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Comp (Hard Drive) help... please and thanks!

polycounter lvl 18
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JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
Ok so... a week ago I dropped my external drive, and I noticed some files weren't working (I get this error about something to do with cycles) I can't check it right now because I have check disk running on it, but its taking a long ass time, stuck on Phase 4.

The problem is I need to get me work done, and I would love to stop the check, but I can't seem to cancel it. I was debating on yanking the usb from the back, but would that fuck up even more files?

Please polycount, HELP ME!

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  • marks
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    marks greentooth
    When the checkdisk finishes, if the files still don't work .... put your external HDD in the freezer for a while (an hour or two), then try taking it out and accessing the files.
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    Hehe, i'm more so asking if its safe to disconnect the hd while still in check disk mode? I need to get a couple files and then i'll put it back on check disk mode.

    But i'll remember that, thanks man.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    maybe.

    I think that's the only answer I can give you. Some stuff might get corrupted. Or it might not.
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I would suggest not unplugging it. If anything, shut down Windows, then maybe it will stop the task in a more civil manner.
  • Piflik
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    Piflik polycounter lvl 12
    Or open the Task Manager and try killing the chkdsk.exe thread....you should then be able to remove the drive safely.
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks all for the quick help :)

    I got it out of disk check, and I can get to my files (the drive does freeze sometimes which is worrying me) but meh, small price to pay to get some work out of it.

    I may have to take it in to see if anything can be retrieved from it (I have a portfolio piece on there) I backed up most of my files, but a couple of textures are still on there and I need em.

    ANYWHO, thanks again all.

    If I can keep this thread open for a bit longer, I would like to post the error message I get when I try and copy over some files.
  • bearkub
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    bearkub polycounter lvl 18
    Regardless of error messages, get what you need off that drive NOW. It sounds like it has the very familiar (to me) signs of a physically dying drive.

    This is all from personal experience, but the external drive enclosures that house desktop sized drives (3.5") are 1) not fans of moving around a lot and 2) ironically, don't seem to survive too long due to poor enclosure designs.

    If you want one to carry around, I recommend gettind one of the Western Digital Passport drives. They are very sturdy and take a decent beating and keep on ticking. If you get one of the larger external enclosures, like the WD MyBook series or the Maxtor ones, move it as little as possible and try to make sure it has plenty of breathing room.

    As far as removing the drive when check disk is running, I wouldn't recommend it, but, it's better than unplugging it while data is being written to it.
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    Okie Dokie, HD got real bad today and I can't seem to access it anymore (still have a positive outlook) so I was wondering if you fine folks had any experience with HD recovery software, and if anyone could maybe give me a couple of suggestions, that would be mooooreee than fantastic.

    Merci!
  • Firebert
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    Firebert polycounter lvl 15
    does your computer detect it and you just can't get into it, or does it not show up period?
    if it shows up and you just can't sift through it, you may want to try file scavenger. they have a free demo, and the app is only $50. something you may want to give a try at the very least.
    if you can't get into the drive at all and you're willing to cough up some dough to have it recovered, i recommend OnTrack. They will analyze the drive for free and only proceed to recover the data after you approve the quote they provide you. all you have to pay for is shipping. i had a drive at work that failed, and they recovered everything except for a few files that were years old and miscellaneous enough for me not to care that i lost them. they are VERY pricey though. over the $1k mark.

    edit: also, ontrack will only provide you a quote if they can even remotely recover the data. if they can, then they will provide you an on-site link to your recoverable drive so you can see what's there, and what's not. i'm pretty sure that if they CAN recover stuff, then there is a small fee ($100 - $200 i think) for the work they did to get your drive operational. if they can't fix it at all though, again, they won't charge you. they are worth talking to to maybe get an idea of how you want to proceed. they're top notch in their industry imo. i did a lot of shopping when my work drive burned up like the Challenger shuttle.
  • bearkub
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    bearkub polycounter lvl 18
    Yah, I can second OnTrack for recovery, if you don't mind the price. I had to do some large-scale server data recovery for a job at one point and they were really great to work with.

    The other thing you may want to try is Hiren's Boot CD. http://www.hiren.info/ This can also be booted off of a USB key if you don't want to use CD's.
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