Wonky HD Problem

[nowayout99]

Howdy all,

A family member's PC decided to go belly-up. The RAM fried. That didn't smell too good.

So I'm building a new system and I want to transfer as much of the contents as possible from the old HD to the new HD. However, when I connect the HD to my PC using an external USB enclosure, my system BSOD's with an error in ntfs and the memory dumps. When I connect it directly as a slave on the PATA cable, it reboots in a loops.

I guess it's possible that it was permanently damaged somehow by the frying RAM, but does anybody have any other ideas on how I might try to access it (aside from a trip to the cleanroom)? I'm not ready to give up on it yet.

 

[ForumMaster]

i dunno know. it sounds like the drive controller was damaged. it might need to be replaced. you could try to buy an exact copy of the drive and replace the components. you can also try this. it might help but it won't be cheap. however, data recovery costs $400 and up so it might be worth it.

 

[Bassyhead]

Data recovery programs won't work if the controller on the drive is damaged. Like ForumMaster suggested, you can swap drive controllers if you are able to obtain a drive of the same model and physical drive characteristics.

 

[nowayout99]

I'm wondering if there's possibly a way to get to the drive's contents by bypassing or avoiding Windows altogether. The reboot doesn't start until Windows begins to load, and the BSOD I got after trying to connect it through the USB enclosure mentions an ntfs error. I might be grabbing at straws, but it's worth a shot if I can do it.

Is it possible to browse drive contents from the Windows install CD or another disc?