[Radix]

Is it a gateway?

[johniegrad]

Please. I'll only tell you this once. Log in!!

[longshadow]

do a web search on ["data recovery" + "hard drive"] and you should have no shortage on info about recovering data from a dead hard drive.

I don't expect that it will be cheap.

[chance33_98]

Replace it, put the old one in as drive D - try running Drive Rescue on it or check with the manufacturer's web site for disk recovery software. If it is getting the error during booting it may have some bad spots related to those areas of the disk only - if you hear a bad grating noise though...

[July 4th]

If your hard drive is truly shot, there are data recovery services that can get the info off of it for you.

A quick Google search reveals:

http://www.iomega.com/data_recovery/
http://www.datarecovery.net/
http://www.datarec.com/af501red.asp

Be advised that these services can be VERY expensive. A few years ago, I had a friend who had a regular IDE drive recovered for about $300.

I'm sure there are others here with better ideas.

[chance33_98]

PS - I have recovered several drives that have seemed dead by hitting them in the center gently with a hammer as a last resort. Got them running long enough to get the data off. Have managed to get this work in several dire cases for clients (mechanical parts can stick - but only do this in certain cases and if everything else has failed).

[dighton]

I have been told that the hard drive has kicked the bucket and all I can do is replace it.

Did you give Norton Utilities a shot?

If that failed, you might give Drivesavers a call. They're not cheap, but can often recover data from badly messed-up hard disks.

[Khepera]

I have had this happen before and I fixed it by using my boot disk to get started and reinstalling windows.

[Radix]

What has probably happened is that your cooling fan stopped working. That results eventually in the hardrive overheating. It is a common problem with Gateways as I have since learned. It is a design flaw, and I suspect an intentional one.
The plastic fan blades on my Gateway actually melted. I lost 20 gigs of precious Data (that is a lot). My computer was 14 months old. I replaced my hard drive, and I had to reinstall an Operating System (Windows). Due to the fact that my warrantee had expired I received little help from Gateway.
It wouldn`t have mattered if the warantee was still in effect. The warantees do not cover lost data. I also came to the conclusion that the Tech Support at gateway is abominable. I actually lost my cool with them via e-mail. I actually swore at them in my e-mail.
I do not know if that is what happened to your computer. I do know that there are services which provde data recovery. It can be very expensive. For me it will be quite a bit. I do not have the dough right now, but eventually I will get my data back.
I hope that it is less serious for you.

[Vidalia]

First of all, DO NOT TRASH YOUR HARD DISK. If need be take is out of your case and replace it for now since they are reasonably cheap.

Your fats may be corrupted, but as long as the disk itself has not been physically damaged, it may be possible to recover your data, regardless of what file type.

Recovery of your pics depends upon what value you place on them, sentimental and financial.

Much like the recovery of the data on "black boxes" of crashed planes, there are public commercial outlets that may be able to recover your data.

You will need to do the research on who, what, when and where's in S. Carolina, but it is possible.

If nothing else for now, put the disk in a dust free non-metalic bag and save it for later technology, since it is a gold nugget for you...

[TomGuy]

Boot up from a floppy. Then see if your system recognizes C drive. If so, then the FAT (File Allocation Table) may be corrupt, but you can still access much of the data.

You might have to try several times and even let the system sit (cool) overnite.

It could be a sector problem (a blimp on the disk platter) or a mechanical problem with the disk mechanism. Either way, the data itself may be recoverable. You might have to get someone experienced with such problems to recover your files/pics.

[Vidalia]

By the way, anything resembling F-O-R-M-A-T, FORMAT, or format is the dirtiest word found in the computer galaxy.

DO NOT FORMAT...

[Abcdefg]

You might also get into the BIOS (if you don't know how, don't try this) and let it detect the hard drive again. See what the BIOS says about it. If that checks out okay, boot with a floppy and run scandisk or chkdisk on the hard drive. If none of this makes sense to you, get a kid to help you.

[dennisw]

Install your hard drive as a slave on another computer. See if you can find your photos this way and transfer them to a sound hard drive.

[mrsmith]

If you or a friend are comfortable going into the case:
Unplug the power cord and then unplug the cables at the drive and then plug them right back in exactly as they were,
unplug the data cable at the motherboard and plug it right back in.
You could replace the cable and try the drive in another machine too.

Good luck! ( Try the advice about booting from a floppy first!)

[freedom9]

I had a similar problem several days ago. Try reinstalling what ever operating system you have from the CD, BUT don't do a clean or new install. There is a good chance you will get your drive working again with all the files intact. If and when you do get it working again do a virus check. (I had every .exe file on my HD infected with a virus called CIH. I think that was the cause for my drive messing up. They say that a version of CIH will try to rewrite the BIOS in a computer on the 26th of any given month rendering it useless untill another another BIOS chip is installed.)

[RightOnline]

Had a similar thing happen to us recently. Our "second" hard drive in our primary "family" system has a problem. The system sees that the drive is there.......but that's it. That's the bloody limit. Can't "explore" it; won't even show how large the drive is, etc., etc. So, the system knows it's there, but can't get a lick of additional information on the drive......let alone access it.

Think I'll try the "gentle rap" method described here. Nothing to lose...........except, like you, some irreplaceable pictures..............sigh................

[RightWhale]

It might not be the "C" disk drive at fault. If you replace the disk drive with a new one [not expensive anymore], keep the old one handy. If you still have the problem after installing the OS on the new disk, then the problem is farther down toward the motherboard. In any case, it is possible to read a disk that won't boot so long as the new disk is working right and the bad, old disk has been installed as drive "D". Unless the old "C" disk really is completely trashed, which could be a mechanical problem like physical head crash or bad bearings, or electronic, which is tougher to deal with.

[Vidalia]

The firstist and bestest of all (if you know the contents of your motherboard and are not afraid of the components) is to UNPLUG YOUR COMPUTER.

Take your case off.

One by one (just like the spark plugs on a car) take the bus and power connections off and check them for corrosion or dirt, remedy the problem if necessary and gently but firmly replace into the original position.

After that there are a million things that will be proposed.

Don't depend upon the various "diagnostic" programs out there unless you were an originator of the program...

[nutmeg]

bump