[bob7]

So I had a seagate 750 GB ST3500320AS drive.
One day I found it just not being recognized, and after searching came across the firmware fix.

The Components finally arrived yesterday and I was able to perform the BSY fix and everything went fine, re-installed the HD and went into raid setup and it was shown and I thought I was golden.
Then I went in to check my computer and the drive wasnt shown.
Went into disc management and it was shown as not initialized. So basically my system is reading it as a new HD. Wants me to format/partition it

So now I need help on what to do to get the data back. I tried to just make the whole HD one partition with quick format so I could run a file recovery program but gives error wont let me format.
And I cant use a recovery program on the drive until its setup. So not sure if I should do regular format of the drive and then run a recovery program or what.

Any ideas?

[allen2]

Don't try to write anything to the drive and formating /creating partition would only worsen the situation. The same apply if you try to use it a member of a raid array.
File recovery program should be run from a boot cd/dvd/usb key or another physical drive.
Best practices are to create a full raw disk image before anything and work on it but as you tried without success to write on it in many different ways, the resolution of the bsy state might not be complete.

[jaclaz]

Let's start with some data, OK?
There are as many ways to setup a RAID as stars in the sky.
HOW exactly was the RAID setup?
Is it a hardware or a software raid? (if hardware which make/model of the controller?)
WHICH OS are you running?
If your disk failed and it was in one of the "good" ways to setup a RAID, you shouldn't have lost data.
If the disk was not intitialized you definitely have partitioned it before attempting quickly formattting it. (HOW exactly, with which program, etc.)?
Please describe EXACTLY what you saw when you re-connected the drive and the EXACT sequesnce of operations you alreadyperformed.

Right now your priorities should be:

• procure a new, surely working, slightly bigger hard disk, 1 Tb in your case, hard disk
  
• create on it a single partition, NTFS (or EXT3FS if you are running Linux)
  
• use a suitable copying tool, typically under windows DataRescuedd
  http://www.datarescu...cue/v3/drdd.htm
  or bb_recover
  http://alter.org.ua/...win/bb_recover/
  or ddrescue under Linux
  
• make an image of the whole disk as is.

Depending on the exact type of RAID setup you had, the recovery (provided that the data is still actually there ) may range from "easy/peasy" to impossible", going through "extremely difficult" and/or "impossible without using Commercial software".

Until you have a valid image of the disk, every single byte you change on it through any way/program/test/whatever is lessening the chances of recovering data.

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: 05 October 2012 - 02:30 AM

[bob7]

First off, Wasnt really setup as raid, I bought a raid controller card as I ran out of sata spots on my MOBO. Basically just plugged card into mobo, plugged HD into card and was good.
Im running Vista

When I reconnected the drive I just hit f4 to go into raid setup just to see of the HD was shown and it was. I exited and completed startup and then found the drive not shown in my computer and found it in disc management.

I did a regular format of the whole drive as 1 partition and then tried a few data recovery programs, Minitools data recovery, recuva, easuse data recovery. All came up with nothing so Im probly just screwed

[bphlpt]

From what I understand, once you formatted the drive, in Vista unlike in XP and prior, you completely wiped the drive. So yes, now you are screwed. If you didn't format, but only partitioned, then there might still be a chance.

Cheers and Regards

[jaclaz]

bphlpt, on 06 October 2012 - 02:26 AM, said:

From what I understand, once you formatted the drive, in Vista unlike in XP and prior, you completely wiped the drive. So yes, now you are screwed. If you didn't format, but only partitioned, then there might still be a chance.

NOT really because he quickly formatted - or at least this is what was initially reported. (even if the command went through).
In any case not a smart attempt: NO fiddling of any kind until you have a dd-like copy!
Of course if the format command was without the quick switch, the whole disk, sector by sector has been written with 00's.
And again it is easy to understand what happened, a "quick" format is a matter of minutes, a "full" one is of hours.

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: 06 October 2012 - 03:21 AM