• Programs for hard drive recovery. How to recover a hard drive using HDD Regenerator

    Recover from hard drive data is not a difficult task if you approach its solution with certain knowledge. But sometimes the problem turns out to be more serious: the disk is not detected by the computer, and therefore it is not possible to read information from it. Is it possible to recover data from a dead hard drive if it is not visible in the system? Let's try to answer this difficult question.

    Diagnosing the problem

    The first step is to determine why hard drive not defined in the system. There are several reasons for this unpleasant situation:

    • The hard drive is disabled in the BIOS.
    • The jumpers are set incorrectly (relevant when using an IDE interface).
    • The data transmission cable or the drive itself is damaged (burned out, the read head is jammed, etc.).

    First you should check the BIOS: if the hard drive is connected via SATA interface, then you need to make sure that it is detected automatically. If the hard drive is connected via IDE, then you need to manually specify it in the “Primary IDE Master” parameter.

    If you can't make these settings yourself, try resetting BIOS settings to factory condition. You can do this in two ways:

    • Remove the lithium battery from motherboard and wait a little.
    • Select the “Load Setup Defaults” item on the “Exit” tab in the BIOS.

    If the BIOS does not allow you to specify the hard drive (it is not detected even at the basic level), then you need to check it for mechanical damage.

    Mechanical failure

    Disassemble system unit and check the data cable and power cable that are connected to hard drive. They must be in full working order: no creases, kinks or cracks are allowed. If you see any physical handicap, try replacing the cable - sometimes this helps, and the hard drive is then detected by the system.

    Another very common problem is oxidation of the contacts under the controller board. You can fix this problem yourself using an eraser and a small screwdriver.


    If cleaning the contacts does not help, then the problem lies in the HDA itself. It is not recommended to open it yourself, since at home it is impossible to create the “clean room” conditions necessary to troubleshoot problems inside the sealed unit.

    Using recommendations for turning an ordinary bathroom into a “clean room” or advice like “sharply hit the disk casing” should not be used on your disk - after such an impact, there is a high probability that you will never recover information at all, even in service center. If the disk burns out, then you won’t be able to repair it yourself.

    Hard drive recovery

    If the disk is not visible in the system and it is impossible to boot from it, then try restoring it through another computer. Simply put, a faulty hard drive can be connected as a second drive via the SATA interface or an external pocket with a USB output.

    It is clear that if the disk burns out, then no amount of pockets will help it - here you need to use more technological recovery methods that are not available to ordinary users. In other cases, a broken hard drive can be detected and checked using utilities such as Victoria HDD HDD Scan HDD Regenerator or Norton Disk Doctor.

    The first three programs test the surface of a non-working disk, searching for and, if possible, correcting bad sectors. Norton Disk Doctor works with logical structures, eliminating problems identified in them. There is no universal tool, so sometimes you have to use several utilities at once.

    Let's look at the procedure for checking a disk using the HDD Scan program as an example:


    The scan manager will appear at the bottom, where there is a “Map” tab. Go to it - here the progress of checking the disk surface is shown in graphical mode. Normal sectors are colored in shades gray, blue sectors are bad blocks that cannot be read.

    Return of lost information

    If HDD Scan says that everything is bad with the disk, then you need to start restoring damaged important data as quickly as possible. You can use different utilities, but we’ll see how to recover lost information and save it in another location using the R-Studio program:


    After scanning is completed, it will appear full list information that can be recovered. Select the files you need and save them on another medium.

    The question that arises among users about how to restore a hard drive can actually be resolved without the help of various computer technicians, offering to return your hard drive to working condition for a fee. Developers software offer several options for restoring bad sectors, which can be used by a person with almost any level of computer literacy.

    What are bad sectors?

    To understand what bad sectors are, you need to understand the order of operation of the hard drive and the organization of storing information on it.

    The Winchester consists of several rotating magnetic disks, over which the read heads move. When recording, these heads magnetize certain areas of the disk, recording information on them. The disk itself is divided into tracks, and they, in turn, into sectors.

    If information from a disk cannot be read, it is considered broken. The cause of this problem may be a power outage, physical wear and tear disk, mechanical stress or overheating.

    Depending on the reason, two types of unreadable sectors can be distinguished:

    1. Inconsistency between recorded information and checksums at the end of the sector. It usually occurs when the power is turned off during an operation. A similar problem is solved by erasing incorrectly stored information and recording the correct checksums.
    2. Physical damage to the disk. A more difficult problem to resolve is one that arises as a result of mechanical stress on the hard drive or its overheating. In this case, damaged sectors are transferred to the reserve area of ​​the disk, but if there are too many of them, the data processing speed is significantly reduced.

    In any case, it is worth trying to restore unreadable sectors, at least to make sure that the hard drive is completely inoperable and, with a clear conscience, replace it with a new data storage device.

    HDD Regenerator

    First, let's figure out how to restore a hard drive using a simple but functional program HDD Regenerator. This utility works with hard drives at a low level, that is, it has exclusive access not only to sectors and clusters of the hard drive, but also to its mechanisms and controllers.

    HDD Regenerator, unlike other similar utilities, does not block access to bad sectors, but tries to restore them through magnetization reversal.

    Other programs simply block access to the sector, which leads not only to the loss of information stored on it, but also to a reduction in the volume of the hard drive. Restore deleted files After such a procedure it is very difficult. Another question is that this approach allows you to quickly deal with a broken disk, but if you don’t have large number bad sectors (up to 100), then it is justified to use HDD program Regenerator.

    The latest versions of the utility are distributed for a fee, but you can use the demo version to familiarize yourself with the program's capabilities. In addition, HDD Regenerator belongs to that type of program, the price for which is offset by its functionality and usefulness.

    Working with HDD Regenerator

    Download the utility to your computer from the official website. Install it on your computer and, if necessary, Russify it (all necessary files can be found in the public domain).

    Russification only applies to the program interface. The DOS mode, in which the main work of the utility occurs, will still be presented on English, and this cannot be corrected.

    After launching HDD Regenerator, you will see a window like this:

    To start testing and subsequent recovery of the hard drive, click on top menu“Click to fix.” A warning may appear on the screen indicating that you need to reboot and configure the BIOS by setting the SATA controller IDE mode. If these words don't mean anything to you, click No. This will not affect the performance of the program in any way.

    In the next window, the program will display all connected to the computer hard drives. In the “Select disk” field, you need to double-click on the hard drive that you want to restore life to, or select it and click the “Start” button.

    The utility will try to start DOS - the working environment through which direct access to the equipment is provided. Since you are working with the program in running system, then a message will appear on the screen stating that HDDR was unable to obtain exclusive access to the hard drive partitions.

    To fix this error, close all applications and end processes running as the user through the Task Manager.

    Click "Retry"; If the error appears again, restart your computer and try again to complete all running tasks.

    Another way is to start the system in safe mode, marking it in the boot type selection menu (F8 key when starting the computer). As a last resort, you can simply click the “Ok” button and ignore the warning. The program will continue to work, but its performance will decrease slightly.

    Sector recovery

    In the DOS window that opens, you will see several lines, the purpose of which needs to be discussed separately. In total, you will be offered four options for the program:


    When starting the program for the first time, it is recommended to select item number 2. To do this, press “2” on the keyboard and then “Enter”. The following window will appear, asking you to select the scan order. You can specify a specific sector span, enter the disk size, or simply start testing from the very beginning.

    If you have a rough idea of ​​which partition the bad sector is located in, then you can try to indicate a specific interval. However, it is more convenient to start checking the disk from the beginning so as not to miss anything. Such a scan will take much longer, but the result will be the most complete.

    After selecting the test mode, a disk check will start, during which the number of scanned and identified bad sectors will be displayed on the screen. You can stop the scanning process using the Esc key.

    The system may freeze during the scan - this means that HDDR has found bad sectors and is trying to determine the extent of their damage.

    After testing is completed, the trial version of HDDR will give you a message informing you that you need to purchase a licensed copy of the program to continue disk recovery. You will be shown the number of detected bad sectors, based on which you can decide whether it is better to buy full version utilities or go straight to the store for a new one hard drive.

    If you purchased the full version of the program, connect a USB drive - it will be needed during the sector recovery process. After starting the program, select "Bootloader" USB flash drive» and highlight the connected media.

    All data will be erased from the drive. Instead, the program will write its files to the flash drive, making it bootable.

    Loaded into DOS system, you will see the same windows as when working with the demo version. This time you need to select the first option - scanning and recovering sectors.

    The recovery process itself can take a long time, so if you need to pause it, click Esc key and be sure to wait for the offer to leave the program. In this case, the program’s stopping point will be recorded on the flash drive, from which scanning will begin the next time it is launched. Why these difficulties? So as not to sit in front of the computer for days, but to check it in several approaches. For example: restoring 100 bad sectors may take several days continuous operation HDDR.

    Victoria

    One of the most popular methods among users is restoring a hard drive from with the help of Victoria. This program, unlike HDDR, is distributed under a free license.

    Victoria can work as in Windows environment, and in DOS mode, allowing you to view the SMART table, scan the disk surface for bad sectors, restore them, and also perform low-level formatting.

    Preparation

    Before you start checking the disk, you need to configure the hard drive controller in the BIOS. On the “Main” tab, select the “ SATA Mode» set the value to “IDE”. After this you can launch it using bootable flash drive Victoria.

    After booting from the drive in DOS mode, select the IDE channel you are going to work with. To do this, press the P key and check the “Ext. PCI ATA/SATA" (if the drive is connected via the SATA interface). For IDE drives, select the appropriate port.

    A list of channels will appear on the screen, numbered in order. To select your hard drive, press the number that corresponds to its number, and then press Enter.

    You can identify errors without scanning - just look at the SMART table of the hard drive. You can call it using the F9 key. In the table, pay attention to two points:


    The more bad sectors there are, the less likely it is that the disk can be recovered. However, you can try to restore it to functionality by starting the scanning process.

    To open the disk scanning menu, press the F4 key. Select "BB: Erase 256 sect" using the arrow keys on your keyboard and press Enter. The scanning process will start, which will take quite a long time. You can interrupt scanning using the Esc key.

    When a sector is detected, the program will try to erase it. If it is physically intact, then the attempt will be successful and you will get rid of the broken parts of the disk. The information will be deleted, but you shouldn’t worry too much about this - getting it out would still be problematic.

    If the sector is damaged on physical level, then an attempt to erase it will be unsuccessful. An error message will appear on the screen. However, this does not mean that you need to stop scanning the disk.

    If you cannot restore sectors, try moving them to the backup area. Press the F4 key and use the arrows to select “BB: Classic REMAP”. The scanning process will start again. This time, bad sectors will not be restored, but will be transferred to the backup area.

    After scanning the disk is completed (provided the sectors are restored), it is advisable to check the file system using the chkdsk utility.

    Frequent users personal computers face problems of hard disk that affect the operation of the system. Main reasons breakdown of hard disk are: bad sectors in HD D and faulty file system. In this material we will describe in detail HDD problem fixing process, and also describe methods of data recovery hard drives , if it is faulty or completely out of order. I would also like to note that problems associated with the hard drive need to be given special attention. For example, if the HDD becomes completely faulty, then you are unlikely to be able to recover information from it. That is, all your documents, personal videos and photographs, as well as other files may be lost forever.

    Reading SMART readings from the hard drive

    If files are not copied on your computer, programs freeze after opening, then possible reason this could be faulty HDD. Usually this behavior operating system connected with bad sectors in the hard drive. To be sure that the problem is related to bad sectors of the HDD and not to malware, the first step is to confirm this guess. If the situation described above is observed on your computer, we will install the utility on it CrystalDiskInfo. This utility describes the status of all hard drives installed on your computer. You can download CrystalDiskInfo from its official website http://crystalmark.info. The utility supports Windows OS, from XP to Windows 10.

    To check information about the hard drive, the utility uses self-diagnosis technology SMART. SMART technology used on all manufactured HDDs. Below is an example of checking SMART readings using the CrystalDiskInfo utility in the hard drive WD1200JS. From this window you can see that the program has detected its status as " Fine" - this means that this hard drive is in perfect order and you should not worry about it.

    In the following image in the SMART readings, the CrystalDiskInfo utility detected the status of the screw with the message " Anxiety" This message means that the hard drive already has bad sectors or is overheating.

    If you see the message " Bad", then this will mean that all the bad sectors on the hard drive have been reassigned and soon it will be completely covered.

    In both cases, when the program detected messages " Anxiety" And " Bad", you should do backup copy all data on the computer, since the screw will soon become unusable.

    One solution that can temporarily fix your screw is the utility Victoria. This utility can do REMAP BAD sectors , that is, it will reassign bad sectors to backup ones. In the next section we will describe in detail the process of REMAP BAD sectors using the Victoria utility.

    Recovering a hard drive using the Victoria program

    Utility Victoria created by a Belarusian programmer and distributed free of charge. You can download the utility on its official website hdd-911.com. The Victoria utility is distributed in two versions for Windows and DOS. In our case, we will download the Windows version. After launching the Victoria utility on Windows, we will be taken to such a window.

    For hard fixes disk, we need to go to the “Tests” tab. On this tab we are interested in the area with the radio buttons Ignore, Erase, Remap and Restore, as well as the Start button. To fix it, we need to select the Remap radio button and click Start.

    After these steps, the Victoria program will begin the process of repairing sectors, which can take quite a long time.

    After reassigning sectors it is possible Victoria program It will be possible to restore bad sectors, and the CrystalDiskInfo utility will display the value “Good”. But a magical fix may not happen, since the reserve sectors may simply be absent and Victoria will not be able to help. In this case, there is only one way out - do complete replacement HDD. In addition to screw treatment, Victoria also provides checking readings SMART on the “ tab SMART».

    I would like to note that all operations that you perform using Victoria are done at your own peril and risk. Using the utility, inexperienced user may damage the hard drive and also void its warranty service.

    Fixing file system problems on your hard drive

    Many users on Windows computers often experience problems related to file system errors NTFS. File system problems occur due to malicious utilities and various software. Also, file system problems most often occur due to inexperience the PC user himself. For example, incorrect handling of the utility Acronis Disk Director . To solve this problem, Windows itself will help us. Windows provides file system repair tool. To fix the file system on a specific partition, you need to go to its properties. In our case it is system partition operating room Windows systems 10. To run the fix we need to go to the “ Service».

    On this tab there is a button Check that we will click.

    After this action, a window will appear in which you need to confirm our actions.

    After confirming the action, Windows will scan this partition.

    After scanning, the system will display a message with the results of scanning the partition for errors.

    Using this method, many users restored the operating system to normal operation without having to reinstall it. If the problems lie in the HDD itself, then no amount of checking the disk or reinstalling the OS will help in this case. The only option in this case is that you can resort to the Victoria utility or completely replace the screw with a new one, while reinstalling Windows.

    Recovering disks using Acronis True Image 2016

    The software is the ideal tool to create a full backup everyone local partitions, including system. This feature is used by many administrators around the world. Created backup local disks can be restored in very short time. For example, if the system is infected with a virus or the HDD is broken, in this case you will restore all OS disks in a short period of time. Find Acronis True Image 2016 is available on its official website www.acronis.com. By launching the program in question, we will be taken to such a window.

    First of all, we will show our readers how you can create a backup copy of local Acronis True Image 2016 partitions. On the first tab “Backup” you can see that the entire computer is selected for backup. That is, a complete backup of all local partitions, including the system one, will be carried out. In the next block you need to select a backup location. In our case, this is local drive E. After selecting the type of backup data and where to save it, click the Create a copy button located in the lower right corner.

    Depending on the amount of data being saved, the time it takes to create a backup will depend.

    Having completed backup, we will describe the process of restoring a computer. To do this we need to create boot disk or an Acronis True Image 2016 flash drive. You can do this by going to the “ TOOLS/BOOTABLE DRIVE CREATION WIZARD" Below is the wizard that should open.

    In this wizard, we will select the first option and continue. In the window that appears, select where we will save the boot drive: into the image or to a flash drive.

    After saving boot drive The wizard will display a final window.

    By creating a bootable USB flash drive or optical disk with Acronis True Image 2016, you can start data recovery. To do this, we will boot from the bootable USB flash drive when the computer starts. After booting from the boot drive, we find ourselves in the Acronis True Image 2016 menu. Select the first item in this menu, after which we find ourselves in the main Acronis True Image window.

    In the program window, go to the “” tab and find the backup copy of the entire system we previously created.

    Now to restore system disk with Windows and local disks, press the button Disk recovery.

    In the wizard that appears, select the item “ Recover disks and partitions" and continue.

    In the next window, select all local disks and continue the wizard.

    In paragraphs " Destination"For the first and second disks, select the original HDDs. If there are many hard drives installed in the system, be careful not to mix up the screws. In the final window, click the Proceed button.

    The time it takes to restore a backup depends on the size and HDD speeds. In our case it took 10 minutes.

    The example shows how easy it is to back up your entire computer, so if you master software package Acronis True Image 2016, then you can easily restore its functionality in cases where the system is infected or the hard drive is broken. Also, after mastering the program, you will not have questions about how to recover data from a hard drive.

    Data recovery using Recuva

    There are cases when reinstalling Windows or when using Acronis software, users mistakenly erase all information from the hard drive. If this is exactly the situation you have, then you shouldn’t be upset, since all the information can be found restore. Will help us with this task free utility Recuva. You can download the utility on its official website www.piriform.com. After launching the utility, the user is taken to a wizard that will help you restore all your data. Below is the sequential work of the master.

    The example shows that recovering information from using Recuva It’s a fairly simple process and almost any PC user can handle it.

    Let's sum it up

    From this article it can be emphasized that restoring a hard drive is not a very simple task, but depending on the situation, even regular user PC. I would also like to advise laptop owners to handle it as carefully as possible. For example, if the laptop is dropped or receives a strong impact, it may damage the HDD. In addition, if you yourself have identified the problem screw, then do not be afraid to open the laptop case yourself or desktop computer, since replacing the HDD is a fairly simple task. And we, in turn, hope that our material will be useful to our readers and will allow you to restore your hard drive.

    Video on the topic

    Recovery hard drives implies bringing the disks into a state that allows reading from them necessary information. We do not carry out repairs in cases where data recovery is not required.

    Recovering hard drives with unreadable sectors

    As a rule, if the disk is not periodically checked for bad blocks, their appearance manifests itself in reading errors and disappearance of folder files. May appear unformatted or disappear logical drives, the operating system stops loading.
    Restoring hard disks in the presence of unreadable sectors is carried out using a hardware and software complex. This complex allows you to work with disks in technological modes, carry out multiple reading of sectors and reading while ignoring the cyclic control code. Using these operations, in many cases, it is possible to read information from a significant part of bad sectors.
    In the case where unreadable sectors are located in the area where the partition table or service information of the file system is located, a preliminary copy is required to a working medium. Then data recovery proceeds in the same way as in the case of a working hard drive.

    Recovering hard drives in case of violations in the ROM or service area

    The disk is not detected in the BIOS or is detected incorrectly. May make uncharacteristic sounds, “knocking.” There are cases when the carrier is detected correctly, but with further loading BIOS gives an error.
    Restoring a hard drive, in this case, involves restoring data from the service area of ​​the HDD or ROM. This work is carried out at the stand, in the technological operating modes of the drives. After which data recovery proceeds as usual.

    Recovering hard drives with a faulty controller

    In this case, in most cases, the disk knocks or is not detected in the BIOS.
    Hard drive recovery work mainly involves replacing or repairing the controller. Sometimes it is also necessary to flash the disk firmware. After repair, data is restored as if from a working drive.

    Recovering hard drives in case of faults in a containment area

    This type of malfunction most often causes a knocking or grinding noise in the HDA. The exception is “head sticking” and “wedge” of the engine, in this case the disk does not spin up. The drive is not detected or can be detected by the BIOS.
    If one or more magnetic heads or a switch (it is also located in the HDA) fails, hard recovery disk requires opening the HDA and replacing the magnetic head unit together with the switch.
    In case of “sticking”, the containment zone is opened and the “heads” are diverted to the parking area. Engine jamming can be eliminated by repairing it or transferring the “pancakes” to a working drive.
    After this, data recovery is performed on the complex

    In case accidental deletion files, disk formatting or errors in work hard disk you need to remember:

    • It is not possible to recover data using the OS itself, so we use third-party hard drive recovery programs;
    • We try, if possible, not to use the disk from which we need to restore data.

    Deleting files and emptying the Recycle Bin does not directly delete data on the hard drive. The reason for this is the rather lengthy process complete removal. Therefore, in order to speed up the deletion of files, they came up with such “invisible storage” of documents. If in place deleted document record another document - it will be permanently deleted. Therefore, if possible, of course, we do not perform any operations of copying, deleting or moving data.

    • We are looking for a program that will suit our requirements.

    Now we will deal with the third point.

    It should also be noted that disk recovery is a rather lengthy operation. Therefore, it is worth being patient. During recovery, it is not recommended to perform any actions with files on the disk (copying, deleting, moving). Such actions can only ruin everything. If your OS is installed on the disk that you want to restore, then the best option will write the program to a flash drive or disk and boot through them, and not through Windows.

    In this article I would like to provide a list of programs for recovering data from a hard drive. These programs can be said to be universal and suitable for recovering data not only from hard drives, but also from SSDs, SD memory cards and USB flash drives.

    Supported file systems: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, HPFS, Linux Ext2, Ext3, ReiserFS, Linux Swap

    Description:

    Acronis Recovery Expert utility is included in the software package
    Acronis Disk Director 11 Advanced Workstation. Provides high-quality restoration of deleted or damaged hard sections disk. If you want to be ready to perform recovery in case of unexpected data loss, then Acronis Recovery Expert is a must-have.

    The program is paid, but ordinary users have the opportunity to use trial version. Download the program from the link below.

    Main features of the program:

    1. Supports a large number of formats file systems;
    2. The ability to launch the utility from boot disks and flash drives if the operating system cannot be loaded;
    3. Simple and intuitive interface in Windows style XP;
    4. Supports hard drives larger than 180 GB.

    Active Partition Recovery Pro

    Supported file systems: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5

    Description:

    A convenient program for recovering partitions of your disk. Supports a large number of file systems. Allows you not only to perform recovery, but you can even say extend the life of your disk. The program can be launched both from Windows and from DOS, by recording the program to a disk or flash drive.

    The program also allows you to perform recovery separate files, however, it is mainly used to recover entire disk partitions. If the data on the disk has been damaged by the Active Partition virus Recovery Pro will allow them to be restored.
    Screenshot:

    HDD Regenerator

    Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10

    Description:

    The program specializes in recovery bad sectors hard drive. Working window programs - command line. Quite not modern, but this utility can help in situations where the use of other programs did not help.

    The program is quite easy to use, but before using it it would be a good idea to study the specifics of its operation and the functions of the program.

    Screenshot:

    Hetman Partition Recovery

    Supported file systems: FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS

    Description:

    A program for recovering hard disk partitions and individual files. The program will help with accidental data deletion or formatting; it works with existing partitions, damaged and inaccessible disk partitions, allowing you to restore them.

    The advantage is support for various storage devices: SD memory cards, flash drives and hard drives. Working in the program is quite convenient, it is carried out as in manual mode, and in wizard mode, with which you can set up data recovery step by step.

    The trial version can be downloaded from the official website of the developer.

    Screenshot:

    R-Studio

    Supported OS: Windows 2000, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1/10

    Description:

    A program for recovering data from flash drives, hard drives, USB drives. Supports almost all OS Windows family and can work with a large number file systems.

    Features of R-Studio

    • File system support: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, HFS/HFS+, UFS1/UFS2, Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 FS;
    • Creating an image of the entire recovered disk for further work with him;
    • Data recovery after disk formatting or accidental deletion of files;
    • Ability to save data to network drive or other medium.

    Screenshot:

    Zero Assumption Recovery

    Supported OS: Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1/10

    Description:

    An excellent data recovery program. Recovers FAT and NTFS partitions.

    ZAR works in read-only mode and does not make any changes to the recovered disk. This avoids the risk of further damage to the partition.

    Screenshot:

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