Software and tips to help you restore a hard drive and recover data from fixed and removable disks.
Hard Drive Boot Fixes
The repairs on this page can be made with software such as Spotmau Powersuite
2009, Spotmau Windows Recovery, or Avanquest Fix-it Utilities 9 Professional.
More advanced users can make the repairs using a Windows install CD. But
remember, making the wrong choices or entering the wrong commands can
create bigger problems than you already have.
Damaged Master Boot Record
This code is always located at the first sector on the hard disk. When you turn on a personal computer its BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) looks to the code stored at this point on the disk for information on how to boot the disk and load the operating system software (Windows XP or Vista for instance).
In XP the volume boot sector can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console and entering in the command fixmbr. Then type exit and restart the computer.
In Vista, boot from the CD and proceed to the screen that says Install now, but be sure to click on Repair your computer at the lower left side of the screen. Now, choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options window appears, choose the Command Prompt. Type bootrec.exe into the command prompt window and press Enter.
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Damaged Volume Boot Sector
Each partition on the disk (for example drive C:) has its own boot record. This is a preferred target for some viruses. When the partition boot record is destroyed or corrupted, once again, the system will not boot.
For Windows XP the volume boot sector can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console and typing in the command fixboot. Then type exit and restart the computer.
In Vista, follow the instructions given in the previous section if you haven't already done so.
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Incorrect or Missing Partition
When a computer is started it examines the master partition table to determine which volume (for example, C:) to use to boot the operating system. If the active partition is assigned incorrectly or is missing, the system won't boot up.
If you are using FAT32 in XP, the partition table can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console, entering in the command fdisk, choosing the correct boot partition and making it active. Then type exit and restart the computer.
If you are suing the NTFS file system in XP or Vista, you will need to invest in some partition management software that can be booted from the DVD drive.
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Windows Boot Files Damaged or Missing
NTLDR and NTDETECT.com are essential system files used by your PC to start Windows XP. If they can't be found in the Windows root directory the operating system will not load. You can copy the files from another computer onto a bootable disk, restart the system and copy the files into the root directory of drive C:.
You can also boot from the Windows XP install CD and choose Recovery Console. After choosing the operating system, type in the following where X=your CD drive letter.
COPY X:i386NTLDR C:
COPY X:i386NTDETECT.COM C:
Then type exit and restart the computer.
For Vista computers, boot from the CD and proceed to the screen that says Install now, but be sure to click on Repair your computer at the lower left side of the screen. Now, choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options window appears, choose Startup Repair and allow the repair program to run.
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Hard Drive is not Recognized
Either the hard drive has failed, one of its cables is loose or the BIOS needs to be reset. Open the case and check the cables that connect the hard drive to the motherboard to make sure they are securely connected on both ends. Reboot the system.
If the drive still doesn't show up, enter the BIOS setup and make sure the hard drive is set to auto and that it is configured as one of the boot drives. If all else fails choose Reset Configuration Data. Save and exit and see if the computer finds the drive.
If not, try booting with a Windows install CD or a disk rescue CD like Spotmau Powersuite or Avanquest Fix-it Utilities and see if it can detect the drive. If you still don't have any luck, the disk may be beyond repair.
The local PC repair shop may or may not be able to retrieve your data. If not, shipping the drive to a Data Retrieval company may be your last resort. Either way, you can be looking at a lot of money to get your data back; possibly several hundred dollars or more.
Don't let it get to that point! Make sure that Windows and your data are backed up before it happens!
2009, Spotmau Windows Recovery, or Avanquest Fix-it Utilities 9 Professional.
More advanced users can make the repairs using a Windows install CD. But
remember, making the wrong choices or entering the wrong commands can
create bigger problems than you already have.
Damaged Master Boot Record
This code is always located at the first sector on the hard disk. When you turn on a personal computer its BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) looks to the code stored at this point on the disk for information on how to boot the disk and load the operating system software (Windows XP or Vista for instance).
In XP the volume boot sector can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console and entering in the command fixmbr. Then type exit and restart the computer.
In Vista, boot from the CD and proceed to the screen that says Install now, but be sure to click on Repair your computer at the lower left side of the screen. Now, choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options window appears, choose the Command Prompt. Type bootrec.exe into the command prompt window and press Enter.
--------------------------------------
Damaged Volume Boot Sector
Each partition on the disk (for example drive C:) has its own boot record. This is a preferred target for some viruses. When the partition boot record is destroyed or corrupted, once again, the system will not boot.
For Windows XP the volume boot sector can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console and typing in the command fixboot. Then type exit and restart the computer.
In Vista, follow the instructions given in the previous section if you haven't already done so.
--------------------------------------
Incorrect or Missing Partition
When a computer is started it examines the master partition table to determine which volume (for example, C:) to use to boot the operating system. If the active partition is assigned incorrectly or is missing, the system won't boot up.
If you are using FAT32 in XP, the partition table can be repaired by booting from the Windows installation CD, going into the Recovery Console, entering in the command fdisk, choosing the correct boot partition and making it active. Then type exit and restart the computer.
If you are suing the NTFS file system in XP or Vista, you will need to invest in some partition management software that can be booted from the DVD drive.
--------------------------------------
Windows Boot Files Damaged or Missing
NTLDR and NTDETECT.com are essential system files used by your PC to start Windows XP. If they can't be found in the Windows root directory the operating system will not load. You can copy the files from another computer onto a bootable disk, restart the system and copy the files into the root directory of drive C:.
You can also boot from the Windows XP install CD and choose Recovery Console. After choosing the operating system, type in the following where X=your CD drive letter.
COPY X:i386NTLDR C:
COPY X:i386NTDETECT.COM C:
Then type exit and restart the computer.
For Vista computers, boot from the CD and proceed to the screen that says Install now, but be sure to click on Repair your computer at the lower left side of the screen. Now, choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options window appears, choose Startup Repair and allow the repair program to run.
--------------------------------------
Hard Drive is not Recognized
Either the hard drive has failed, one of its cables is loose or the BIOS needs to be reset. Open the case and check the cables that connect the hard drive to the motherboard to make sure they are securely connected on both ends. Reboot the system.
If the drive still doesn't show up, enter the BIOS setup and make sure the hard drive is set to auto and that it is configured as one of the boot drives. If all else fails choose Reset Configuration Data. Save and exit and see if the computer finds the drive.
If not, try booting with a Windows install CD or a disk rescue CD like Spotmau Powersuite or Avanquest Fix-it Utilities and see if it can detect the drive. If you still don't have any luck, the disk may be beyond repair.
The local PC repair shop may or may not be able to retrieve your data. If not, shipping the drive to a Data Retrieval company may be your last resort. Either way, you can be looking at a lot of money to get your data back; possibly several hundred dollars or more.
Don't let it get to that point! Make sure that Windows and your data are backed up before it happens!
© 2009, Disk-Restore.com
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