Question for the IT guys

BigBassin144 · 04-10-11, 09:20 PM

So while looking around online, I got the oh so wonderful Window's blue screen of death...

the computer restarted and couldn't boot up. Long story short, I ran the diagnostic test and got a 0146 error; failed hard drive.

So after calling up dell, I should have a new hard drive in 2-3 business days.

But what I need to know is can any of my files (my pictures and school work mostly) be saved from the failed hard drive? If so, how? Unfortunately, I haven't backed up anything (I know, I know)...

Thanks guys,

BB

cassidyta · 04-11-11, 12:01 AM

BB,

First off, Yes. It can be recovered. The issue becomes the cost. What model dell is it? Which 146. There should be a number before it of either 1000, 1500, or 2000. Which OS

Being that you have a BSOD, that tells me that the drive is spinning. YOu likely will need to make a $20 investment and purchase a USB adapter cable or an enclosure. This will allow you to plug in the old drive and use it like an external drive. Your new OS should read it.

If all else fails, drop me a PM and I can give you my phone number to assist or I can give you an address and I will get your data back for you as long as the drive is spinning. Otherwise, you are looking a professional data recovery service that can cost a few hundred per Gb.

nofearengineer · 04-11-11, 01:01 AM

Very interesting, Cass.

So the "BSOD" information is on the HDD, rather than native to the motherboard?

I have "assembled" many a custom PC, but I never got into the "virtual" nuts and bolts like that. I just got into the real nuts and bolts haha.

cassidyta · 04-11-11, 01:14 AM

The BSOD is an OS error. In fact, it is really only a windows based error. If it was on the motherboard, it would be a black and white screen POST based error, most likely saying no HDD found press F1. The Dell error says that the sector holding the need software is likely bad. This doesn't always mean that it is physically bad, it could simply be corrupted data in that sector.

At the end of the day unless you actually degause a Hard Drive, the 1's and 0's can be gotten back.
There was a guy a few years ago that recovered data from the Columbia space shuttle drives after they burned.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/...leID=207602714
I am not that good, but I have some tools that will get things back from a formatted drive.

To your point on the Motherboard , I have seen a bad pin on a motherboard or even a bad cable force the BSOD and make the needed areas of the drive not accesible.

doc · 04-11-11, 09:33 AM

before installing the new hard drive put in your windows cd, boot to the cd and start the mcirosoft management console. It's possible you have a bad boot sector instead of a bad HD. Once your in the microsoft management console you can do a "fixboot" and see if it will repair the bootsector.

Worth a shot before you replace the hd in your machine and try and recover lost data.

Fishnngolfn · 04-11-11, 01:33 PM

Get a MAC.

Captmikestarrett · 04-11-11, 05:12 PM

This sounds like a bad hard drive.. Sata USB enclosure from http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=CSE

Make sure you get the right size 2.5 inch (laptop) or 3.5 inch (desktop)

Install the new drive from dell and load os. Load anti virus and update. Then plug in usb drive and copy contents to a folder for later.

Remove drive from case and return to Dell.

Total time about 3 hrs.

Capt Mike

BigBassin144 · 04-11-11, 10:06 PM

Thanks guys.

I'm gonna check a computer store for a SATA/USB cable. Hopefully, once I get my new HD installed, I'll be able to save most of my files.

BB

doc · 04-12-11, 08:54 AM

If I was you I would try the "fixboot" from the recovery console first. It is a free fix. It might not work, but I can't tell you how many customers I've saved from buying hard drives "just because you get the bsod, and a hard drive code, doesn't mean you have a bad hd remember it's windows your messing with.

BigBassin144 · 04-12-11, 09:22 AM

Doc, how would I go about doing this? I looked around online but couldn't find much.

BB

doc · 04-12-11, 10:43 AM

ok, first reboot your pc and tap the f2 button (you should see something flash at the bottom of your screen f2 for setup etc) once your in your setup you want to change your boot order to your cd drive first, (basically your telling your machine to not boot your hard drive first but instead to spin and run the cd instead of trying to start your hd.)

After you have your boot order changed to your cd drive save and exit your bios, then put your windows cd that came with your computer in your cd drive. Start your pc back up, you will see a message saying press any key to boot to cd... Press any key.

When the welcome to windows setup screen appears you want to push R to start the microsoft recovery console. Once your recover console has been started you will see basically an old school command line. type the command "fixboot'' without the quotations. It will tell you something along the lines of "are you sure you want to do this, and try and scare you, give it a y. This will rebuild the boot sector of your hard drive, once it's completed take the cd out of your drive and restart your computer. you will see the same "press any key to boot to cd....) press nothing and windows will try to load. If windows loads you had a bad boot sector, if not your hd is probably bad. The whole process should take less than 15 minutes and could potentially save you time and money. If it does work don't forget to go back into your setup and change your boot options back the way they were.

I'm linking an article from microsoft on how to start the recovery console, you will want the section "how to use the recovery console, from startup or windows disks". if you run into any snags let me know. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654

cassidyta · 04-13-11, 05:14 PM

BB got the external cables, but the issue is that his drive is now RAW. My normal fix is to actually format and then run get data back for NTFS since I have the tools available. What say you Doc?

doc · 04-13-11, 05:43 PM

it will have to be formated, but data recovery from a re-formated drive is not my forte. Has he looked at the drive from the MMC computer management plug in?

BigBassin144 · 04-13-11, 06:02 PM

Doc, I tried the fixboot like you suggested and it didn't work. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I did just get off the phone with Dell, and while they couldn't help me with the hard drive issue, they did extend the time frame to return the old for an addition 10 days, so that gives me a bit more time to figure this out.

BB

cassidyta · 04-13-11, 06:15 PM

There is some software that is supposed to read raw data and allow you to recover it.
Most will run about $70. I am looking for one that will allow you to see what it can recover before making you pay for it.

BigBassin144 · 04-13-11, 06:18 PM

Have you checked out this one?

http://www.derescue.com/lost-partitions-reocvery.html

BB

cassidyta · 04-13-11, 06:22 PM

I haven't seen that one before. The ones I have are commercial applications, so they are overkill for what you need.

BigBassin144 · 04-13-11, 06:27 PM

This may help me get the Word documents I need for school back while we figure something else out. It offer 1GB of free data recovery. Should be enough to get a dozen or so Word docs back, since they're my main concern right now.

EDIT: I found this one that is free and claims to recover data from lost and damaged partitions.

BB

04-10-11, 09:20 PM	#1
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Question for the IT guys So while looking around online, I got the oh so wonderful Window's blue screen of death... the computer restarted and couldn't boot up. Long story short, I ran the diagnostic test and got a 0146 error; failed hard drive. So after calling up dell, I should have a new hard drive in 2-3 business days. But what I need to know is can any of my files (my pictures and school work mostly) be saved from the failed hard drive? If so, how? Unfortunately, I haven't backed up anything (I know, I know)... Thanks guys, BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

04-11-11, 12:01 AM	#2
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	BB, First off, Yes. It can be recovered. The issue becomes the cost. What model dell is it? Which 146. There should be a number before it of either 1000, 1500, or 2000. Which OS Being that you have a BSOD, that tells me that the drive is spinning. YOu likely will need to make a $20 investment and purchase a USB adapter cable or an enclosure. This will allow you to plug in the old drive and use it like an external drive. Your new OS should read it. If all else fails, drop me a PM and I can give you my phone number to assist or I can give you an address and I will get your data back for you as long as the drive is spinning. Otherwise, you are looking a professional data recovery service that can cost a few hundred per Gb. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

04-11-11, 01:01 AM	#3
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	Very interesting, Cass. So the "BSOD" information is on the HDD, rather than native to the motherboard? I have "assembled" many a custom PC, but I never got into the "virtual" nuts and bolts like that. I just got into the real nuts and bolts haha. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

04-11-11, 01:14 AM	#4
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	The BSOD is an OS error. In fact, it is really only a windows based error. If it was on the motherboard, it would be a black and white screen POST based error, most likely saying no HDD found press F1. The Dell error says that the sector holding the need software is likely bad. This doesn't always mean that it is physically bad, it could simply be corrupted data in that sector. At the end of the day unless you actually degause a Hard Drive, the 1's and 0's can be gotten back. There was a guy a few years ago that recovered data from the Columbia space shuttle drives after they burned. http://www.informationweek.com/news/...leID=207602714 I am not that good, but I have some tools that will get things back from a formatted drive. To your point on the Motherboard , I have seen a bad pin on a motherboard or even a bad cable force the BSOD and make the needed areas of the drive not accesible. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes. Last edited by cassidyta; 04-11-11 at 01:22 AM.

04-11-11, 05:12 PM	#7
Captmikestarrett BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: Accokeek MD Posts: 3,315	This sounds like a bad hard drive.. Sata USB enclosure from http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=CSE Make sure you get the right size 2.5 inch (laptop) or 3.5 inch (desktop) Install the new drive from dell and load os. Load anti virus and update. Then plug in usb drive and copy contents to a folder for later. Remove drive from case and return to Dell. Total time about 3 hrs. Capt Mike __________________ Capt Mike Starrett light tackle guide Potomac River http://www.indianheadcharters.com

04-11-11, 09:33 AM	#5
doc BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,134	before installing the new hard drive put in your windows cd, boot to the cd and start the mcirosoft management console. It's possible you have a bad boot sector instead of a bad HD. Once your in the microsoft management console you can do a "fixboot" and see if it will repair the bootsector. Worth a shot before you replace the hd in your machine and try and recover lost data.

04-11-11, 01:33 PM	#6
Fishnngolfn BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,523	Get a MAC.

04-11-11, 10:06 PM	#8
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Thanks guys. I'm gonna check a computer store for a SATA/USB cable. Hopefully, once I get my new HD installed, I'll be able to save most of my files. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

04-12-11, 08:54 AM	#9
doc BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,134	If I was you I would try the "fixboot" from the recovery console first. It is a free fix. It might not work, but I can't tell you how many customers I've saved from buying hard drives "just because you get the bsod, and a hard drive code, doesn't mean you have a bad hd remember it's windows your messing with.

04-12-11, 09:22 AM	#10
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Doc, how would I go about doing this? I looked around online but couldn't find much. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

04-12-11, 10:43 AM	#11
doc BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,134	ok, first reboot your pc and tap the f2 button (you should see something flash at the bottom of your screen f2 for setup etc) once your in your setup you want to change your boot order to your cd drive first, (basically your telling your machine to not boot your hard drive first but instead to spin and run the cd instead of trying to start your hd.) After you have your boot order changed to your cd drive save and exit your bios, then put your windows cd that came with your computer in your cd drive. Start your pc back up, you will see a message saying press any key to boot to cd... Press any key. When the welcome to windows setup screen appears you want to push R to start the microsoft recovery console. Once your recover console has been started you will see basically an old school command line. type the command "fixboot'' without the quotations. It will tell you something along the lines of "are you sure you want to do this, and try and scare you, give it a y. This will rebuild the boot sector of your hard drive, once it's completed take the cd out of your drive and restart your computer. you will see the same "press any key to boot to cd....) press nothing and windows will try to load. If windows loads you had a bad boot sector, if not your hd is probably bad. The whole process should take less than 15 minutes and could potentially save you time and money. If it does work don't forget to go back into your setup and change your boot options back the way they were. I'm linking an article from microsoft on how to start the recovery console, you will want the section "how to use the recovery console, from startup or windows disks". if you run into any snags let me know. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654

04-13-11, 05:14 PM	#12
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	BB got the external cables, but the issue is that his drive is now RAW. My normal fix is to actually format and then run get data back for NTFS since I have the tools available. What say you Doc? __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

04-13-11, 05:43 PM	#13
doc BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,134	it will have to be formated, but data recovery from a re-formated drive is not my forte. Has he looked at the drive from the MMC computer management plug in?

04-13-11, 06:02 PM	#14
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Doc, I tried the fixboot like you suggested and it didn't work. Thanks for the suggestion though. I did just get off the phone with Dell, and while they couldn't help me with the hard drive issue, they did extend the time frame to return the old for an addition 10 days, so that gives me a bit more time to figure this out. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

04-13-11, 06:15 PM	#15
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	There is some software that is supposed to read raw data and allow you to recover it. Most will run about $70. I am looking for one that will allow you to see what it can recover before making you pay for it. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

04-13-11, 06:18 PM	#16
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Have you checked out this one? http://www.derescue.com/lost-partitions-reocvery.html BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

04-13-11, 06:22 PM	#17
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	I haven't seen that one before. The ones I have are commercial applications, so they are overkill for what you need. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

04-13-11, 06:27 PM	#18
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	This may help me get the Word documents I need for school back while we figure something else out. It offer 1GB of free data recovery. Should be enough to get a dozen or so Word docs back, since they're my main concern right now. EDIT: I found this one that is free and claims to recover data from lost and damaged partitions. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com! Last edited by BigBassin144; 04-13-11 at 06:54 PM.

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