View Full Version : Repairing a fubared floppy disk---how?
shodanjr_gr
15-04-04, 18:22
Ok so yesterday my uncle came screaming to me. He has this floppy disk which contains some documents he needs and is unreadable by all pcs we have tried it on (they all ask to format it). Ive tried a Scandisk on it but it says it cant repair the errors. Are there any other utilities/proggies i could use to fix the problem? Any suggestions are welcome!!!
Psychoninja
15-04-04, 18:23
Sure it's not formatted for a Mac?
shodanjr_gr
15-04-04, 18:27
Nope, only used on PCs. Worked properly till yesterday.
Why were ultra-important documents on a floppy and not on, say... a Bic Pen or a piece of loose paper/women?
I think your uncle may have to accept the sad fact that there probably isn't much that can be done to save the sad little 3.5" 'not-so-floppy' disk...
There are a few utlitied i looked up on downloads.com (good ol' evil CNet, baybeh!) but I have never used them...
VirtualLab Data Recovery 4.0 - Demo
http://download.com.com/redir?pid=10254291&merid=112065&mfgid=112065<ype=dl_elite_gen&lop=linktitle&edId=3&siteId=4&oId=3120-2094-10254291&ontId=2094&destUrl=%2F3000-2094-10254291.html&tag=lst-spOr-1
BadCopy Pro 3.73 - Demo
http://download.com.com/3000-2248-10256002.html?tag=lst-0-5
OMG - Just get a USB / Firewire thumb disk, use a 700 MB CDR for a 500 KB file - just don't use floppies. They are like the least reliable medium of storing information known to man. Hell, none of my PCs even have a FDD now - I just use bootable CD's instead.
In summary: I hope you have a backup!
Athon Solo
shodanjr_gr
15-04-04, 18:31
Guys, dont tell me what other storage media i need to get. I know that i NEVER use floppies, its either CD-RWs or USB Sticks for me. But at the moment i need to un-do my uncle's stupidness.
Open the metal part and slowly spin the disk. Does it have scratches or dents in?
If it has a ton of dust in it you could try removing the case from it and transplanting into a new case (had to do that one time because someone deceided to dust the internal parts of the disk for fingerprints).
sorry mate think your screwed, once a floppy dies it tends to stay dead, simple technology only goes wrong one way, the bad way
edit : contradicting advise in here :), but if you get it working i will be amazed :)
sorry mate think your screwed, once a floppy dies it tends to stay dead, simple technology only goes wrong one way, the bad way
edit : contradicting advise in here :), but if you get it working i will be amazed :)
[edited]
edited, no longer valid, thanks gott :)
if you place the floppy on a faberge egg while hopping on one leg backwards AND balancing a table on your head, them the floppy shalt be resurrected.
in other words, its probably totally broken.
PS: if you do attempt the above method, i take no responsibility for any personal injury. I would also like a picture of you actually doing this so i can point and laugh and post it here.
all i was trying to point out is that moddern methods of storage are a hell of a lot easyer to sort when they go wrong than floppys are, and that when floppys die it tends to be a case of chuck it in the bin rather than fix it.
hindsight. I am sure that will help him later on, but it won't now.
It is quite possible to recover files from the disk unless they have done something silly like putting in the washing machine.
@Shodan: One thing to bear in mind ... try and do any data recovery tasks using your uncle's floppy drive (assuming it's not fucked and the cause of the problem).
Floppy disk drives are very susceptible to spindle speed, motor stepping and head alignment errors.
In practice this means that a disk written on one drive may well be outside the tolerance level of another drive to read reliably.
This becomes doubly relevant when you are trying to recover damaged data.
um i think i need to edit my second post now as gott as edited the post i was replying to, sigh
sorry if i came across as well whatever, was just my two pence worth from personal experiances.
try this:
http://www.ontrack.com/easyrecoveryprofessional/
I've used it on several occasions to recover data from "broken disks".
as long as the data sectors the file(s) is written too haven't been physically damaged or corrupted you should be able to recover the information.
I would say that it might be related to the MBR getting borked. Using 'Format /MBR' can repair the MBR but you might want to test it on another floppy with some unimportant data on it to make sure the MBR reset doesn't loose the FAT.
good luck.
shodanjr_gr
15-04-04, 22:06
I tried 2 of the progies metioned above (downloading datarecovery now). They did find the files on the disk so all is not lost and i think they can recover them but since both progies are trials, they wont allow me to do so...
I tried 2 of the progies metioned above (downloading datarecovery now). They did find the files on the disk so all is not lost and i think they can recover them but since both progies are trials, they wont allow me to do so...
You need to tell your uncle which is worth more.
shodanjr_gr
16-04-04, 01:19
I would purchase one of them but i consider them grossely overpriced. Heck one of them is kinda subscription based, charging 100$ per GB recovered...
The other one costs $40...any other free apps? Im all ears :)
CNET says... (http://download.com.com/3150-2248-0.html?tag=dir)
I ain't gonna go through that list, but I'm sure you can find a free prog in there.
Data recovery search results. (http://download.com.com/3120-20-0.html?qt=data+recovery&tg=dl-2001&search=+Go%21+)
Hmm... I've used Easy Recovery Pro to great effect on previously formatted HDs, so I'd personally recommend that.
As for cost... I'm not too sure. Obviously there are "less-then-legal" ways to get them, but I'd get the smacketh-downeth by the Niddy-hammer if I said any more. :lol:
--Stryfe
shodanjr_gr
16-04-04, 01:30
CHeers m8, ill go thru that list in a minute or two.
BTW does anyone have a clue why explorer keeps deactivating the bottom status bar in any new window i open? Its getting really annoying.
CHeers m8, ill go thru that list in a minute or two.
BTW does anyone have a clue why explorer keeps deactivating the bottom status bar in any new window i open? Its getting really annoying.Sounds like spy-/ad-/mal-ware. Ad-aware (http://www.lavasoft.de/) is your friend.
--Stryfe
shodanjr_gr
16-04-04, 02:11
Checked with adaware 6 (latest update) twice....came all clear.
I think the reason for it happening would be cos it was put in a bad floppy drive, my mate has this prob alot a college, the disk will work at home and on some class m8's lap top in college so it didn't get damaged on the way, but when put in some of the college PC's they get fucked and never work again, untill you format it. This probably won't help you fix it, but might help to stop it happeneing again I hope.
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