To access data on the disk, you must add the disk to your computer’s system configuration. Dynamic disks are not supported on Windows XP Home Edition or on portable computers. The messages and/or status errors that appear in the Disk Management console include, but are not limited to, the following: At this point, the best course of action is to upgrade the power supply and then start troubleshooting over once again. Upon researching the computer’s components, you might find that the power supply is below the recommended rating for the current system.
If none of these methods work and the stored data is mission critical, data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery ( could work wonders, with a free trial version to determine whether the data is salvageable. Place the hard drive in the freezer for an hour. 3.Ĭarefully hit the side of the hard drive on a clean, flat surface. 2.Īdd the hard drive into an external hard drive enclosure. Install the hard drive in another computer. The following methods have worked for me at various times to bring hard drives to life to retrieve the data they contain: 1.
As long as the hard drive powers up and continues to spin, there are a few possibilities for bringing the hard drive back to life, at least long enough to retrieve the stored data.