hard drive failure

[scomputer]

HELP! my hard drive is garbage i caint boot and even when i boot in safe mode with command prompt chkdsk does nothing, i need a new hard drive but when i buy it how do get it operational? can i load windows on it with nothing but a product key ? can i recover any data from the bad drive?

[DaveLembke]

You will need a Windows OS Disc to boot and install from. Then product key that matches that version. From the sounds of it you wont be getting any data off the old drive. If you dont have a windows OS disc if its a branded computer such as Dell or HP etc you can contact that manufacturer via support online and inquire about purchasing a system recovery set for it. This is usually less than $40, sometimes free if still under warranty etc.

If the bad hard drive is hanging at check disk, then you could try getdataback NTFS but it costs money and you will need to have the healthy drive connected as well as the ill hard drive in order to transfer data it reads from the bad drive to the healthy drive which can be difficult if its a laptop with a single hard drive compartment. They have a trial demo version of this you can try on it before you buy. The trial would show you if its able to recover data, but they hold the data transfer from damaged drive to healthy drive feature disabled until you pay for the software. I bought this software about 10 years ago and it works well, but doesnt work for all drive failures as for hard drives can fail in many different ways.

https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm

[scomputer]

Thank you! can i hook up the old or new hardrive to the laptop via usb docking station to do that?

[patio]

No...whatever HDD you choose has to be installed in the laptop or it won't work...

[scomputer]

ok thanks guys, one more question, do you recommend i buy the recovery disk for $30 or create a windows 7 boot disk and use the product key. i have to consider the fact that it is a family members computer and if i can use the free way i will but what does the recovery disk come with that i should consider it instead?

[patio]

The recovery CD comes with all system drivers...and any pre-installed apps that came with the PC...it basically takes it back to Day 1 status...

Whether thats worth 30 Bucks or not to you i can't decide that...however you will always have it if need be down the road.

[DaveLembke]

I'd suggest the system recovery method for $30 myself. It might save you from going crazy trying to find the correct drivers. Additionally if there was any bundleware that you liked you would get that back as well with the recovery.

*One work around to buying a recovery disc or media would be if you had a friend with same exact make/model laptop the recovery media is the same for that model for everyone who has that model and so you could use your key with anyone elses like make/model recovery media. The recovery media can be created for free from a healthy computer. Its usually in a folder with the manufacturer name such as HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, etc in which there is an option for System Recovery Media Creation. Some systems have a counter and only allow this to be created once or twice, other systems dont care how many times you make recovery sets.

[scomputer]

thank you all very much

[patio]

I 2nd Dave's reply...i'd buy the disc for all the obvious reasons...