[cheechman32]

I had a Seagate external HDD which would not read. The drive would be recognized in WindowsXP but when I tried to open the drive I would get a Drive Not Formatted Error. It had the same error on multiple XP & Vista systems.

I followed the directions in the following forum:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...al-hard-drive-not-formatted-error-191897.html

The hard drive still gave me the same errors, so I used TestDisk to copy some of my files to another external hard drive. During on session copying files the program flashed an error which I did not copy, and basically kept posting the same error repeatedly scrolling down the screen. It was some type of file error.

After closing the program and reopening it, now test disk does not recognize any partitions on the drive. When I analyze the disk, it slowly analyzes each cylinder, VERY SLOWLY. For each cyclinder here is what it shows:

Analyse Cylinder X/60800
Read Error at (X-1)/1/1

X is the cylinder #, X-1 is the number shown on the read error.

It seems to me this drive is now pretty well toast. Does anyone have any advice on other recovery means or if a professional firm would be able to recover the data? Thank you so much for your help in advance.

 

[Networks]

What is the "SPECIFIC MODEL NUMBER" off the top label of your drive ?

 

[cheechman32]

SeaGate FreeAgent GO 500GB

PN: 9KW2AH-503
SN: 2GE6TSNH

System Info:
Win XP SP 3
Intel T2050 1.6 GHz
2.00 GB RAM

 

[Networks]

Did the drive get dropped fall ? Sometimes when attempting data recovery on a failing/failed drive you only get 1 shot at it before it dies 100%. A Pro could possibly recover data if the platters are not damaged

 

[cheechman32]

Drive did not drop or fall. It still spins and is recognized / connected when plugged into the computer. There does not appear to be any physical damage to the drive. It spins / sounds normal.

 

[Networks]

But you no longer can access it correct ? What does it report when you look at the drive when connected in the computer's BIOS ? I assume you tried a new USB Cable. If under warranty removing the drive from the case will void the warranty but it may be worth a shot to rule out the USB/Sata interface inside the ext enclosure

 

[cheechman32]

I have swapped USB cables, not the issue. Its a small form portable drive, not really comfortable opening up the case. I'm going to reboot now to see what the BIOS says.

 

[cheechman32]

I don't see anywhere in the BIOS page during startup which shows any external USB HDD's, just the option to look to chose the priority on startup of where to look for an O/S. I can see the internal hard drives in the BIOS page. Tried to see if a working external drive would display in the BIOS, and it did not.

Update after multiple restarts, the malfunctioning harddrive still appears in my computer, but now when selecting it I get a "Parameter Incorrect" error. On subsequent attempts to open the drive from my computer got "Drive is not formatted errors".

 

[Networks]

You already tried test disk and got some files if I follow your post then it froze read errors which tell me the drive is in trouble ie failed I think you can keep trying but if the value of the data is high then send to a pro for recovery else you make make it worse by continuing to attempt DIY recovery with other tools like r-studio etc. No magic bullet to fix this drive read problems are not DIY repairable

 

[cheechman32]

Thanks, thats what I thought. Any recommendations on recovery companies?

 

[Networks]

not sure where you are not in your profile Data Savers LLC in Atlanta is a good shop good prices. Data Savers, LLC - Low-Cost Data Recovery - 1-866-MY-DATA-4

 

[cheechman32]

I'm out of Norfolk, VA. Thanks for the advice, was also looking at ACS Data Recovery. I'm guessing at least $500 for recovery?

 

[cheechman32]

Thanks for the help and advice. It's greatly appreciated!