can't view partition contents

fizzala · 06-05-2007, 01:30 PM

After my other computer wouldn't boot after a storm I took out the HD and put it in my other one as a slave. This HD was a dual boot, XP/98 os and when working in one os I couldn't see the other partitions. I didn't set it up and have no idea how it was done. Now as a slave I could only see one drive. When I went to "my computer"...manage, etc, I could see that it had 4 partitions on it and only the one I could see had a letter. So I gave each one a drive letter so now I can see them except 2 of them it looks like they are empty when I know they cannot be since the other 2 I can now view have no OS on either one. The programs I am searching for are on the 2 drives that I can't see the contents. I am thinking it is possibly because of the XP on the drive, since I am using 2000 pro now. I downloaded Resq but it says you can only made a bootable disc if you are using 98 or ME and I am not sure if I should download it to my good hard drive and see if that helps. I could really use some ideas on what to do, I have been working on this for weeks and really no closer to getting my data restored

redsunx · 06-05-2007, 04:04 PM

ok let me think so your saying you have a slave drive and thats the one that started to be troublesome after the storm? if so hd my be bad but not sure how this could have happend through a storm

fizzala · 06-05-2007, 08:44 PM

Actually when I turned it on nothing happened. I took it to one place and they said it was the power source and the motherboard. They wouldn't fix it because it doesn't have a manuf. name. I took it to a 2nd place they said it was just the power source. Replaced that and took it home and it worked fine for maybe 2 days then suddenly it stopped booting up. The screen that lets me choose the os never came up. It stopped booting long before that point. The HD is a Seagate and barely 1 year old. When I look at it in windows manage and right click each partition, 2 read fat32 and the other 2 don't read anything and when I try to open those 2 it asks me if I want to format. I am wondering if those two are NTFS and could that be a problem for me reading it in 2000 pro.
And supposing it is the HD I wonder what program might help me retrieve the files I need. I really don't want a new computer since they all come with vista.

redsunx · 06-06-2007, 03:52 PM

you could get active UNDELTE i think but not sure well actually do it through dos start---->run---->cmd----> enter and try to access the drives through there just type in the troublesome drive like so "example: x:"
and if you get the "This Device is not ready" if you got some serious problems

fizzala · 06-06-2007, 09:26 PM

The 2 drives that I can view the contents look fine in dos, the 2 I can't view I get the msg, "Volume does not contain a recognized file system, etc". Since this hard drive had XP along with 98 I am assuming those 2 drives had NTFS and I am now running Win 2000 pro which is fat32. Does this make sense? Since part of that drive had 98 I don't want to convert my current fat32 to NTFS.
Funny thing is that before I lettered those drives I couldn't even see they existed much less the contents. When I copied the one to my Ext HD it obviously copied all the drives and partitions, for when I view my external HD contents its pretty much the same as my old HD that I'm trying to salvage the unseen drive contents from. I tried to format my external hd and it won't format it either, it tries to but then just says formatting couldn't be completed. BTW all drives are new except the older problem one which is maybe a year old.

fizzala · 06-06-2007, 09:34 PM

Just was thinking ..is this possible? Assuming my idea about the different file systems is correct from my previous post. My current HD is partitioned into 3. Would it make sense for me to clone the whole thing to the 2nd partition then change that file partition's file system to NTFS and I booted from that partition could I then see the missing contents? Oh did I mention that in Ghost when I view the drives it shows they do contain data, and the file system type is blank and when I click on it to view contents it says drive is not formatted and do I want to, and no I really don't want to do that!

06-05-2007, 01:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
fizzala Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11 OS: win 2000	can't view partition contents After my other computer wouldn't boot after a storm I took out the HD and put it in my other one as a slave. This HD was a dual boot, XP/98 os and when working in one os I couldn't see the other partitions. I didn't set it up and have no idea how it was done. Now as a slave I could only see one drive. When I went to "my computer"...manage, etc, I could see that it had 4 partitions on it and only the one I could see had a letter. So I gave each one a drive letter so now I can see them except 2 of them it looks like they are empty when I know they cannot be since the other 2 I can now view have no OS on either one. The programs I am searching for are on the 2 drives that I can't see the contents. I am thinking it is possibly because of the XP on the drive, since I am using 2000 pro now. I downloaded Resq but it says you can only made a bootable disc if you are using 98 or ME and I am not sure if I should download it to my good hard drive and see if that helps. I could really use some ideas on what to do, I have been working on this for weeks and really no closer to getting my data restored

06-05-2007, 04:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
redsunx Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 466 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 (And loving it) My System	Re: can't view partition contents ok let me think so your saying you have a slave drive and thats the one that started to be troublesome after the storm? if so hd my be bad but not sure how this could have happend through a storm __________________ He said, you are the chosen one! And I didn't even graduate from High School.

06-05-2007, 08:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
fizzala Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11 OS: win 2000	Re: can't view partition contents Actually when I turned it on nothing happened. I took it to one place and they said it was the power source and the motherboard. They wouldn't fix it because it doesn't have a manuf. name. I took it to a 2nd place they said it was just the power source. Replaced that and took it home and it worked fine for maybe 2 days then suddenly it stopped booting up. The screen that lets me choose the os never came up. It stopped booting long before that point. The HD is a Seagate and barely 1 year old. When I look at it in windows manage and right click each partition, 2 read fat32 and the other 2 don't read anything and when I try to open those 2 it asks me if I want to format. I am wondering if those two are NTFS and could that be a problem for me reading it in 2000 pro. And supposing it is the HD I wonder what program might help me retrieve the files I need. I really don't want a new computer since they all come with vista.

06-06-2007, 03:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
redsunx Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 466 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 (And loving it) My System	Re: can't view partition contents you could get active UNDELTE i think but not sure well actually do it through dos start---->run---->cmd----> enter and try to access the drives through there just type in the troublesome drive like so "example: x:" and if you get the "This Device is not ready" if you got some serious problems __________________ He said, you are the chosen one! And I didn't even graduate from High School.

06-06-2007, 09:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
fizzala Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11 OS: win 2000	Re: can't view partition contents The 2 drives that I can view the contents look fine in dos, the 2 I can't view I get the msg, "Volume does not contain a recognized file system, etc". Since this hard drive had XP along with 98 I am assuming those 2 drives had NTFS and I am now running Win 2000 pro which is fat32. Does this make sense? Since part of that drive had 98 I don't want to convert my current fat32 to NTFS. Funny thing is that before I lettered those drives I couldn't even see they existed much less the contents. When I copied the one to my Ext HD it obviously copied all the drives and partitions, for when I view my external HD contents its pretty much the same as my old HD that I'm trying to salvage the unseen drive contents from. I tried to format my external hd and it won't format it either, it tries to but then just says formatting couldn't be completed. BTW all drives are new except the older problem one which is maybe a year old.

06-06-2007, 09:34 PM	#6 (permalink)
fizzala Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 11 OS: win 2000	Re: can't view partition contents Just was thinking ..is this possible? Assuming my idea about the different file systems is correct from my previous post. My current HD is partitioned into 3. Would it make sense for me to clone the whole thing to the 2nd partition then change that file partition's file system to NTFS and I booted from that partition could I then see the missing contents? Oh did I mention that in Ghost when I view the drives it shows they do contain data, and the file system type is blank and when I click on it to view contents it says drive is not formatted and do I want to, and no I really don't want to do that!