stevehaz_uk 1 Report post Posted February 14, 2019 My external drive (2 partitions) all of a sudden disappeared from my computers drive list.. Tried everything using different recovery softwares.. nothing could recover it So I took it out of the drive, removed the bridge board, and connected the drive with a dock. I can now see the drive but it only has 786GB of its capacity and is not partitioned. I realise I have probably lost everything on the drive, but does anyone have any last ideas which might be worth a try to recover either the data or the missing 2.25TB? Thanks 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rædwulf 1,440 Report post Posted February 14, 2019 i would suggest using this guide here first >>> https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/run-chkdsk-utility-xp/ then use this boot program secondly and it might sound ridiculous.. but it has personally work for me in the past >>> Quote I'm surprised no one has mentioned the freezer method - If the drive won't spin, put it in a plastic sandwhich bag, seal it up and leave it in the freezer overnight, this will cause the metal platter to hopefully shrink just a tiny bit (I didn't believe it until I tried it, but it works!). Remove from the freezer the next day (at least 24 hours later) and give it one or two hard taps on the side (the thinner, longer side) against a table or counter top, then plugin and give it a try right away, if you wait too long the platter will get back to room temp and may re-expand so you have to be quick when you do it. Also everyone asks me wont tapping a HD on a counter damage it? Well if its already dead you cant make it any more dead so it either works or it doesn't! 1 Reply Tru_dat RedEyedITGuy 10/15/12 2:04pm Yeah, this worked for me too, although I stuck it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so and then immediately plugged in the drive via usb. Reply TimG969 RedEyedITGuy 10/15/12 2:42pm I came here to mention this myself. This has worked for me on two occasions. The only thing to be cautious of is high humidity. Bringing a very cold drive into a warm, humid environment will cause moisture to condense quickly, just like condensation on a cold glass. If it is humid, keep the air flow to it restricted if possible and keep the drive out of your machine while you recover the data. Also, if it warms up and stops working and you need to freeze it again - less likely to work the 2nd time, btw - make sure it doesn't have any condensation on it so ice doesn't form. Reply lightupmylife RedEyedITGuy 10/15/12 2:45pm Yes I"ve had success with that the freezer and the tapping trick, just get your data off quick. 1 Reply TheScraper RedEyedITGuy 10/15/12 2:50pm I've used this trick a number of times and it totally fixed the drives. I use two of them to this day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevehaz_uk 1 Report post Posted February 15, 2019 Thanks for your help with this.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rædwulf 1,440 Report post Posted February 15, 2019 25 minutes ago, stevehaz_uk said: Thanks for your help with this.... anytime mate.. u need anymore assistance or have any other problems, please feel free to PM me.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Phelps 470 Report post Posted February 16, 2019 I have used Active@File Recovery several times to recover files from drives -- although, be prepared to wait a long time, hours to days, for the SuperScan to look through every sector of the drive. I recently ran it on an external 2TB drive as a test just to see how long it would take -- since the drive can not be removed from its case and can only connect via USB3 port. The SuperScan took over ten days -- but I was able to recover about 40GB of files that I thought I had lost. If you hook the drive to an internal SATA port, it will scan much faster, but I still let it run overnight and check the results the next day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rædwulf 1,440 Report post Posted February 16, 2019 36 minutes ago, Mark Phelps said: I have used Active@File Recovery several times to recover files from drives -- although, be prepared to wait a long time, hours to days, for the SuperScan to look through every sector of the drive. I recently ran it on an external 2TB drive as a test just to see how long it would take -- since the drive can not be removed from its case and can only connect via USB3 port. The SuperScan took over ten days -- but I was able to recover about 40GB of files that I thought I had lost. If you hook the drive to an internal SATA port, it will scan much faster, but I still let it run overnight and check the results the next day. yep.. almost all of those good recovery programs take a long time, but it's worth the wait.. solid advice Mark.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rahulko25 12 Report post Posted February 16, 2019 .. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rædwulf 1,440 Report post Posted February 16, 2019 16 hours ago, rahulko25 said: .. what's that mean?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rahulko25 12 Report post Posted February 23, 2019 sorry for this.. i am comment regarding to post.. but after comment post i feel that my comment is not proper.. then i am try to delete my no luck to me.. then i am removed my comment and only show few dot.. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rædwulf 1,440 Report post Posted February 23, 2019 1 hour ago, rahulko25 said: sorry for this.. i am comment regarding to post.. but after comment post i feel that my comment is not proper.. then i am try to delete my no luck to me.. then i am removed my comment and only show few dot.. not a problem, my friend.. do u still need more assistance with ur HDD issue?? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
