thats common practice for a defective drive
Freeze your hard drive to recover data: Myth or reality? - [Geeks are Sexy] technology news
i have suggest that on many a forum, for getting data off and often works
so i suspect you have a faulty harddrive
another idea that may possible work is ubuntu - to check the hardware and to get any data off - but you need another PC where you can create a bootable CD
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UBUNTU Virtual CD
It may be possible to boot from another Operating System
This will at least test the Hardware and also see if you can see the Harddrive and possibly get data off.
If you have another PC with a cdwriter and spare CD
goto
Ubuntu homepage | Ubuntu and download the ISO
Download | Ubuntu
YOu can also run from a USB device now - if the Machine supports booting off a USB Stick
Download | Ubuntu
full details are here (Note this is for version 9 - so the start up options are slightly different )
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek
click on the image "download ubuntu"
Select a location
then begin download
Save the file onto your PC – remember where you saved it – so you can find it again to create the image bootable CD.
You do
NOT copy the ISO file onto a CD - you have to use the ISO to create a bootable CD
The CD creator software you have on the PC may have an option to create an image from an ISO
If not - use this free program
The Official ImgBurn Website
When the UBUNTU CD boots - you will A screen - with Language on the left panel and two option images
== > Try ubuntu
== > Install ubuntu
You can try Ubuntu without making any changes to your computer, directly from this CD
Use
OPTION 1 "Try ubunto without any change to your computer" ONLY this option this will run from the CD and not install onto your harddrive -
be careful, if you do install onto the PC - you will wipe the data and software OFF your hard drive.., so repeat only use option 1
Now you should see a UBUNTU desktop
This at least proves the main parts of the PC are working
You may see your Harddrive on the desktop - if not have in look in the places on the tool bar at the top of the screen.
If you can see your harddrive – see if you can find the your datafiles –
XP look in “documents and settings” under the user name you had on the PC
Vista/Windows 7 look in “user” under the user name you had on the PC
Now if you have a USB flash drive or external harddrive – you should be able to copy your data from the harddrive onto the USB device
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Alternative
Parted Magic disk partitoning tool (Bootable CD image)
If you prefer a bootable USB key, download and run
Linux Live USB Creator. Choose the Parted Magic distro, and it will download it and automatically create a bootable USB key.
This CD (or key) contains many useful tools. You can partition, recover files, recover lost partitions, make disk images (by several different methods), transfer files between media, scan for viruses (It can serve as an Alternative Trusted Platform for search and elimination of rootkits and bootkits), examine and benchmark hardware, access the internet, and much more.
ray:
