Member Avatar for JKR58

I have a new computer with Windows XP professional installed. The new motherboard (XFX GeForce 8200) is set up mostly for SATA drives with a connector for IDE drives. I have the computer set up so it boots up from the SATA drive.

I have an older hard drive (WD1200 – EIDE Drive) that used to be the C:\ drive on another computer. I want to copy some files from that drive onto the new hard drive. I had installed the drive into a hard drive enclosure that works off of a USB connection. I was able to copy the files without trouble using windows explorer. I copied about half the files I needed before I started deleting directories I did not want to copy. When I tried to delete some files from the \Windows directory the drive stopped being recognized by Windows Explorer.

To get around this I removed the hard disk from the enclosure and connected it directly to the motherboard via a standard 80 wire cable for an EIDE hard drive. I went into the setup mode of the computer, and it did recognize the old hard drive as being connected. After adjusting "setup", making sure that the computer would boot up from the new hard drive, I tried to boot up. Shortly after starting the computer, the motherboard ID & setup screen is displayed on the monitor as normal. Shortly after that the Microsoft Windows XP logo is displayed as it begins to load up into windows. Within seconds the monitor goes completely blank and the computer becomes dormant. The hard drive stops and the boot up process stops. I have to hit the reset button or do a hard shutdown at that point in time.

I have tried this multiple times including in safe mode (F8) with a command prompt without success. It reacts the same way every time.

Can you provide any assistance as to how I might try to retrieve the files on this old hard drive? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance.
Jim

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Smiddy621

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A short, practical plan for recovering files from that old WD IDE C: drive (based on ’s symptoms and ’s suggestion).

Keep the old disk strictly as a data device — don’t let the PC try to boot from it or run repairs that write to the disk. The easiest, safest route is a powered USB-to-IDE/SATA adapter or a desktop dock that supplies its own Molex/AC power so a 3.5" drive will spin reliably and stay isolated from the boot process. ()

Quick checklist you can follow now:

  • Boot the PC with the old drive disconnected to confirm the SATA system drive is the active boot disk.
  • Use a powered adapter/dock to attach the old drive after Windows is running (this prevents boot-order confusion and reduces in-case power/load issues). ()
  • If you must connect the drive internally, set its PATA jumper to Slave (or Cable Select on a proper cable) and plug it into the correct connector, then force the BIOS to boot from your SATA disk first. That prevents the old Windows install from becoming the active boot volume. (support-en.wd.com)
  • In Windows, open Disk Management to bring the disk online or assign a drive letter — do not initialize or format a drive you need files from. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the disk won’t mount, disconnect, and don’t run repair utilities that write to the drive. For important data, make a sector-image of the failing drive to a larger, healthy drive and work from the image (tools like GNU ddrescue are standard for this workflow). If the drive clicks, beeps, or repeatedly drops, stop and consider a professional recovery service. (gnu.org)

One more note: a PC that goes blank or stalls shortly after a drive is connected can be caused by the additional spin‑up current or an unstable drive causing a power fault. Using a self‑powered dock or testing the disk on another machine helps isolate that problem. (kotar.us)

If imaging or simple USB access fails, imaging-first and lab recovery are the safest next steps.

Member Avatar for Smiddy621

While it may be pricey and/or time-consuming, I recommend something called a Magic Bridge or a similar product. It is a USB adapter for an internal hard drive. If I recall correctly, it's about $40 online or at your local store, but trust me, it's definitely worth it if you have more than one running system (especially when Windows crashes and you need to reformat).

I use it at my job all the time, however, be sure that the unit supports IDE interface, because there are some SATA only units.

Hope that this helped.

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