Login at Kodi Home

Rayan69 · 2024-02-06, 10:17

My external hard drive has stopped working. The disc is no longer readable . When I connect the disc to my computer, the system asks me to format it.

There are very important files on the disc.

Does anyone know how to help me?

otinley · (This post was last modified: 2024-02-06, 15:21 by otinley.)

This is the Kodi forum.
May I suggest: https://www.elevenforum.com/

AndyHenderson · 2024-02-06, 21:19

(2024-02-06, 10:17)Rayan69 Wrote: My external hard drive has stopped working. The disc is no longer readable . When I connect the disc to my computer, the system asks me to format it.

There are very important files on the disc.

Does anyone know how to help me?

Try it in a different computer. If it's readable there, the problem is in the original computer and you now have access to the files. Back them up!

If the problem is on both computers it might be a problem with the controller in the drive. If you can remove the disk from the drive, try it with another controller (several on Amazon) that plug directly into the disk.

If you still have a problem with a different controller then you're probably going to have to consult a professional data recovery firm.

Andy

**PatK** · 2024-02-06, 22:18

A quick google search will bring up a plethora of software recovery tools (some free) and as @AndyHenderson mentioned, the issue might not be the drive but the interface. If the drive feels like it spins... slight motor vibration, then at least you have some chance of recovery, I do note that most external drives are subject to power supply failure/weakness and it's a pretty common failure point.

Rayan69 · 2024-02-07, 10:29

(2024-02-06, 21:19)AndyHenderson Wrote:
(2024-02-06, 10:17)Rayan69 Wrote: My external hard drive has stopped working. The disc is no longer readable . When I connect the disc to my computer, the system asks me to format it.

There are very important files on the disc.

Does anyone know how to help me?

Try it in a different computer. If it's readable there, the problem is in the original computer and you now have access to the files. Back them up!

If the problem is on both computers it might be a problem with the controller in the drive. If you can remove the disk from the drive, try it with another controller (several on Amazon) that plug directly into the disk.

If you still have a problem with a different controller then you're probably going to have to consult a professional data recovery firm.

Andy

I connected the disc to other computers. I also took the drive out of the box and connected it directly to the PC via the SATA interface.

The disc was in FAT format but now it looks like RAW.

https://prnt.sc/v7LGll3uBpXB

**PatK** · 2024-02-07, 18:58

You'll need recovery software to get into this one, good luck.

brazen1 · 2024-02-07, 22:45

I've seen this several times, even RAW. I have many different controllers. Providing I did nothing to the hard drive except plug it into various controllers, eventually one of them shook hands even though others did not. The various controllers were USB into the same PC. Usually, after a working controller reads the drive, it leaves some sort of fingerprint (debug file in the root of the drive) and/or simply uncorrupts the drive. Then I've reinstalled the drive back to its original controller (your external case) and it performed as if it never happened. One of the most common reasons this happens is as simple as drive letter corruption. Don't give up. If you yourself don't have a bunch of controllers laying around, find someone who does. This doesn't mean you have not lost your data. Only that I have never lost data doing this at least 50 times and maybe, just maybe, it will work for you too.

Rayan69 · 2024-02-10, 10:12

I did manage to solve this problem.

First, I managed to make a copy of the damaged drive using HDD Raw Copy Tool.

I came across this video tutorial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2vCS-dV-M

True, it cost me $97.95, but that's nothing compared to taking the disc to a technician. I risked losing my files forever. But I can't afford to pay a lot of money.
Let me tell you a little bit about how I did it.
I downloaded Hetman Partition Recovery , the program displayed my RAW drive, which used to be FAT, and started a full scan. It found most of my files and successfully recovered them. Yes, it couldn't recover all the files, but I was lucky: I recovered the most important ones .

And yes, make copies of important files (discs) for the future.

Also, thanks to everyone who tried to help me)

**PatK** · 2024-02-10, 17:51

Thanks for that post, it may help others in the future. Sooner or later most of us have to deal with recovery issues and it hurts, reinforces the notion to back-up all critical data. Kodi in a portable mode folder can just be copied to another location. Last time I was backed into a corner without a lot of options, I used free software to recover 60% but a pay version could have recovered 90% but lucky enough most of the data was old replaceable movies and the software showed me the name of the lost folders. Some people are using NAS with the advantage that a single lost drive can be recovered on the fly thanks to a filing system that can rebuild.

Looking at the cost of storage these days, a regular back-up routine makes the most sense. (CDN prices)

izprtxqkft · 2024-02-10, 21:02

(2024-02-10, 17:51)PatK Wrote: Kodi in a portable mode folder can just be copied to another location.

seconded, Kodi should really deliver a portable package with it's releases
last time i still had to use uniextract

**jjd-uk** · 2024-02-10, 21:24

Kodi can be truly portable and run from a usb that moves from PC to PC if the Microsoft dependencies are already preinstalled on all PC's.

izprtxqkft · 2024-02-10, 21:29

(2024-02-10, 21:24)jjd-uk Wrote: if the Microsoft dependencies are already preinstalled on all PC's.

is there anything more than the vcredist?
if not then you could store that on the same usb drive and have it be the only thing you have to actually install

**jjd-uk** · 2024-02-10, 21:35

It's been a while since I experimented with it, but yes for current builds I believe it's only that vcredist that is required to be installed.

**black_eagle** · 2024-02-10, 21:35

(2024-02-10, 21:02)izprtxqkft Wrote: seconded, Kodi should really deliver a portable package with it's releases

Why?

Firstly, it's a user thing and secondly, it's an OS thing too.

izprtxqkft · 2024-02-10, 21:48

(2024-02-10, 21:35)black_eagle Wrote:
(2024-02-10, 21:02)izprtxqkft Wrote: seconded, Kodi should really deliver a portable package with it's releases

Why?

Firstly, it's a user thing and secondly, it's an OS thing too.

was just an opinion since i had to use the windows version to test some device capabilities and i wasn't able to simply download a portable and run it

i'm not usually a windows user and that device got wiped and had linux installed 2 days later so if windows users don't agree a portable zip download would be more usable then it's really not going to bother me one way or the other
(also why i wouldn't bother with a feature request)