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| The model # is read from some memory chip, so that recognition part would work even if the mechanical parts failed.
If you put the good drive in the computer that had the bad drive, make sure you boot in Safe Mode, or the computer might not boot at all, trying to load drivers for devices that do not exist. And then stop the computer and remove the hard drive as soon as Windows starts.
Each drive manufacturer has their own disk utilities, like SeaTools (short for Seagate Tools.)
Download them straight from the manufacturer's web site. You can find the names here:
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/tophddiag.htm
All hard drives go wrong eventually, it's only a matter of time, so you need a backup solution.
I hope it's not so bad that you can't retrieve anything.
Careful with the repair options such as "chkdsk /r", they might be destructive to your data.
If the disk appears readable, you may want to clone it onto another brand new drive, for instance the new main drive you'll put in your computer to make it work again, and run the disk tools on that cloned disk. You'll need a new hard drive in any case, so as well buy one now. Whatever the main drive, it's only as good as your backup drive is. | |
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HD died repair or upgrade?
