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Drive Recovery (DOS)

M

macrospect

[H]ard|Gawd
2FA
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
1,711
Hello,

Well, I finally managed to screw up my hard drive enough so it refuses to boot no matter what I do. Of course I did not back up some of the things that I needed off of it so here is my question,

Since the COPY command in DOS will not work, I am looking for a utility, that operates in dos, that will allow me to copy certian contents of my main hard drive, to another auxiliary hard drive I have installed in the system.

I know there are apps out there that do this, but does anyone know of any good ones that will perform the above operation?

Thanks, I REALLY appreciate any help....

Note to self: It seems a program called BootSkin (modifies the NTOSKRNL.exe file) corrupted something with the startup profiles on my computer. Already tried replacing the NTOSKRNL file in DOS (COPY command) with no luck. I also tried to rebuild the Boot.ini file, with no luck.

Basically when I try and boot it will POST, but when the system goes to display the windows XP logo it freezes.

I would just like to recover what I need and reformat, like I said I KNOW there are programs that will do this.

Also, does anyone know how to recover messages from Outlook express from a DOS perspective (what folder can I find my e-mail messages in)

Thanks again!
 
Have you tried using the recovery console? You should be able to repair the installation enough to get back in from there.

As to the location that outlook express stores your files,

C:\Documents and Settings\*your_profile_name_here*\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{*a_crazy_string_of_numbers_here*}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

everything is stored in .dbx files that you can import after formatting and reinstalling windows. This is all assuming you are running XP.
 
Ive tried numerous comands in the recovery console. I have used FIXMBR, FIXBOOT, CHKDSK /R (takes a LOOOOOONG time, I dont think its working correctly).

I am running OUT of options!

Im using WinXP Pro, NTFS

Oh, and would the recovery console work if the copy on the WinXP CD is SP1 and I have SP2 installed on the drive I am working on?

ASR wont work because I never installed it... Ill make sure not to make that mistake again! :(

Like I said, I know DOS commands (I tried using the COPY "C:\Program Files" D:\ command) but it says Access Is Denied.

UPDATE: CHKDSK is speeding up a little (It took like a 1/2 hour to get through the 60-69% chunk of data)

NOOOOO! CHKDSK is stuck in a loop, it went BACK to 50%. ARG!
 
You'll want to slipstream SP2 into the XPCD. There are lots of websites with directions on them... just google "windows xp slipstream" and you should find them.
 
A knoppix live cd sounds like the solution to the problem. You could also try doing a repair installation of windows, which will keep your files intact, but I'm not sure how that works with an SP1 CD and an SP2 system.

Another option would be to install windows to the other drive in your system, then copy the corrupted file to your old drive which should then boot.
 
The long way around would be to unplug the drive. Hook up the other drive you mentioned in the 1st post and install windows to it. Hook former C: up as D: and try to copy the data over from there.

The UBCD has most manufacturers diagnostic utilities on it but if you cant burn the iso its obviously worthless. If there is any suspicion that the drive is on the way out you want to limit its use to data recovery attempts. It may be running on borrowed time. If checkdisk will not complete it sounds like it may be on its last leg.
 
Ok I created my Windows XP Service Pack 2 disk. Now what command/program am I supposed to use to fix XP?

I CANNOT use ASR because I do not have a floppy disk (which the ASR absolutely needs to be successfull).

Maybe Ill try and install another copy of XP over the one that is allready there?!
 
I ran install recovery without luck. When I try and start in normal mode I get an infinite BSOD, and when I try safe mode, I get a error message saying Windows XP Setup cannot run under safe mode. Setup will now restart.


I think I am going to still look for DOS recovery programs.
 
Try knoppix if repair install doesn't work. It'll give you a proper file browser with drag n drop.

Dos disks might not work anyway if the drive is formatted to ntfs - they're mostly Fat32 only.
 
the reason why DOS isn't working is because the drive is formatted in NTFS and DOS is made for FAT/FAT32

What you need is a Bootable CD with another operating system on it. ie, Windows Ultimate Boot Cd, Hiren's Boot CD, winternals Boot CD, Windows PE or Bart's PE, any of these will work and most you can find off google with a simple search. Winternal's is a pay for type deal and so is Hirens but Ultimate Boot CD is free so google it and you shall recieve...
 
Well,

I managed to get lucky enough to temporarily put the hard drive in another working system. Luckily the file system was still intact so I was able to drag and drop the files I needed onto another hard drive.

Dirtydr, thanks for the OE folder, I retrieved those files and they work wonderfully.

This certian is a lesson well learned! Ill make SURE to make a ARS diskette so this wont happen again.

Thanks to everyone who contributed information into this thread!

Oh and PS. I found a cool little free app called pci filerecoverey. Its W32 based, but its awesome for recovering lost info on a hard drive.
 
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