[Panayotis]

Hi,

A friend of mine has quite a big problem with his HDD!

Description:
Win XP SP3
1 HDD 160Go with XP SP3
1 HDD 300Go with Personnal Data (in case of C:\ crashed!)

Or, mysteriously his 300Go HDD crashed and Windows has been "automatically" installed on D:\ 300Go!!!

Unbeliebable but true!

So, i have suggested him to get a news hdd in order to recover his data (using PhotoRec)
He has bought an External 300Go HDD UB2

We start PhotoRec and we have a big problem!

We can not choose our "new" 500Go HDD pluged in USB2! Only C:\ is suggested!

What can we do?

Any idea?

Should we switch 300 and 500Go? I mean should we "disassemble" his new external 500Go HDD in order to pluged it into the tower, and pluged his 300Go in the external "box"

I suggest this option because PhotoRec "see" the 3 HDD but, apparently, can just write on HDD in the tower! Am i Right?

Many Thanks

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Ok, I am confused. It must be a long day because I am having a hard time understanding this.

I assume that the 160gb drive is C drive.
I am also assuming that the 300gb is D drive.

What drive crashed?

What drive are you using for the Operating System (OS)?
Does the computer work at all?
If so, then all you should have to do is copy the data over to the external drive in the USB enclosure.
You do not need any special program for that.
You can not copy programs.

A google search shows that "PhotoRec" is for recovering lost photos. It has nothing to do with saving data.

123runner

[123Runner]

Ok, I am confused. It must be a long day because I am having a hard time understanding this.

I assume that the 160gb drive is C drive.
I am also assuming that the 300gb is D drive.

What drive crashed?

What drive are you using for the Operating System (OS)?
Does the computer work at all?
If so, then all you should have to do is copy the data over to the external drive in the USB enclosure.
You do not need any special program for that.
You can not copy programs.

A google search shows that "PhotoRec" is for recovering lost photos. It has nothing to do with saving data.

123runner

[Panayotis]

D:\ 300Go crashed

C:\ for OS (Win XP SP3)
The computer works well

I would like to use PhotoRec because a lot of pictures are on D:\

PhotoRec is able to find "lost" pictures/ "erased" pictures and it ask me where to "save" the recovery!
But it suggested me C:\ and no External Drive

[123Runner]

So basicly you can not "find" the pictures directly with a search because they are "lost" or "corrupted". I now understand that part.

Can you see the USB drive in "my computer"?
If not, it most likely needs to be formatted.

Is it visible if you go in to your bios?
Bios should see it first.

If its not formatted, then my computer wont see it.
It should also be seen in computer management.
Go to start...run...type in compmgmt.msc and hit enter.
Go to disk management and click on that. You should see the drive and it should say something like unformatted.

[Panayotis]

External HDD is formatted and fully functional. I can copy files from C:\ to E:\

PhotoRec can see the External HDD, that means PhotoRec could recovery data from external drive.
But, actuallay it is D:\ who crashed and not E:\

And it seems Photos Rec do not allowed to "save "recovery data on External Drive

[123Runner]

You could try Picasa. Its free
I have also used ZAR.

ZAR is free for digital picture recovery. I have used it on a hard drive, BUT it will pick up every jpg and bmp that is on the drive. That means every icon associated with every program and file. The number of recoverd pictures will most likely be quite extensive.