DIY: Recovering Data from a Failed PC Hard Drive

I write this article with a warrior's mentality because that is the attitude you have to take when you realize your system has crashed and all of your valuable data could be lost forever! You have to assume the visage of a warrior because the alternative is to slump down in your chair and cry like a baby!

Crying is for wimps, and your data is sitting there waiting for you to extract it. While I don't claim this method works for a physically failed hard drive, I can say it will work for a system that has a corrupt registry or missing entries.

It could be any one of the following errors:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate

System error: Lsass.exe

When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.

In my case, I had been vigorously fighting the pesky vundo virus when my system crashed. Apparently, I was such a powerful computer warrior that I actually destroyed some of my registry entries in the process of destroying the virus. Upon rebooting the computer, I was hit with the second error in the list above.

The first thing I did was curse myself for not having a backup of my data.

And then I tried everything else. I rebooted into the recovery console, but it required a floppy (yes, a floppy) with the proper hardware drivers! I tried starting Windows in every mode available, and some modes that I found by mistake, but to no avail. The only other option was for me to use my company's recovery CDs which would unfortunately have wiped out my data as well. Others have mentioned that they had lost their recovery CDs and too were faced with the prospects of completely wiping their hard drives.

Reluctant to give up, I found a floppy drive at Best Buy and downloaded the drivers from a friend's computer onto a floppy. Back at my sick machine, the recovery console allowed me to go a step further, but then graced me once again with the second error above.

Aside from the two days of lost productivity and the lingering fear that I'd just lost my old journals, complete iTunes library and thousands of pictures, I tried one more time to find a solution.

How to Get to That Valuable Data!

You will need the following:

- Someone else's computer to browse the web (this computer must burn a DVD).

- At least one blank DVD.

- An external USB hard drive large enough to hold all of the data on your crashed system.

The steps from there are surprisingly easy.

Step 1: With your friend's computer, browse the web for a FREE piece of software called The Ultimate Boot CD. I'm not kidding, this exists for FREE, and I've attached the link to this article.

Step 2: Download the program.

> Click "download UBCD" on the left hand column of the UBCD website.

> Scroll down to the Mirrored Sites and choose either an .exe, .iso or .zip version. It really doesn't matter which, but know that the .iso file is a ready made image and can simply be burned to a DVD by using Roxio or any other standard DVD burning software. The .exe and .zip files must be extracted and installed to create the DVD. Not really a big deal either way.

* Note: This file is big, around 300MB. It might take a little while to download.

Step 3: Burn the .iso file to DVD using Roxio or any other DVD image burner. Or, if you downloaded the .exe or .zip version, double-click the .exe to start the UBCD program that will guide you through creating the UBCD DVD. It is pretty self explanatory after you install the UBCD software from the .exe file.

Now armed with the UBCD (play suspenseful music) you can return to your sick computer with newfound hope!

Step 4: Attach an external hard drive to your sick computer.

Step 5: Insert the UBCD into your DVD drive and turn on your sick PC. If asked, instruct your PC to boot from the DVD. At the UBCD menu, press the option to load UBCD.

At this point the UBCD will begin loading a pseudo version of Windows into your system memory. It will take a very long time, possibly ten minutes or more to load. Give it some time.

Step 6: After UBCD loads, you'll notice the "x2" icon down in the UBCD taskbar. This is a pseudo Windows Explorer program. Cross your fingers and click on it.

If you are lucky, you will be presented with a view of both your computer's hard drive as well as your external drive!

Step 7: Although the UBCD "x2" Explorer is a bit clunky, you should be able to click and browse to your valuable data and begin copying the data onto your external hard drive. Remember to get important files like your iTunes folder, MyDocuments and any mail archive files you may have around.

After you are done copying the data, breathe a sigh of relief and go ahead and wipe out your hard drive or reinstall your operating system knowing your data is safe!

What to do After You Are Back up and Running?

Once you get your system fully restored, consider a backup solution for your internal hard disk and any other external drives you have. And get serious about it! Think about it. If your home is damaged in some way, at least you have homeowners insurance. But who is making sure your photo memories, important documents, and videos are insured?

YOU! Only you are responsible for the safety of your valuable data!

There are several great solutions out there for backing up your data. I personally purchased a Maxtor Central Axis 1TB network storage drive (for around $220), and I had it attached to my router in about ten minutes. Fifteen minutes later I was running a backup of my internal and external hard drives over the network! The great thing about the network storage solution is that every computer in your home (presuming you have all of your computers hooked up to a router either hard-wired or via wi-fi) can create an account on the storage server over the network and schedule their own backups. No lugging drives around from computer to computer or trying to setup a shared drive from another PC.

There are also several other companies with network storage drives on the market like Hewlett Packard and Netgear, all worth taking a look at. Or, a cheap secondary external hard drive will work just fine.

Whatever you choose for your back up method, take it a step futher and make a full backup of your backup drive every six months or so and store the extra external hard drive in a safety deposit box or a fire proof safe in your home.

A bit much, you say? Think about it. Your memories, important data, and possibly documents pertaining to your future could be wiped away if you don't take steps to safeguard them.

Whatever the solution you decide, be frugal every once in a while and avoid losing a lifetime of work!