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External hard drive strange character folder

Malone -  
harno Posted messages 512 Status Member -
Hello,

I recently ran into a problem with my external hard drive. A few months ago, new folders appeared in place of others with strange characters, like in this image I found on the net: http://linkdown.free.fr/image.jpg

Then overnight the folder in question reappeared. But for the past 2 weeks the problem has come back on many more folders and I risk losing everything.

Is there a way to fix this problem? I scanned my PC with my antivirus Avast and it detects nothing.

My hard drive is 250GB and when I select my folders Windows reports 850GB!

When I try to delete a directory, Windows tells me: "Cannot delete; syntax of the file name, directory name, or volume is incorrect"

I would like to restore all the folders.

Thanks for your help

Configuration: Windows XP Firefox 3.0.10

13 answers

  1.
    dubcek Posted messages 18627 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   5 659
     
    hello
    start with a disk check: My Computer -> right-click -> Properties -> Tools -> Check -> enable the options
    3
  2. Malone
     
    I carried out the manipulation, I have a folder that has become partially accessible again because there are still corrupted subfolders, but all the other folders are now inaccessible and in a "document" format, and when I click them Windows opens a dialog asking me to select the program to use to open this type of file. By selecting EXPLORER it asks me to save the file.

    Are the files that were contained in my folders lost?
    1
  3. dubcek Posted messages 18627 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   5 659
     
    By DOS can you see the files?
    start -> run: cmd
    cd \path
    dir
    1
  4. Malone
     
    I don’t know much about DOS commands. When I’m in CMD, it tells me I’m already in: "C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME"

    let’s say I want to go to "G:\PHOTOS" for my external hard drive, what should I type?
    because when I just type "C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\cd\G:\" it says the syntax of the file or directory is incorrect

    In fact the folders seem to be shortcuts that no longer point to their target
    0
  6. dubcek Posted messages 18627 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   5 659
     
    it is necessary to type
    G:
    cd PHOTOS
    dir
    if there are spaces, there must be ""
    cd "my path"
    0
    1. Malone
       
      "The directory name is incorrect"

      The data are still on the hard drive, I'm trying to recover them with the software "Active @ UNDELETE", but everything will be sorted by file type if it works. Right now it’s scanning for a few hours...
      The best would be to be able to make the folders accessible.
      0
  7. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
     
    Hi,

    Unfortunately for you, I think your disk is not properly recognized in your BIOS and, in the end, there is a strong chance that the symmetry of your disk (cylinder, head, sector) is no longer the one that was used during the disk installation. Your MBR (Master Boot Record) is very likely defective

    Check in the BIOS that the name of your drive matches reality and that it is recognized CORRECTLY

    Do you have a floppy drive?

    Get "Partition Table Doctor 3.5" and "Partition Table Editor" (the latter from PowerQuest)

    If what I anticipate is correct, this is going to be difficult to fix through the forum.

    P.S. DO NOT MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO REPAIR YOUR FILES! THEY STILL EXIST AS ORIGINALLY. WRITE DOWN ALL THE ADVICE YOU ARE GIVEN BEFORE MAKING A DECISION.

    AND ABOVE ALL, DO NOT PANIC.
    0
  8. Malone
     
    Thank you for your help, both of you. I don’t see my external hard drive in the BIOS; I checked the hard drive, CD drive, etc., and in the peripherals section but nothing. Yet in My Computer it’s recognized and the name is correct. I do have a floppy drive. I retrieved "Partition Table Doctor 3.5" and "Partition Magic 8" which contain PTEDIT32.exe, and I created the rescue disks. When I run PT Doctor, I get a boot sector parameters error for hard disk 2, partition 1, indicating problems and it recommends using Fixboot to restore the issue.
    0
  9. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
     
    I’m sorry: I hadn’t realized you were talking about an EXTERNAL hard drive. So my question, as a result, was stupid: an external hard drive is never recognized in the BIOS.

    Run Partition Table Editor and note EVERYTHING you see for your 2nd drive.

    Do you have the possibility to put your external drive inside the PC on a cable?
    0
  10. Malone
     
    okay, i was thinking about the bios... here’s what i find for PT Editor http://djotase.free.fr/IMAGES/ptedit.jpg I can’t set the DD internally, it’s a Western Digital My Passport drive like this: http://nexus404.com/Blog/2008/01/30/western-digital-my-passport-essential-edition-external-hdd-offers-big-capacity-small-size/ with PT Doctor do i do the fixboot or not?
    0
    1. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
       
      Sorry, I went shopping.

      You can try the fixboot. If that doesn’t work or goes wrong, you can start over from scratch with the information from your image.
      0
  11. Malone
     
    I did a Fixboot, it took 2 seconds and it tells me that the partition’s boot sector is OK. What else can I try?
    0
    1. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
       
      Boot Sector OK? But we don’t know whether it’s the partition table section or the MBR.

      You don’t have the right copy of Partition Table Editor. You have the Windows version instead of the DOS version. You don’t have access to the "Set Type" and "Boot Record" options. Too bad!

      All that remains is to make an image of Partition Table Doctor 3.5 with your external drive. I am curious to see how it looks.

      In forum messages, it’s very difficult because there are dozens of possible causes. For me, with my tools, it takes a few minutes, unless the disk is broken.

      P.S. One thing I’m thinking of: go to the directory where you have PTEDIT.EXE, and make a shortcut on your desktop. You’ll be in MS-DOS mode then and you’ll have access to all the options. You’ll also be able to go full screen!
      0
  12. Malone
     
    If I do have access, it’s just that I hadn’t clicked on one of the boxes when I took the screenshot.
    By image, which option do you mean in PT Doc?

    otherwise it’s what I get when I launch the app, I have also shown the properties

    http://djotase.free.fr/IMAGES/ptdoc.jpg

    I imagine it’s faster in real time at the PC! anyway thanks for giving me a bit of your time
    0
    1. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
       
      To avoid mistakes, we will refer to
      - PTD for Partition Table Doctor 3.5
      - PTE for Partition Table Editor.

      The PTD image you just gave me seems completely normal to me. Upon seeing it, I don’t understand why you’re having disk problems.

      We will do the following:

      1.- On PTE:
      a) verify that it still corresponds to the first image that was sent
      b) click on Boot Record and make an image of it. As an OEM name you should have MSWIN4.1 or equivalent.

      2.- check the physical integrity of your disk - on PTD, right-click the partition and Surface test. Let it run: it will be long (time remaining is shown)

      DO NOT PERFORM ANY REPAIRS if they are requested to you
      0
  13. Malone
     
    The PTE image corresponds to what I have.
    Here is the boot record image http://djotase.free.fr/IMAGES/bootrecord.jpg

    I started PTD's surface test, I have about 1h15 left

    I'll take a screenshot of the results as soon as it's finished
    0
    1. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
       
      I understand less and less: your Boot Record is completely compliant! I compared it with mine. This disk MUST be readable!

      The remaining issue is the MBR where I see an anomaly: 1021 cylinders instead of 1023. We’ll see after your scan.

      A+ in 1 hour and 30. I’m going to watch a movie
      0
  14. Malone
     
    The hard drive is readable, I can access it; it’s just that a large majority of the folders are no longer accessible. I had 9 main folders at the root of this HDD, and 7 folders are bugged. Since the disk check recommended by Dubcek, I can’t open them anymore and they appear as document files with a white icon.

    See you later for the results, enjoy the movie ;)
    0
    1. harno Posted messages 512 Status Member 32
       
      Performing verification with Windows options enabled was a big error. Windows is incapable of handling this type of problem and only screws things up. But who knows? It certainly won't be Microsoft shouting it from the rooftops. I fear you have lost most of your folders. I return to my starting position: bad random CHS symmetry (cyl, head, sector). The repair, if there had to be one (for me it was unnecessary), should have been done only after restoring order to the cylinders.
      0