Q. My computer doesn't read my hard drive. I've tried using a start-up disk, but I can't get anything to start. I’ve tried scandisk and scanreg (it doesn't complete the scan), scanreg restore. I've tried starting in safe-mode. I've tried starting with CD-ROM support. I've tried reinstalling ME, but I get a whole string of error messages. How do I get my computer to read my drive? Can I connect another computer to the other to read the drive? I'm trying to recover my data.
A. If your drive is to the point where you cannot recover Windows or boot it up at all there is still a good chance you can take the drive out and place it in another computer. Just open the case and take the drive out and find a computer that has an extra spot on the cable to add your drive. Don't make it the main drive because you will end up with the same problem. You can either make it a slave drive to the other computer or even the slave drive to the CDROM. It depends on the configuration of the other computer. Just make sure you set the jumper on the drive to slave if you are adding it as a second drive on the cable.
Once you get it installed you should be able to start the second computer and see your drive and backup your files to a CD or the other computers hard drive. If you are putting it in a Windows 2000 or XP computer you may have to go into Disk Management and have the drive imported into Windows. Right click My Computer and pick Manage. You will see Disk Management in the list. Open that and look for an extra drive. You should be able to right click it and import it.
Back to the Hardware Questions Index
Back to the Main Answers Page
Back to the Computer Help Home Page
