Hard disk is corrupted. Error - The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.

[r4hara]

I have IOmega 1 TB hard drive. 2 days ago, my comp restarted suddenly after which my external drive is corrupted.

I get the error 'H: is not accessble' The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.
It shows up in the disk management as RAW file system,

I have almost 700 GB of important documents, pictures & files that I don't want to lose.
Does anybody know of any good recovery software that can help.

 

[OS-Wiz]

You might be screwed, but try doing a CHKDSK on it.

Rules for HDDs and especially SSDs:
1. Backup
2. Backup
3. Backup dammit!

P.S. There are some free and paid for apps that will try to recover data from a corrupted drive.

 

[Fujitsu_Technician]

Well Said OS-Wiz
does the hard disk spin?
how old is the Hard Disk?
Does the Hard Disk have a Clicking Noise?
It sounds very much like the controller card issue I have done data recovery for 4 years now and the fact is Back up Backup Backup otherwise it costs you a fortune for recover data from a data recovery specialist.
The data is not lost it is just not readable the reason it is not readable is because when your computer just powered itself off the Hard Disk did not have time to be parked and when the platters spin again the read right arm is in the incorrect position and there for cannot read the platters that is why you get such a message the read/write arm may need reseating
Another factor could be the arm heads need cleaning or at worse replacing due to mechanical wear
Main Parts to a Hard Disk;
1. Controller Card (this manages the power and signal to the data output
2. Platters (these are where your data is stored on sectors and clusters)
3. The read/wright arm (this is what reads and writes your data to the platters)
4. Read/Write Heads on the arm (these read the data on the platters and are placed in between the platters)
5. Spindle Motor (this is the motor that is connected to the platters so they spin
6. Magnets (there are 2 magnets that hold the arm in position
7. Controller card cable that connects the controller card to the arm of the read / write
These are just facts do not attempt to recover yourself if you have no experience in data recovery
Take it to a specialist and get it recovered correctly
Do not attempt to use it or try and use data recovery programs on it the more you use it the harder it is for you to get your data back because more damage will occur.
Data recovery programs are good for only when you have deleted a file and want to get it back not recovery mechanical failure I have 2 very good recovery programs 1 recurva and the other is called Pareto
You also have disk digger that is very good as well
If the message read you have bad sectors on the Hard Disk and the Hard Disk needs formatting then OS_Wizard method would have worked and got your data back as it had worked for me in the past it is a case of Backup, Backup, Backup.
And always remember anything mechanical driven will fail one day.
The best you can hope for is a controller card as that is the easiest to replace.
Note: all data recovery needs to be carried out in a room free of dust and with a surgeon uniform on
Data recovery is a specialist job and unless you know what you are doing you will risk losing all your data.
In future back it up to another hard disk as well and then you will not loose it .
Kind Regards
Bradley

 

[r4hara]

@OS-Wiz - Guess so..I've been since trying to kick myself for nt backing-up.

@Fujitsu_Technician / Bradley

Hard disk spins. I bought is 5 months ago.
Just soaked up all your info. As far as I can tell there are no cable issues. Tried to chk disk from cmd promt (as an administrator) and I still couldn't.

Just a quick question before I give up & try to hunt a recovery specialist. Is Recurva good for data recovery. It was recommended by someone else too.

And is there anything at all I can try?? (Desperate cry). If nt I might have to just give it to a recovery specialist as I have some very imp data I can't afford to lose.

Thanks guys.

 

[cb600fshornet]

I have IOmega 1 TB hard drive. 2 days ago, my comp restarted suddenly after which my external drive is corrupted.

I get the error 'H: is not accessble' The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.
It shows up in the disk management as RAW file system,

I have almost 700 GB of important documents, pictures & files that I don't want to lose.
Does anybody know of any good recovery software that can help.

chkdsk /r will most probably fix it

Why will it not run the chkdsk, what does it say?

 

[Fujitsu_Technician]

Yes it is a good recovery program and works but like I said before It will only work if you deleted a file it is a mechanical failure and there for requires actual repair
What part of the world do you live
Ask around on the internet in your area where the best place is the best place I know is west labs or me lol

 

[r4hara]

@joedaman633: It said & still says 'The parameter is incorrect'

@Fujitsu_Technician: I did use Recuva...and after almost 36 hours, I managed to recover abt 400+ GB of data.
Dude, where i live gals are laughed at & shooed off, when we enter software stores.


And again, Can I try my luck to recover more data from my HDD?

 

[cb600fshornet]

It says the parameter is incorrect?

Type chkdsk h: /r to see if that does it.

 

[r4hara]

It says - Cannot open volume for direct access.

It says the parameter is incorrect?

Type chkdsk h: /r to see if that does it.

 

[iPwn]

This is not the answer you're looking for, but you'll need to pay some money to fix this.

You do not want to chkdsk this drive.

Since the partition (volume) is not accessible, you need a program to look at the drive and recover the partition. My brother has a Mac and put his external drive into his GF's PC and it formatted it (Windows format = delete partition table) so he had to find a software package to read the partitions and restore them.

This software is ~$40 but that's what he used and was able to recover all of his stuff.

EDIT: To OS-Wiz's point, you need to backup your important data. My important docs exist in three locations (One External Drive, One Internal Drive, DVD). DVD's have a lifespan of 100 years, so they will survive many harddrive failures. Put your stuff onto DVD's and store them in a safe place.