Recover Win98 HDD

So there, there is really important data on this fat partition that contains Win98. I tried taking out the hdd to put it in my machine to do a backup, once the backup done, i reconnected the hdd in the original machine. Now i get a "disk error replace the disk and press any key" message. I tried in different computers, different hdd but still the same error. When i try to read what's on the drive i see files but with weird characters like this:


I believe my hdd is dead, any way i can get my stuff back or fix the hardrive?

PS. Any help is appreciated... it's really important data

[Moderator]

http://www.dtidata.com/resourcecenter/2007/04/23/how-to-slave-hard-drive/

the hdd is set as MASTER and it's the only one in the machine. Why would i want to put it as SLAVE?

[Moderator]

Why not read the tutorial and find that out ? ?

I think i forgot to say that i plugged the hdd in my xp machine with an usb-to-ide adapter and already ran a recovery tool. It recovered random files like the windows directory and dos apps. Nothing of the important stuff i need though.

I need a way to make  the disk bootable again..if possible

[Moderator]

Read/watch the tutorial again.....then you can get all the data...

This tutorial shows how to slave a drive. I need the drive to be able to boot when it's the only one plugged in. Like i said in a previous post, i was able to SEE what's on the drive but it's all weird characters and inaccessible. I did read the tutorial and it's telling stuff that i already know about. Anyone can actually HELP me?

thanks.

Any recovery tool you suggest? Xp has a repair option, any chance that win98 had one?

The USB thing is not the best way to go. USB interfaces can scramble data. Not recommended unless it is the last resort.

You need to slave the hard drive in a working machine. The working machine will see it as the second drive and you can look at the data.

If this is too much for  you,  find somebody in your area that will do it.

No, i'm a new graduated IT Tech and i know what i'm doing when it comes to lots of things. I didn't know that USB devices could scramble data though lol. Thanks.

[Moderator]

USB devices do not "scramble data" - whatever that means.

And it's the same thing when i boot with 2 hdds, the files on the second hdd are inaccessible and all renamed with weird characters. Any recovery tools for win98?

USB devices do not "scramble data" - whatever that means.

Many USB devices sold are out of specification. The don't work right. Error recovery is very poor.

What about putting the original drive back in the machine and booting with a Linux live cd. You'll be running everything off of the cd and maybe the files will be able to be accessed. If so, then just plug in another usb drive and move them off.

Won't know if it works until you try.

Anyone can actually HELP me?

Mr newly graduated expert, the data on that disk has died and gone to heaven. Accept it. You aren't going to get it back. It is gone.

Never said i was an expert dumbass.

Thanks to patio, kando and Geek. I gave up lol

[Moderator]

If you hook it up as a slave in a working machine and run chkdsk /r on it it may help...

No guarantees...

[Moderator]

Many USB devices sold are out of specification. The don't work right. Error recovery is very poor.

Please stop posting nonsense. Thank you.

If you hook it up as a slave in a working machine and run chkdsk /r on it it may help...

No guarantees...

No, it didn't work. I was able to recover lots of files with EASUS partition doctor. The other recovery tools didn't work as good.

[Moderator]

Doing a Win98 Repair install should have been covered in your studies...

Doing a Win98 Repair install should have been covered in your studies...

We studied XP and later. Why would they make us study win98. Maybe instead of posting for nothing, you should tell me how to repair a windows 98 machine. I know XP has a recovery tool. Does windows 98 have one? help me instead of making me run around.

[Moderator]

Go to the Root directory and rename win.com to win.old...

Boot to the Win98 CD and reinstall Windows...

Providing the HDD is not corrupted all your data and apps will be intact...

PS first time this Month i assisted a snnoot.

a snnoot.

Very apt description.

[Moderator]

His posting priveledges and the offending Post where he showed a supreme command of the English language have been revoked...

...and I thought I was an ill-mannered lout!

This type thread seems to be something of a new norm here. It's one of those "only help me by doing what I say!" questions. I've seen it time and time again, and this forum is hardly the only one; people challenging the help they receive because of some mistaken superiority because they have a certificate or something. It's not like you got a phd in Computer Science, and even if you had- why does it make a difference? Clearly it didn't help you solve the original problem anyway so why does it make you more qualified to assert that provided solutions are wrong?

"I'm a newly graduated IT Tech I know what I'm doing" Clearly, at least in this particular case, you do not, that's why you posted here to begin with. If you knew what you were doing you wouldn't be asking what you should be doing. Same for me. If I post a question, it's  because I either don't know what I'm doing or am unsure what I'm doing. I wouldn't be about to think that despite my years of working with computers not being any help to solve whatever issue I was facing that it is still applicable to tell people that they aren't helping and to try to direct some sort of "correct answer" as if I already knew the answer. Of course I could determine wether somebody is spouting nonsense, but there is none of that here and yet you are calling people out for doing so, it would seem.

In any case, I had a interestingly similar problem some years ago (DOS 6, doubt they cover that in "IT Tech school" either); It was related to a hard drive and trying to get it visible; since there was no fancy schmancy auto-detected back in this days, I had to guess and keep booting to a floppy and trying to view the contents of the drive. At some point I chose a geometry that was Close (but not the same) so everything appeared corrupted; directory and file names with smiley faces and high-ASCII symbols, etc. I ended up reformatting, and then subsequently had to start over by choosing the appropriate HD Type later on.

Not that that really helps. The filesystem is corrupted, that's pretty much all that can be said. Unless you've had to deal with manual selection of drive types it's probably pointing to a failure/impending failure. Wether the data on a drive is important or not doesn't make it's chance of recovery any greater, unfortunately. Before formatting that drive you could try Recuva, but it is probably too late.

P.S I believe Patio suggests slaving the drive because using it in a USB enclosure adds an additional layer of indirection (the ATA to USB circuitry) usually that circuitry is not very fault-tolerant.

[Moderator]

...and I thought I was an ill-mannered lout!

I don't think this was an "either / or" situation

Just joshin' ST - actually you've been quite the gentleman lately.

Please stop posting nonsense. Thank you.

Allan:
Pardon my poor grimmer and style. I should have said:
IDE USB data transfer fails

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/237743-44-vista-doesn-recognize-external-drive

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252167-32-adapters

http://www.linux-usb.org/FAQ.html
For certain USB mass-storage devices

The fault is both hardware ad software. The USB makers ought to make more effort to verify the user OTB experience. Really. Otherwise it is is a huge load on system software people to test every make and model of USB device out there.