Member Avatar for AzureJazzMan

I purchased a Dell Dimension 4550 (which uses Windows XP) about a year ago now, to replace my old Compaq Presario 5000 computer(which used Windows ME). Which has since been rendered useless over the last 6 months or so. I sold some it's vital parts (like memory, video card, cd/rw, and a few other things) and lost my Microsoft ME disks. Recently I was informed that I have VITAL information that needs to be recovered from the old 60 gig HD. I attempted to add it into the newer Dell (using the Dell 40 gig HD as the master) as a slave drive, but to no avail. It only viewed it as a RAW drive after attempting to convert it. This is how I tried to convert through the command screen and typing in...

CONVERT G: /FS:NTFS

The official phrase that was relayed to me after attempting to convert the old HD was...

"CONVERT is not available for RAW drives"

So now, I have no way to re-plug the old HD into the old PC or re-boot ME in order to eliminate the "Go Back" feature (which btw I have no idea how to do), and recover the files and documents.
Is there any way that I can access the HD in it's present state, in order to eliminate the "Go Back" feature? If so, how? I really appreciate the support and help.

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Dani AI

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Short summary tied to the thread: the 60 GB Compaq disk is being seen as an unreadable/RAW volume when attached to the Dell. raised the GoBack possibility and suggested trying the old disk as the only drive so the original ME install can run long enough to extract files. Below are practical, low-risk steps to recover data that expand on those ideas without making irreversible changes.

Do-no-harm first

  • Do not initialize, format, or allow Windows to "fix" the disk in Disk Management. That can overwrite partition metadata.
  • If the disk is noisy or SMART reports problems, stop and consult a professional; continued use can cause more damage.

Safe workflow you can apply

  1. Make a full image (read-only) before any repair attempts. Boot a Linux live USB and confirm the device name with lsblk or fdisk -l. Use GNU ddrescue to create an image and a progress/log file:
    sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX /path/to/backup/old60.img /path/to/backup/old60.log
  2. Try non-destructive recovery on the image copy first. Run TestDisk against the image to search for lost partitions or repair FAT structures. Start TestDisk, pick the image/device, use Analyse → Quick Search, and use the file-list feature to copy important files to an external drive before writing anything.
    sudo testdisk /path/to/old60.img
  3. If you can still boot the Compaq as a single master (per @gortonsfi), do so and copy files off before changing system utilities. If GoBack is present and you can boot the original system, use the vendor removal tool to uninstall it before attaching the drive to XP.

If these steps don’t expose files or the filesystem is physically failing, stop further DIY attempts and consider a professional data-recovery service.

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Member Avatar for ZeekeDaGeek

If your old computer had "Go-Back" in it, you'll have to get rid of it first before the new OS can recognize it. Here's a link that will provide some help.

Best of luck.

Member Avatar for gortonsfi

How about just sticking the old 60 GB hard drive in, as a Single master. Shouldn't that work, eventually? When you boot it up it'll prolly go nuts noticing all the new hardware and everything, but once new drivers are picked, won't it run ME just like it did in the Compaq? I've done it with Linux RedHat, I'm not sure if it would work the same in Windows or not.

The point being you can get the important information off using CD-r or floppy, and then worry about something more permanent.

Also, why is it you want to convert to NTFS? WinXP can read Fat32 just fine, or is that "RAW" thing you mentioned keeping you from reading it?

Member Avatar for AzureJazzMan

Also, why is it you want to convert to NTFS? WinXP can read Fat32 just fine, or is that "RAW" thing you mentioned keeping you from reading it?

Exactly! It won't let me read it because it is viewed as a RAW driver. I am gonna try these couple things and let you guys know what happened. If you have any other suggestions feel free to let me know. I appreciate all the help I can get.

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