Black screen startup flashing cursor - HELP

[zkm1223]

what about if i use utilities like testdisk and others?

[Guest Wolfeymole]

To do what ZKM?

 

If you can honestly state that when you have re-inserted the laptop hard drive back into the laptop and booted from the XP disk and you get that screenshot then it is an inescapable fact that there are no operating system files on the drive AT ALL.

 

The word document shows quite clearly that there is not even a file structure on that drive when you attached it to your pc.

 

Someone somewhere has erased that laptop drive and now it needs formatting to be usable once more.

[Seth]

I have a different opinion:

 

Your file system is obviously corrupt. This may be caused by many things, including a failing hard drive. As such, your first priority is to put the drive back in the enclosure and attempt data recovery if needed. Then you need to run hard drive error correction.

 

Now, whether or not your files are accessible, you need to run the hard drive error correction. To do so, right click on the drive and choose Properties>Tools>Error Checking>Check Now. Put a check in both of the two options that are presented. Once the check is complete, put the drive back in the lappy and fire it up.

[zkm1223]

hi seth,

 

i have put the drive back in the enclosure and done that error checking. however when i tick the 2 check boxes and click start, the small window of the error checking just closes straight away and am left on properties>tools window.

 

Can i do the backup option on it. would that save my data???

[Seth]

hi seth,

 

i have put the drive back in the enclosure and done that error checking. however when i tick the 2 check boxes and click start, the small window of the error checking just closes straight away and am left on properties>tools window.

 

Can i do the backup option on it. would that save my data???

 

When that happens, just restart the computer and the error checking may start. But, you should be trying to backup any important data first. I suspect that won't be possible though. Are you able to right click and "Explore" the contents of the drive?

[zkm1223]

i've tried restarting the computer and then trying the error checking but the same thing happens as before.

 

I have already tried to right click and click Explore but the same message comes up when i double click it which is:

 

F:\ is not accessible.

The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable.

 

What should i do now?

[Guest Wolfeymole]

I am of the firm conviction that this hard drive is utterly dead and any files that do remain on it will be totally irretrievable.

 

My advice is to buy a new hard drive and put your loss down to experience.

[Seth]

If the drive won't even allow hard drive error checking, then it will need to be replaced.

 

You can try testdisk's recovery options, or any other type of recovery program. If that doesn't work though, then the only way the data can be recovered is by using the services of a recovery lab. Basically what they do, is remove the disks form the drive (very difficult) and install it on another drive (even more difficult). The procedure is outrageously expensive.

[Dalo Harkin]

I am of the firm conviction that this hard drive is utterly dead and any files that do remain on it will be totally irretrievable.

 

My advice is to buy a new hard drive and put your loss down to experience.

 

Agreed - If you wanted you can FORMAT the drive and then see if there is any life in it - but as we have said this will DELETE any info if there is any that is/was on the drive!

[zkm1223]

how much does the recovery lab thing cost roughly and how long does it take?

[Guest Wolfeymole]

This is just one of many that I found on a Google search ZKM with towers and Laptop data recovery with a fixed price of £295.

 

You may have to read the terms and conditions to ascertain if that price covers whole actual recovery and not just an attempt at recovery.

 

Phoenix - Data Recovery

[Dalo Harkin]

how much does the recovery lab thing cost roughly and how long does it take?

 

This is far from cheap as Wolfey has said and most of them do not 'trade' to the public.

I once had to do this for an old company I worked at and it was £500 and then VAT and that was for 250GB worth of data. :eek:

 

As Wolfey has said previously - cut your losses and put it down to experience.

And from now on REGULARLY back up your DATA