[SOLVED] hard disk with data needs initializing?

[shmu26]

I took the primary HDD out of an old Windows 7 desktop that died, and connected it internally by SATA to a computer that works.
Windows Disk Management says that the disk needs to be initialized.
This puzzles me, because it is supposed to have a functioning Win7 installation on it.
If I initialize it, will it delete the data?
MBR or GPT?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Yes it will erase the drive. Very common for this to happen since the OS is from totally different hardware.

 

[RolandJS]

Don't initialize that HDD, it will wipe out MFT, making data recovery quite difficult.

 

[shmu26]

So how do I recover the data?
Gparted running on Linux MX 19 doesn't see the disk at all.
I have a Windows 7 virtual machine, and an XP one, too. Will that help any?

 

[RolandJS]

Is it possible to put the HDD back into the original computer? Then, using any backup / restore program you want, make full image of the OS and the data partition onto external media?

 

[shmu26]

Is it possible to put the HDD back into the original computer? Then, using any backup / restore program you want, make full image of the OS and the data partition onto external media?

I can't get the original computer working. It seems to me that the MOBO is damaged.
I have a thread about it here:
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/computer-boots-intermittently.3568437/

 

[RolandJS]

Sorry I missed that part! I will await the wisdom of others.

 

[fzabkar]

Can you show us the Partitions window in DMDE?

Can you show us a SMART report with CrystalDiskInfo?

 

[shmu26]

Can you show us the Partitions window in DMDE?

Can you show us a SMART report with CrystalDiskInfo?

Thanks for the ideas. That will have to wait for the morning (it's getting late here) when I can power down my computer, reconnect the hard disk, and boot into Windows. I do have CrystalDisk installed, but I am not familiar with DMDE.

 

[fzabkar]

Launch DMDE, select your drive, and wait one minute or less for DMDE to find your partitions. That's all.

 

[shmu26]

When I power on the machine, the BIOS says "Press <CTRL+P> to enter MEBX setup menu". I ignored the message and eventually it went away.
Windows took a very long time to load.
DMDE says the disk is not accessible.
CrystalDisk doesn't see the disk at all.

 

[shmu26]

EaseUS Data Recovery claims that if I only initialize, without partitioning and formatting, my data will still be there, and the program can recover it.
What do y'all say about that?

 

[USAFRet]

EaseUS Data Recovery claims that if I only initialize, without partitioning and formatting, my data will still be there, and the program can recover it.
What do y'all say about that?

I'd say that there is a greater than zero chance of that not working.

 

[RolandJS]

Perhaps make a forensic sector-by-sector clone, and then try EaseUS initialize, format[?], data recovery on the clone.

 

[shmu26]

Perhaps make a forensic sector-by-sector clone, and then try EaseUS initialize, format[?], data recovery on the clone.

How do I clone it if the device is not detected? I mean, what program or command can I use to clone it?

 

[shmu26]

Solved. I connected the hard disk with a different SATA connector, and the disk functions as expected. It does not ask to be initialized and is readable.

 

[RolandJS]

RolandJS:
Perhaps make a forensic sector-by-sector clone, and then try EaseUS initialize, format[?], data recovery on the clone.
Shamu26:
How do I clone it if the device is not detected? I mean, what program or command can I use to clone it?
RolandJS: You are so correct! I was thinking after you successfully got the drive detected, then make a clone. I should have remembered when I earlier posted the drive was not yet detected.