Quickbooks doesn't read

to go into Drive F: and got

"The disk in Drive F: was not formatted. Do you want to do it now?

message. This was not required when I first set the system up so not sure what to do now.

At least it gave you time to get the files safe. Now restore those files to some folder on drive C to try again.
Bob

do I click "Yes" to formatting. I cannot transfer to Drive C: since I cannot get into F: In fact I tried to copy over way back when, but wasn't able to do it. That is why I ran with F: as the file folder for QB.

Try the drive on another PC and if it works, copy that folder to that other PC's C drive or a memory stick.

I can't guess if you failed to backup. It's de rigueur for what we can't lose.


If the other PCs don't work then ask drivesavers.com how much to get the files back.
Bob

also says I need to format.

Not a big believer in coincidences when it seems to have come at the same time another action was taken, i.e. deleting the old Norton 360 and installing the new version. Then rebooting and bingo QB is not working right. After it has worked fine since the kludge was put together on 4/9/2013.

I can hear the F: HDD making normal HDD sounds so it appears the platter is spinning, but what would cause it to lose its formatting, and can it be reformatted without losing data.?

Such happens. And, no, it can't be reformatted without losing its data. So it's time to start the recovery. There are a lot of DIY titles in the 2 top posts in http://forum.cnet.com/storage-forum, but if you really need those data it might be better to pay a data recovery company like drivesavers.com (always recommended by Bob).

Kees

We can always go without that for a test run. It's not as if a virus is waiting for us to uninstall and it jumps out of the shadows.
Bob

I am going to try to do a recovery myself. I have reviewed your posts and tried Pandora which did not work. I downloaded Ubuntu and InfraRecorder, but then found out my old laptop does not have a burner. So this raises some questions: Do I need to download and burn on the old laptop ( XP ) or can I use any machine ( WIN 7 ) to make the CD? Is it OK to use a CD or do I need a Blank DVD? Is there a good site for very explicit directions on how to use these programs in concert to produce the proper CD/DVD? If I copy and burn on a desktop will the results work on a laptop? What questions am I not asking?

I think this is a lost cause, but it can be a learning experience so that's why I made my decision.

CD/DVD doesn't matter. Here's a guide pay attention to how you burn the ISO.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Dafydd.

Under the 2000/XP/Vista/7 there is a step 4 which says:

Select the Ubuntu CD image file you want to use, then click 'Open'.

I see that there is a short version of Ubuntu (30 MB) which I can download and it looks like it is adequate for my needs. If so, I am still not sure what the image looks like and what specific steps/keystrokes I should take.

What about my desktop vs. laptop question. Is there an issue there? Thanks for clearing up the CD/DVD issue.

Use whatever you like but make sure you get the ISO file you need. Use the larger Ubuntu file I'm not sure about the smaller one. You need to burn ths ISO file using special software like the one mentioned or somethong like imgburn free.

The Ubuntu file is an ISO file and cannot be burned straight to disc like a normal file.
Hope this clarifies.

Dafydd.

PS. Link to imgburn. http://www.imgburn.com/

I have downloaded imgburn and version 13.10-desktop-i386.iso of unbuntu to my Win 7 machine. If I double click on the imgburn icon I get an options page. If I click on "write image file to disk" I am aszked to select a file of which unbuntu is my only choice. If I then click on WRITE I get a message that the image size is greater than the disk size ( 895 mb vs a 702 mb CD). I am then given a choice of over burning or truncating. I tried both and each time I got a message " Failed to send cue sheet. Reason: invalid field in parameter list"

What does this mean and how do I get past it? Also, what should I do re: the wrap or truncate question? Do I need to go out and pick up a recordable DVD? Once I have the recording what do I do with it--my guess is I reset the boot sequence on the XP machine to read the CD ROM first and insert the burnt DVD/CD and restart the machine. Am I correct?

Then what?

Glad you guys are back online. It must have been a killer few days.

THe thing to do: burn to a DVD instead of a CD. That can contain 4.7 GB, which is more than enough for a 845 MB file. But you can only use it if your W98 PC has a DVD drive.

The alternative is to find a Linux distro that is smaller.
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=damnsmall seems to be one (50 MB)
http://www.debian.org/CD/http-ftp/#stable shows that Debian comes as a 650 MB CD image.

Kees

I had never heard of Ubuntu before this HDD problem and I do not have a DVD of it. Since it is an OS I had some concerns even downloading it. What does the link you referenced offer me in this situation?

Jeff

I can't guess what the concerns are yet. There are many other Linux versions you can download and create a DVD for free but WHY DO WE DO THAT? I'm going to answer with a link to the CNET Storage Forum "Lost and Found."

-> http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7588_102-349670/access-raw-partition-of-lacie-drive-from-windows/?tag=contentBody;threadListing

Notice how they were able to get their files out without having to send it to a data recovery house?

Here we are with many posts and it appears you need on site or data recovery support. I am beginning to get the feeling you may have to find such support as the worry of the usual tools are stopping you from doing it yourself.

That's fine and your choice to make but let's be sure you gave it your best shot.
Bob

I have Ubuntu running as the OS and I have accessed the bad hard drive. Now comes Step 7 in the "Storage Forum" "Lost and Found". Not sure what folders I need to copy or what a partition is. This hard drive has both the QB program installed as well as all the data entered into QB. Do I look for a particular file extension?

Bad HDD also has other programs installed, but I don't need them.

If you don't know what folders to save, then I won't either. Why? Because folk can put files anywhere they please, I can't guess their choices.

Time to find those that help you locally?
Bob

Before I picked up the DVD, I downloaded Ubuntu to my WIN 7 machine to copy it at a later time. Unfortunately the latest version affects my IE 8 negatively...very slow when you can access it which isn't often. Others seem to have the same problem. Now I need to uninstall Ubuntu, and while I see many suggestions I am not sure which is best to do it and have no damage to WIN 7, my apps and my files. Any suggestions?

Unbutu was never booted on this machine, just downloaded and then I burned the DVD to copy it.

Yup, it is now too big for a CD.

Thanks for the assist!
Bob