My reaction above is as a result of the recent changes in this forum. I'm not going to get involved in the politics here because I know it's the wrong place, but, historically I invest alot of time into many of my replies and some of the opinions on here recently have surprised me too.

You'll notice I haven't been around much lately, that is partly because of the new job, but mainly because I just don't agree with much of what was discussed over the last few weeks. I have lost alot of interest in helping people out, as it transpired that this place is full of back-stabbers.

Anyway, moving on from this. I have tried so many bits of so-called data recovery software, I can't even remember what sort of success I have with each. However, what I do know is that I had very little in the way of usable files as a result. Fortunately for me, the drive could be seen by the OS. Not all the time, but if I persisted to turn it off and on repeatedly, sometimes over a period of half an hour, the PC would 'see' the drive and it's partitions, although reporting that they had 100% space free (so seemingly empty). I had already established that this drive has a problem with the MFT (Master File Table), which is a fairly common problem. The files still mainly exist on a drive with this problem, it's just that the drive effectively doesn't know it's arse from it's elbow.

After ALOT of reading, I found references to a piece of software called 'TestDisk', by a company called CG Security. Information can be found here.....

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

It is a non-fancy piece of DOS software. It is completely without any form of guarantee or protection, but alot of people in the know use it. In actual fact, the software I used was 'PhotoRec', which is within the same download.

I had already dismounted the drive from the PC and, in previous attempts had cooled the drive in the freezer for 3 hours, before keeping it cool in a tub of ice-packs. However, in the end, I found that leaving the side cover off the PC and removing the case-fan and using this to point directly at the hard-drive from a range of about 50mm was more than adequate to keep the drive cool enough to run for a long period of time.

I then began the scan with PhotoRec. Fairly soon it began to recover files into a file that I pointed to. It was reporting a resolution time of over 1000 hours, well over a month. I gather very extended scan times aren't uncommon, although I hadn't seen any references anywhere to this amount of time. 2 weeks, yes, but a month!! Anyway, I disconnected the LAN cable and disabled everything that didn't need to be running, so the PC was running as efficiently as it could and left it. I have a shitty laptop that I could use for other stuff, so I was prepared to lose the PC for as long as it took. So there I left it, running 24/7, pulling files off at a moderate rate. The software tells you what file types it has found.

I noticed that it was pulling TXT files off at a hell of a rate. Closely followed by a high rate of MP3 files, but sadly relatively few JPG files, which is what I am more interested in.

After 3 days of scanning and a total of about 3300 files in total found so far, there were only 278 JPG's, very disappointing, but better than fuck all. Then, suddenly, whilst sitting at the desk watching the count, I heard some unappealing noises from the drive. Then the resolution time dropped like a stone, completing the remaining 1000 hours of the scan in about 20 minutes and finding no further files.

Now the PC won't see it. So, by my reckoning, the read head is now fucked and the only option is to rebuild the drive, which is another solution I've looked at quite a bit and may well opt to do.

Upon inspecting the data recovered, the TXT files are useless. They are just that. Text files of nothing significant. The MP3's are mostly all corrupt. Typically, the JPG's are mostly of stuff I could have done without and all other formats are mostly corrupt too. So, in all, I would say that I have about 1% of what was on that drive and am left now with the choice of either abandon it now, or pay the price for rebuild, which will probably recover more files, how many we don't know, but in essence involves buying another drive of EXACTLY the same model/spec/firmware and the internals being built as a combination of the two drives, but this has to be done under laboratory conditions, hence it costing upwards of £500 as far as I can tell. That is as far as I have got.

Next move is that I am looking out for a drive on Ebay of the same model, but at a far more relaxed pace. The data isn't time sensitive, I just can't give in to having lost it, so will keep looking for a solution. In the meantime, if anyone knows someone that can cost-effectively rebuild my drive platters into a donor unit, I'm all ears.



P.S. I'm still saying that the above software is about the best chance, short of paying a pro.