diy (If the data is valuable, there are companies for that...)

            > RESCUE Partitions & Data
            > HOWTO: Rescue data from hard disk
            Before you edit, BACKUP !

            Why there are dead links ?
            1. Thread: Please explain how to access old kubuntu forum posts
            2. Thread: Lost Information
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              #7
              Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

              Originally posted by Detonate
              If that fails, take the hard drive out of the computer and put it in the freezer overnight. The next morning reinstall it and if it mounts up, work fast to recover your data. It will quit again as soon as it warms up. This has only worked for me about 25% of the time.
              Cool trick, I haven't heard of that one before.

              Regards...
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                #8
                Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

                Originally posted by ardvark71
                Originally posted by Detonate
                If that fails, take the hard drive out of the computer and put it in the freezer overnight. The next morning reinstall it and if it mounts up, work fast to recover your data. It will quit again as soon as it warms up. This has only worked for me about 25% of the time.
                Cool trick, I haven't heard of that one before.

                Regards...
                'cool' trick indeed! This is a laymans variation on a standard industry practice. If a fault is thought to be down to an overheating componant, we would run the device on the bench, and use a can of freezer spray to locate the duff part. Freezer spray will instantly take the parts down to well below what a freezer can (some -30C i think) and is directed to the specific suspect part. If it cures the fault, we then change the part.

                If you have a small electric camping fridge, you may be able to put the frozen drive in it to extend the time you have to recover the files by delaying its warming up
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                  #9
                  Re: Lost a harddrive, can a rescue cd recover my files?

                  Thanks to everybody for all your help, I'm trying to find another hard drive.
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