Hi,

after trying with plenty of software recovery tools, it looks like my old laptop HDD is dead. No, there are no backups. No comment...

Does anybody know of a company that can read out the data from a HDD that is not recognized by the BIOS anymore? How much would that be?

thanks!

raro

There is one more thing you could try: sticking it in an external USB box and trying to acces it from within Windows, thus bypassing the BIOS scan.

Good idea. We also tried that one, but didn't work either...

when you say dead - how dead - does it boot?

if so you could try using knoppix... i wont explain, but heres the link - free download, live bootable system that is very good at recovering files and directories.

knoppix.com

well...it is pretty dead.

The BIOS does not recognize it and it looks like the controller is damaged and needs to be replaced. A rather delicate job that I don't want to give to any Joe-Normal shops at the corner unless the guy is recommended and done it before.

we use knoppix here when this sort of thing happens... now im not a guru with it cos im a LAN tech bod, but i dont think it matters greatly if the bios cant see the HDD.

knoppix (if youre unaware of it) is a live cd bootable OS - the OS runs directly from CD... it wont be much bothered about if the bios sees the disk or not -

remember just because the bios can no longer see the disk, doesnt mean that its a totally unreadable disk...

have you hooked up your disk as a slave drive on another system?

what makes you think the disk controller is at fault?

usually with a totally stuffed disk, you either cant feel or here the disk spin up and whir at boot up - or it will make a clonking sound where the disk head/s are knocking... does this apply to you?

appologies if you already you all of this...

hi'

as it looks like that you have to buy a new hdd, buy it, set it as master and the "old" one as slave.

download knoppix, boot from it and get all you data back on the new hdd from the "old" one.

just one thing, reinstall windows on the new hdd alone, without any slave, once done, shutdown and plug the "old"hdd and there you go

francois

ps;rio, looks like we use the same tools

Nils @

www.ComputerRecover.com

One "trick" use by many recovery pro's to get a defective HDD working for a short time, is to place the HDD in a plastic bag, and put it in your refrigerator/freezer for an hour or so.

Prior to the old HDD reinstallation, be prepared to do an immediate backup of the most sensative data.

Unfortunately, cost of professional recovery runs very high.

good luck

waldwolf

Another trick is to tap it sharply with a small (as in toffee - not sledge) hammer.