Hard Drives "Crashed" Please help!

[WizardHowl]

Hey Guys, I am in desperate need of help. My computer recently crashed so windows would not boot from my harddrive. I slaved it to one of my friends computers and I could see the file folders I needed (I have extremely precious photos that I must have) and when I clicked on them I can't access them because they were password proteceted from when my computer was working and he couldn't access them. What can I do to get these files off? Is there anything?? Thanks so much!

[GX1_Man]

Have a read here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421&sd=tech

[WizardHowl]

Thanks!!! So if I slave my hard drive again, I should be able to bypass thefact that my account was password protected and my files were protected on my old set up? thanks!

[pcdoc4christ]

Thanks!!! So if I slave my hard drive again, I should be able to bypass thefact that my account was password protected and my files were protected on my old set up? thanks!

Sorry, but no, that is if by "password protected" you mean you encrypted or made the files private.  It's a security feature of Windows.  If you encrypt or make files private, no one will be able to access them accept you, and only if you boot to the operating system installed on that hard drive.  This keeps prying eyes from your files, even if someone steals your computer.

You may be able to do a repair installation of Windows XP using the Windows CD that came with the computer.

https://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341

Best regards,
Doc

[apurv_sandilya20]

HI GUYS.I have a seagate 80 gb ide hard disk on an 845 motherboard with win xp.
last time wen i tried 2 boot a message appeared on the page that comes before bios setup saying that"primary hard disk error"
What does this main?
does it imply my hard disk has crashed?I hadnt used it since last 10 days and format was fat32.
please help

[GX1_Man]

HI GUYS.I have a seagate 80 gb ide hard disk on an 845 motherboard with win xp.
last time wen i tried 2 boot a message appeared on the page that comes before bios setup saying that"primary hard disk error"
What does this main?
does it imply my hard disk has crashed?I hadnt used it since last 10 days and format was fat32.
please help

Well it's rather rude to hijack someone else's thread rather than start your own, but we will excuse it once. Go to the hard drive manufacturer's site and download free diagnostics. Usually that message means a hard drive failure,unless you have been monkeying around inside the case.

http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1122425778

[WizardHowl]

Darn!!!! I wish I could get my files, I really really need them, are there any computer places that will transfer files from a hardrive like mine to like a dvd , and be able to bypass those? I don't care about the hardrives I just want the files. thanks!

[GX1_Man]

That's the problem of password protecting things and not using a regular backup to a secure media like CDR's. All hard drives die eventually.

You might try a data recovery service (google for them) but they are expen$ive.

[IT-Guy]

Have you tried recovering the original OS yet?  What have you tried.. there are lots of options and recovery tools.

[GX1_Man]

Free diagnostics at the Seagate site.

[WizardHowl]

Hey Guys thanks for the replies,
ITGUY- the only thing I have tried is slaving my hardrives to friends computer, and then that computer did like a harddrive like repair thing or something where it went through three steps (I forgot what it was called), after that happened we were able to see the folders on my hard drive but not access the ones I password protected and the ones I really needed. Is there anything I can do?

GX-1 Thanks for the replies, I might just go in for a data recovery service because right now I'd do anything to get these files back.

[IT-Guy]

you might try www.ptdd.com  ... they have some useful tools.

[WizardHowl]

Can those programs even get files that have been protected? Another thing I might mention is I don't even know how to start up my opersating suystem from my hardrive, from what I see, I dont' think it will start up again, and when you usually repaire the OS doesn't it usually delete all the files? That's why I only tried slaving it.


Oh wow...I jus tlooked at the pricing for data recovery 1,500- 4,500??? No thanks, I could go on vacation again and just take those pictures again for that money....Thanks guys!

[IT-Guy]

LOL @ vacation - no thanks..

I don't know how they would react to protected files... but they recover at the raw level so it may not care.  It's certainly a lot cheaper than paying $1500 for some expert to go in using the same tools.  These tools can be downloaded for free using the demo.  But the demo can only show you what will be recovered... you have to pay the $50 bucks if you want to actually recover them.

Oh.. and reinstalling windows only overwrites the OS files as long as you don't do something like reformat.

[Backdated]

WizardHowl:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/cryptfs.mspx#EJAA