Toshiba Notebook HDD recovery advice.

[tweedledee]

Hi, I have a mate who has crashed his Toshiba Notebook and his local Tech has replaced the hard drive which was apparently damaged. I have data recovery software on my PC and I need to know if I can attach the HDD to my PC.? If so, which is the way to go? USB or what?

[Bjs]

There are adapters that allow you too add the laptop drive to your main pc , the better option as most recovery tools will have no problems ... usb can be a problem , some tools dont work well with this option .

Take a spin around ebay should turn up the required adapter for a few bucks .

Computers & IT > Components and Upgrades > Cables, Connectors > Adapters, Converters

Look for (2.5" to 3.5" IDE adapter)

But this depend's on the type of "damage" .

If the drive can be seen in the bios , then there is a good chance of recovering files ... search for drive rescue , it's very good at recovery where others fail , not limited and free .

Basic recovery of work files , favs , outlook files can be done using puppy - mini linux distro .

Another option would be to mirror the content to another drive ... go to the manufacturer's website of the drive that buggered up ... grab there drive copy tool ... setup laptop drive as master , and another hd as slave ... it should contain no information , and be of the same format as the laptop hd ... need's to be same size or bigger .

The tool may complain if secondary drive is not from the manufacturer of the drive copy tool ... ignore it and proceed till job done ... worked when pro tools failed to transfer data .

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If the drive cannot be seen in bios , then recovery could be expensive , depending on your needs .

This task is done by using another hd of the same type and specs in knowing working order , and swapping the platters between units for the recovery process to proceed ...

[SingSing]

First thing to determine is whether the drive spin up and stay on at all or not. If it is not then no software or other connection will work.

Note : I am not the other clock.

[tweedledee]

Thanks Guys, all the info I need. I should have realized that there would be an adapter for it.