Help !!!

[ALWX65]

Hello, I am new here and was wondering if I could get some help. I have a WD external 60gig hard drive thats at least 10 years old that still works and I have files on it I can acesss. The problem is that some files that were deleted a year or two ago by me, I now need back. I searched the internet for what I thought would be a good software program to recover these files, Digital Rescue 4 Premium, and it seemed to have worked. I found alot more files that I thought were on there. Once I ran the software from the main computer, I put that folder on another external drive so I could see what it came up with. Out of the 5000 files it found only a hand full can be seen, the files are pictures, word docs, PDF's, wavs, mp3. It shows the file name with info size, an example like 89 kb or 220kb ect ect ect. These files can not be viewed, seen, or played if it was a wav or mp3. What are my options? Its like the software worked but there is something wrong with each file. The drive uses usb and a power cord and has been unplugged and in the closet on a shelf for a few years. Like I had said the stuff thats on there, external drive, that wasnt deleted is still good and acessable and the drive seems to work pretty good. What are my chances of getting back the files? I hope I am as complete as possible with my explanation/question. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

ALW

 

[BikerEcho]

they are most likely corrupt. you see, if you delete i file it will still be there until the file is overridden. so i think parts or all of the files have bin overridden.
files are stored on sectors on the harddrive. 1 sector = 512 bytes. so if a file require 2kb it will need 4 sectors. so if you delete that and you want to store another file at 2gb.
that's alot of sectors, so lets say that harddrive starts by storing the first 512 bytes many sectors away from the file on 2kb you deleted, but it is so long that the last 512 bytes at the file is overriding the first sector of your 2kb file.
your 2kb file is now unable to function anymore. that might be why you cant open your files.

is it all the files that you have rescued that don't want to open?

 

[ALWX65]

I would say like 95%, is there anything I can do?? Defrag the drive? Get some kind of restore program? Spend major bucks with someone that specializes in this ???

ALW

 

[BikerEcho]

i'm sorry. but at this point i really dont know what you can do.
a defrag will not work.
you can try another recovery program.

you migh consider gettting some professional help if the files are important to you.