Getting data (photos) from old HDD's

[alphason]

I have a couple of old HDD's that have failed and stupidly lost a lot of photos.

The first is more straightforward, an old WIndows laptop with Hitachi 5K250-160 2.5" Sata (?)

The second is a WD My book Live (kind of NAS, with no usb ), this one does not have a lot on it mostly tv/movies which I don't mind to lose. Just before it died the available capacity reduced 80%, basically all that was left to use was the unused space. Now its all gone. Would I even be able to read this NAS drive with Windows 10?

 

Is it straightforward to try and rescue some old photos from the drives, I was thinking of buying some kind of dock but if the chances of it working are small I won't bother. The drive have not been used for a long time but I keep thinking I should try. What software (ideally free) is best to use.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/zs-hdd-docking-usb-30-lx01-i8638031-s10846917.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistcategory.list.10.420646740nS8VP&search=1
https://www.lazada.co.th/products/zs-hdd-docking-2hdd-usb-v30-lx05-i8656913-s10868595.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistcategory.list.2.42064674GPzLA2&search=1

Thanks.
 

[wgdanson]

Try RECUVA, free software, which will recover any files which have been deleted but not overwritten.

[alphason]

37 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Try RECUVA, free software, which will recover any files which have been deleted but not overwritten.

Thanks, I just tried it using my SD card, it recovered a lot of photos a few hundred but only around 60 were fully recovered and usable. So got a few back.

 

Probably worth a go with the old HDD from windows laptop but not sure if it will help for the files in the WD my book live I think it may be a kind of Linux os?

[wgdanson]

1 minute ago, alphason said:

Thanks, I just tried it using my SD card, it recovered a lot of photos a few hundred but only around 60 were fully recovered and usable. So got a few back.

 

Probably worth a go with the old HDD from windows laptop but not sure if it will help for the files in the WD my book live I think it may be a kind of Linux os?

I do not think the OS matters, a jpg is a jpg, a bmp a bmp. Try it and let us know.

[Peterw42]

Depends on the fault, current status of the drive etc. There is no magic software that gets data off a "broken" (hardware) hardrive, any data repair or recovery still needs access to the drive.  If the drive spins up and can be seen by windows etc, Usually some data copying, repair, recovery is possible. If a drive spins up but you cant see any data, there are programs that can repair a messed up drive file structure etc, the files are still there just the index to where they are etc is messed up. Or software that can find and recover files. Any of these programs can only work if the drive hardware works.

If its a hardware fault like the logic board or motor etc, you can play around and swap the data board from a same make and model drive etc. Or more specialised, swap platters from a broken drive to a good drive etc, not usually something you can do at home, .

 

If you take apart your NAS, it will be a normal sata drive inside but possibly a linix file system, recovery software may still recognise.

[Peterw42]

26 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

I do not think the OS matters, a jpg is a jpg, a bmp a bmp. Try it and let us know.

The WD will be linix format, not readable in a widows system without some extra software. A bit like trying to play a DVD in a CD player.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Peterw42

[alphason]

Thanks, the WD I think is just completely dead but need to start it up again and see if I can hear it spinning. The hitachi drive, I can't remember its been so long,

 

Would a win 10 pc still recognise the wd as being attached so the recuva software could use it?

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Try these:

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

I never found any other software which recovers more than these.

[atyclb]

you should not mess around with hard drives in question til ready to recover in case they are failing. safest way is to prepare a setup to clone the old hard drives to good function hard drives or ssd's. this way you hopefully already have all the data if they die after. once the cloned disks are done you can safely try recovery software and not worry about drive failing. 

[alphason]

Thanks for replies. First I need to find someway to connect drives to my windows pc, I was thinking of a dock but might just buy an enclosure instead as they are quite cheap.

 

Tried the photorec software with my sd card for a test, a lot more difficult to use than recuva as no GUI, but assuming I did it right it found 3 less photos than recuva did. But worth having for when I get around to connecting the hdd's.

[atyclb]

if you have a desktop pc its likely has the connection interfaces inside. you may need to buy extra cables to connect bad hard drive to. make sure you have a fresh target hard drive to clone it to and the capacity of said drive bigger than donor drive (to play it safe) . the advantage of using the internal sata connectors is speed in cloning bad drive. sata is faster that most external technologies

[alphason]

I use a windows laptop. The old laptop drive I think is only 320gb so could try to clone that its not been used for many years, the WD my book live drive is 2TB but its only mostly media files that I don't mind to lose that so much.

[NanLaew]

You can get SATA connectors with power supplies that connect through your USB ports. I tote a spare one in my grab kit in case I have a major PC drama on site. The newer USB3 ones don't need the power supply brick. They're on lazada.

 

 

If there are no obvious hardware issues with the HD, Windows can still have a hard time mounting a drive so that it can be 'explored'. I recall having that issue several years ago but when checking out the capabilities of an old laptop that I had installed Ubuntu (linux) on, I found it could mount the 'bad' HD (via the hardware mentioned above) and I was able to recover whole scads of 'important' lost stuff that I haven't bothered to look at since.

[alphason]

Thanks, device manager shows my less than 2yr old laptop has usb 3.0 (although the ports are not blue), so don't need the power supply. Although the ones on Lazada with the power supply are cheaper for some reason, maybe its because they are only usb 2.0 (slower?). It says sata iii are all sata the same?

 

For those prices looks like its worth a go.

[sandyf]

On 10/23/2018 at 9:37 AM, alphason said:

Thanks, the WD I think is just completely dead but need to start it up again and see if I can hear it spinning. The hitachi drive, I can't remember its been so long,

 

Would a win 10 pc still recognise the wd as being attached so the recuva software could use it?

 

 

Your best bet is to get a USB to SATA/IDE adapter cable, think they are about 300 baht. Remove the drives and plug them in to another computer and you will see them as an additional drive. If your lucky you may be able to copy the files directly or some recovery utility may be required.

I had a WD external drive that gave up the ghost and I had to cut the case to get the drive out. It must have been the software in the device that was the problem as when I connected the drive separately it was ok and I just copied everything off it.

Good luck.

[atyclb]

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

You can get SATA connectors with power supplies that connect through your USB ports. I tote a spare one in my grab kit in case I have a major PC drama on site. The newer USB3 ones don't need the power supply brick. They're on lazada.

 

 

If there are no obvious hardware issues with the HD, Windows can still have a hard time mounting a drive so that it can be 'explored'. I recall having that issue several years ago but when checking out the capabilities of an old laptop that I had installed Ubuntu (linux) on, I found it could mount the 'bad' HD (via the hardware mentioned above) and I was able to recover whole scads of 'important' lost stuff that I haven't bothered to look at since.

 

 

multiple inexpensive sata to usb adapters like the ones in the picture have failed. sometimes failing while reading/writing from drive. i have discarded several like these.

 

i strongly advise spend a bit more as i ended up doing for a higher qualy sata usb adapter. i have the one below and simply works.

 

http://www.oricothailand.com/store/orico_th/storage/adapter/25uts-2-5-usb-3-0.html

Edited October 25, 2018 by atyclb

[alphason]

I've not opened it to check yet but I think the 2TB drive inside the WD my book live is 3.5", would those adaptors without a power supply still work for a 3.5" or would I need to buy one with the supply?

 

(Lazada has the Orico adaptor you recommended for 450B)

[atyclb]

2 hours ago, alphason said:

I've not opened it to check yet but I think the 2TB drive inside the WD my book live is 3.5", would those adaptors without a power supply still work for a 3.5" or would I need to buy one with the supply?

 

(Lazada has the Orico adaptor you recommended for 450B)

 

 

wd external drives are infamous for compatibility issues. i have one and have researhed a lot.  3.5 hard drives typically need to be powered.  is the .  my book powered or runs off usb alone?   the orico i have comes with a power supply should you need it.

[Pepper9187]

4 hours ago, alphason said:

I've not opened it to check yet but I think the 2TB drive inside the WD my book live is 3.5", would those adaptors without a power supply still work for a 3.5" or would I need to buy one with the supply?

 

(Lazada has the Orico adaptor you recommended for 450B)

Nope.

Those adapters without external power supply will only get 2.5" HDDs working, for 3.5" HDDs you need an adapter with external power.

USB 3 ports can only deliver 900mah which is not enough for 3.5" HDDs.

 

(Now if you have USB 3.1 gen 2 ports they can deliver way more power than the 3.0 or 3.1 gen 1 ports)

Edited October 27, 2018 by Pepper9187

[alphason]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 2:12 PM, atyclb said:

is the .  my book powered or runs off usb alone?

Its a kind of NAS network drive, no usb only ethernet, mains powered, used as a dlna media server