Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

How do I recover my data from 1 TB Hard Disk?

Mar 16, 2018 5:43AM PDT

My Hard Disk isn't working since 7 years and I have data in it up to 1 TB. Can anyone suggest how to recover the data from it?

Website link removed by moderator.

Post was last edited on March 16, 2018 5:59 AM PDT

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
check in BIOS
Mar 16, 2018 10:11AM PDT

Does it see the drive? If not, then there's not much you can do. If it does see the drive, then boot a Linux LIVE DVD (mint, ubuntu, others) and the file manager in that will allow you to see and remove the files you want to save to backup media or another drive in the computer.

- Collapse -
System not detecting
Mar 16, 2018 10:06PM PDT

James, the system isn't detecting the Hard Disk.

- Collapse -
YOu checked it using Disk Manager?
Mar 16, 2018 11:07PM PDT

Download a copy of stand alone GParted which you can burn to a CD and boot to it from the optical drive. If this can't access the drive, then the only way you can recover data is expensive drive recovery company which can scan the platter/s themselves to recover any data.

- Collapse -
If it can't be seen by BIOS
Mar 16, 2018 11:08PM PDT

then I double anything will access the drive. The data may still be on the media, but the drives control hardware is failed.

- Collapse -
Answer
You can
Mar 16, 2018 7:05AM PDT

Put the HDD in an USB enclosure and give Recuva a go.
I would get Recuva from the maker Here> Recuva 

Do Not Download this from Download.com

- Collapse -
Wise Data
Mar 20, 2018 7:56PM PDT

In my one attempt to recover from a phone Wise Data Recovery found 100 files where recurs found 14. Free versions..

- Collapse -
Answer
Re: recovery
Mar 16, 2018 7:14AM PDT

The success of Recuva (or any recovery program) depends on what you mean with "isn't working".

- Collapse -
Answer
Using Win 10..?
Mar 16, 2018 6:15PM PDT

Even if you put it in a USB enclosure, Windows 10 may not see it.

Go into Disk Management, that will see it but will tell you there is no 'Drive Letter' associated with it, simply right-click on the partition and select assign a drive letter. It will offer up the next logical drive letter as a suggestion, accept that and you should now have access to the drive and its contents.

Give this a try before giving up or using other odd tools, trying to access it.

- Collapse -
I use Win 10
Mar 16, 2018 10:07PM PDT

Thanks for the reply Happy

- Collapse -
Answer
You use Win 10 now
Mar 16, 2018 10:20PM PDT

What OS is on the HDD ?
Does it spin up ?

- Collapse -
Answer
Been sitting there for seven years?
Mar 17, 2018 6:57AM PDT

Well, if it wasn't totally dead when it stopped being accessible a few thousand power on/off cycles may have finished it off, especially if there was something mechanical, such as a head crash.

For the following I have to make a few assumptions, since the exact procedures would depend on a few things. The disk in question may have been the computer's system disk, which would mean that the computer was not working for these seven years. Or it was an additional disk, in which case the computer would be working, but the drive letter for this disk failed to appear. Or, the drive letter is there but the disk show as empty or an error is displayed when you try to access it.

So, in any event, here is what I would do:

Either in its current computer or connected to another one (by whatever means, from a native SATA or IDE connection to a USB converter) , try powering it up and listen to any noises it makes. Does it keep spinning without any "unhealthy" noises? If not consider a data recovery service and the cost thereof in relationship with the value of your data.

If it seems to spin okay have a look at what the disk management console of the system has to say about it and if it has been given a drive letter. Will it accept a drive letter assigned manually if it didn't pick one up automatically?

Depending on the findings at this point there may be different things you can try.

Ideally, there is a drive letter and you can look at the contents of the drive using the Windows explorer.

There might have been a suggestion that you need to format the disk before you can use it - DONT!!! - Formatting is a fairly efficient way of throwing away any data on that drive, regardless of whether you can read it yet or not. At this point most of us would have to get in knowledgeable help - is there an old or incompatible file system on the drive? Is there maybe a file system error that can be fixed? If you aren't experienced enough to figure this out, now is the time to get help. The data recovery service is an option, but they are costly if they are any good. Up to a point the techie at your friendly computer store or the nerd next door may be sufficiently skilled for this, but make sure that between them and you you know their limitations and when to stop!

One thing I have done in such situations in the past is to create a sector by sector copy of the disk without any regard to the file system structures and then only work on the copy. In one case I actually copied everything except some unreadable sectors. By patching some of the FAT sectors manually I managed to get the file system (FAT16 at the time) to hobble along for the time being and then to recover lots of the files pointed to by the directories I found. It was critical that the drive (a copy) was read-only while recovering. There is no telling what Windows (or Linux) would do trying to repair file system inconsistencies it discovers.

I doubt if I could repeat that stunt today with an NTFS drive ... fortunately Windows itself can often patch things up reasonably well.

These last two paragraphs are here to scare you enough to make sure you don't try anything fancy with your original data if you aren't 120% sure of yourself. Rather find someone that knows what s/he is doing. And be prepared to pay for professional help, assuming that the data recovered is worth it.

I purposely left some items at a fairly high level. First of all this post could get very big otherwise. And then, I don't know how much you can already do. It is usually better to take you there step by step. And lastly, you left your original posting very short. So there is lots more you can tell us here now that you have been given a few initial hints.

- Collapse -
Answer
Many Possibilities
Mar 17, 2018 9:22AM PDT

A lot depends on why the system is not seeing your drive. Search for "Disk Management" and click on "Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions." If you see it there, you may only need to mount it.

If you do not see it there, well, you have a different sort of problem. One possibility is that the SATA cables are not properly connected (or IDE, depending on how old it is 7 years ago it was mostly SATA; much older could be IDE).

If the drive is properly connected, well, your options are dwindling now but not exhausted. First, physically remove the drive from the PC and obtain a SATA/IDE to USB converter. The one I have found to be the easiest to use and most reliable is from a company called Apricorn. After you attach the device to the drive and plug it into the wall, then plug it into a USB port on your PC, and if the drive is working you should see it nearly immediately and will be able to transfer the files to another location in the usual way using Windows Explorer.

If the drive still cannot be read, you can still get the data at least partially (and sometimes fully) extracted by a service that performs such jobs. But this is quite expensive. Search online for "Data Extraction Services" and you will find many sources. If the problem is with the disk mechanisms or electronics you are likely to get it all back. If it has been a hard, surface head crash (which would NOT fit the symptoms you see) you would still be likely to get some of it back.

Good luck!

- Collapse -
Answer
Here's A Slim Chance
Mar 17, 2018 4:49PM PDT

First, as others have suggested, obtain an external hard drive case/enclosure or one of those SATA-to-USB adapters that lets you connect put the hard drive on a desk or table and connect it to a USB port on a different PC or laptop.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200155&cm_re=sata_to_usb_adapter-_-12-200-155-_-Product

or

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1DS14F8916&cm_re=sata_to_usb_hard_drive_case-_-9SIA1DS14F8916-_-Product

Here's the slim chance part. Place the bare hard drive (with nothing connected to it) in a sturdy zip-lock bag. Zip it shut and place it in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. Leave it there overnight. Next day, carefully take it out of the freezer, remove it from the bag, and connect it to a different PC or laptop as previously mentioned. See if the different computer recognizes the drive. If it does, you may have 5 to 15 minutes of use to copy wanted data onto the different computer. Over the years i've tried this trick on 5 separate hard drives. It worked on 2 of them long enough to get a lot of data off of them. It worked one other drive for less than 1 minute, thus saving the Documents folder and some photos, then it whirred, clicked and died. This is definitely not a reliable method, but if you want to make a last desperate attempt it may be worth a try.

- Collapse -
Bear in mind that freezing a drive is a desperate measure
Mar 18, 2018 12:50AM PDT

but I have also heard reports of it working. So.

But even at room temperature - I once lost a 3.5" drive that I had connected to my laptop sitting on a coffee table just to quickly sort something out. But then someone tripped over all the cabling and ripped the drive out of all its connections and off the table. To my surprise it still responded after I reconnected it, but I had a gut feeling my luck wouldn't hold - there had to have been head-surface contact and even if things were still working, eventually the debris would get in the way of the heads.

I knew I had a week-old backup, so I only needed the recent stuff copied off. I had noticed before that in most cases the timestamps of my folders were updated when files in the folder were updated, so I used that to copy off the folders in reversed order. By the time the drive packed in I had the last three weeks in my backup and could later merge that with the last official backup for a full recovery.

The point then is that - whether you freeze your drive or not - you may only have a short window of opportunity. So think fast and strategize as to what to save first. (The other point is: DO have a backup! Surprise?)