[SOLVED] Faulty HDD Boot drive from other PC shows in diskpart with laptop, but not file explorer/diskmgmt?

[firechuchu]

Specs of my PC are

CPU: i7 8700k, stock clock (Gamdias P1A-360R cooler)
MOBO: ASrock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
RAM: 4x Team T-Force Nighthawk Ram (32 GB total)
GPU: 1080 ti FE Sli
PSU: Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB 750W with some CableMod.

Storage
2TB Seagate Compute HDD 7200RPM (OS)
HyperX SSD 250GB
a 1TB Surveillance HDD from WD

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I really need to explain it good detail about my problem, and some possible troubleshooting.

Anyways, specs are listed. So, about a while ago I have been experiencing weird loading, and slowing down issues with my PC, I highly doubted it was my entire PC, it took a few minutes to do tasks as simple as opening a file. To be fair I had a few hundred tabs open in Opera, but that didn't affect my PC, especially before all of this. Weird part is this all happened overnight when I went to sleep, and if I recall, I put my PC to sleep/hibernate, then just left. This all started happening a bit over a week ago, so the problem is still fresh. I scanned for viruses (with malwarebytes premium, non-trial,) and also no signs of being hacked.

I got "inaccessible boot device" on the PC listed above, which was after it started to not boot up, and to try and remedy the problem, I tried a few things. One of them was clearing CMOS, and trying startup repair. ( I thought it was a problem with my motherboard and a corrupt bios,) contacted Asrock Tech support, they said it was definitely a drive, and they were right. I've always suspected it was a drive issue.

I am currently using a 2-HDD docking station connected to my laptop, and some flash drives, as well as an external. Luckily, using Acronis when my PC was still on, I backed up about 80 - 90% of my data to that previously mentioned external drive, excluding Windows folders (in .tibx format, still not sure what that is.)

I'm mostly concerned that when I reinstall Windows, how will I get my key back? Also, yes I have opened the drive multiple times (not while powered on), the drive is clean, had a few specs but I used compressed air, the read/write head was not stuck. I got another drive yesterday, identical to it but from WD with same capacity, which I plan to use, and is the same RPM aswell.

A few more things aswell.
I have a lot of devices and usb hubs connected, mainly a corsair headset stand, Razer Gaming Keypad, and a mic. I kinda doubt these could be factors that have almost (or possibly permanently)) killed my disk, but what is your input? Any help would be appreciated!

Also, I got this drive with an older PC as an upgrade from a previous broken one in around probably 2018, from a repair shop and we moved a few hundred miles from that area, so if I tried to RMA or something, I'm not sure how I would, especially with no invoice/receipt 🙁.

 

[popatim]

Your key to activate windows will be on your Windows COA that came with your Disk/Flashdrive when you bought it. If you purchased it digitally then check your emails for it.

If it tied to your hardware, since you are re-installing, it may well detect that you're already activated and there is also the possibility that you've linked it to your MS account and won't need it again, just sign in with your MS account and it will reactivate windows for you.

Since you've opened the drive, you have no warranty so don't even worry about an RMA.

You should never open a drive, esp to just 'clean it'. Only open it when it no longer spins up and you think it might be stuck heads and you need to try and recover data. Doing this will significantly increase your costs should you decide to send it out for recovery afterwards though so don't do this if you don't have to.

 

[fzabkar]

TIBX files are backups created by Acronis True Image:

https://kb.acronis.com/content/63444

 

[firechuchu]

Your key to activate windows will be on your Windows COA that came with your Disk/Flashdrive when you bought it. If you purchased it digitally then check your emails for it.

If it tied to your hardware, since you are re-installing, it may well detect that you're already activated and there is also the possibility that you've linked it to your MS account and won't need it again, just sign in with your MS account and it will reactivate windows for you.

Since you've opened the drive, you have no warranty so don't even worry about an RMA.

You should never open a drive, esp to just 'clean it'. Only open it when it no longer spins up and you think it might be stuck heads and you need to try and recover data. Doing this will significantly increase your costs should you decide to send it out for recovery afterwards though so don't do this if you don't have to.

So even if I just attempt to first get the data off the problem drive (the 2TB Seagate drive) using some recovery software, or even just use Acronis on this laptop for the already backed up data in the external drive I mentioned, which contains the .tibx files, about 511 GB of them.) (Which is also 2 TB), it'll still recognize my key? Especially on the same hardware?

Also I'm not really worried about RMA, as this drive was kind of a gift, when taking my older PC to the shop like I also mentioned in the bottom. The same drive, anyways, is for 50 - 60 dollars online, bare, which is a good deal, but I already have that other drive like mentioned, though. I also used Torx bits when opened the drive, I didn't force it open or use any other unconventional way of opening the drive. I also used isopropryl alcohol, dried it off carefully.

By the way, I'm not that familiar with Acronis and some other softwares, as long as the drive is detected in anyway by the PC, it'd be able to backup, or even image/clone to that other drive I talked about (not the external, I meant that other internal one I talked about getting, which I already have.)

Lastly, I think that same shop that I mentioned getting this problem drive from, they upgraded my older PC to Windows 10, then after that I used the same drive in this PC early 2019, if I remember, so it was all digital, and no flashdrive. Hopefully the backed up data contains the key though.

Thanks for the help!

 

[popatim]

You don't image/clone drives with issues and expect to get a working drive from it.

You can image a problem drive and run recovery on the image though. Thats a good habit to get in to.

The tibx files are your Acronis backup files and Acronis should be able to restore whatever you backed up. If you didn't backup the whole drive then you don't have anything you can restore that will leave you with a bootable drive using them and will have to resintall Windows. This is also assuming that if you did backup the whole disk you made yourself an Acronis boot disk/flashdrive so you could restore it.

As for Activation, Windows10 uses several methods, Key, Hardware, or Digital entitlement. Whithout know which way you last activated Windows I cant say what you will run into. And by 'last activated' i mean that you do/did have the option of changing either key or hardware activation into digital entitlement anytime that you were using W10. It often prompts you to while asking you to switch your login to your MS account so you can log in with a PIN instead.

 

[firechuchu]

You don't image/clone drives with issues and expect to get a working drive from it.

You can image a problem drive and run recovery on the image though. Thats a good habit to get in to.

The tibx files are your Acronis backup files and Acronis should be able to restore whatever you backed up. If you didn't backup the whole drive then you don't have anything you can restore that will leave you with a bootable drive using them and will have to resintall Windows. This is also assuming that if you did backup the whole disk you made yourself an Acronis boot disk/flashdrive so you could restore it.

As for Activation, Windows10 uses several methods, Key, Hardware, or Digital entitlement. Whithout know which way you last activated Windows I cant say what you will run into. And by 'last activated' i mean that you do/did have the option of changing either key or hardware activation into digital entitlement anytime that you were using W10. It often prompts you to while asking you to switch your login to your MS account so you can log in with a PIN instead.

Some VERY good news, 2 docking stations I got a while ago, I am using that newer 3.5 2TB HDD, to use the data on, but mainly the good news is that somehow the "faulty" drive is actually detected on my laptop now, it's in a docking station too. Thing is though, I am used a different docking station. I think what's happening here is, since I lost the adapter to the last docking station mentionerd in my above posts (it has 2 docks, from Nexstar to be exact) probably didn't have enough power, hence the drive turning off.

Some more good news is, especially in diskmgmt, it also shows precisely how much is full, which is about 700 - 800 GB out of 2TB. I think I will use a few imaging softwares, some current ones I have being Disk Drill, Acronis True Image, and another or so on it. Very happy about my progress, but there are still a few errors, including "Data Error Cyclic Redudancy," after just trying to diskcheck it in diskmgmt.msc. When I tried to defrag it, it was stuck on 24%. Also, it showed the exact drive name and model, which is another sign of good news.

I shouldn't get my hopes up too soon though, as this drive could die permanently any moment, or even start up the previous problem before, whether adequately powered, or not. I am also relieved that I now know again that the motherboard carries the key, I'm glad clearing CMOS had nothing to do with it. Forgot that MOBO's carry the key though, I'm assuming I'd just have ot get the data back on that new drive I talked about (not the external, the 2 TB WD one I mentioned,) and then it'd recognize it, I'd probably have to use Media Creation Tool with my flash drive.

Thanks for your help, and hope to fully resolve this.

 

[popatim]

Excellent news. Thank you for the update.