Heeelp Plse !!? Error "windows cannot find file $Mft." (Packard Bell 3500 Store & Save )

"philo" wrote in message
...


Thanks philo & Robert.

I honestly did not expect to get ANY replies, when I *gambled* upon
seeking advice, on a
newsgroup.

So many of the newsgroups are just full of spam & rubbish.

Thanks , again, very very much !

Regards,

AB.

I do have SOME hope of saving the drive, now !

Thanks philo & Robert !

Cheers !!!


"Robert E. Watts" wrote in message
...
Hello Mr. Blue !

Fair enough, please accept my apologies.
(I'll explain later )
But fortunately, your second message was dead on, and accepted. It's great
to see new posters, and you defused the situation nicely. :-)

I'm kinda busy now, but I'll try to help later. Or someone will come
along. Not many posters lately, and the gang is probably anxious to do
*something*.

By the way, OP means original poster. :-)

Just don't do anything rash with the drive ( for now ). Sometimes, doing
"something" results in things that can't be fixed. Doing nothing is
sometimes a pretty good strategy.

If you have another computer, try plugging it in there, and see if Windows
XP "see's" it. Just don't write to the drive for now.

bobwatts
EartH
( computer tech since '96 )

Hi Mr. Blue

Sorry I haven't gotten back to this sooner.....although I have given it a
bit of thought.

After re-reading your post, I realize this is not a PB problem, but a data
recovery problem. Although I have done my share of data recovery, I'm no
expert. It appears to be a problem with the way that Windows "see's" the
drive. Either a root directory, MBR ( master boot record ) NTFS ( assuming
you have NT File system, and not a FAT 32 system ) problem, or some other
thingy.

It's not the *files* on the drive ( probably ) that is the problem, it's the
way that Windows access' them, probably.

Do some searching (googling ) on the internet concerning data recovery on an
external USB drive, and you might even want to check the manufacturers
website. But don't jump into anything, sometimes writing to a drive with
problems will wipe out or corrupt the file system to the point that the
files will be unrecoverable.

The fact that Windows sees files and folders is good, and probably just
can't "use" them.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but data recovery is usually an individual
repair thing, and I don't know what to suggest at this point. Busy time of
year, and got a lot to do. I really thought someone would come along by now
and help. :-)

Let us know how it turns out.

bobwatts



"Mr. Blue" wrote in message
...
Hello.

This problem will probably look very easy to solve (?) ,
to any PC experts reading this. Admittedly, I'm still very
much a novice .... so ANY advice / information would be
GREATLY appreciated !

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive. It had almost reached it's
capacity of 500Gigs. Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB
ports in my main PC, it takes about 10 minutes to load ( & show
in *my computer*) & it stops ALL other programs from functioning,
whilst doing so. Once loaded, the files all show ( as they did before )
but when I try to open ANY of them, I get an error message saying
that "windows cannot find the file H.\\ $Mft. ". My main PC is XP
Home edition ... although that is probably not relevent as the same
error message & problems occur when I try to access the drive via
any USB on my seperate, brand new lap-top ( windows Vista system ).

I've tried to find problems , about " $Mft." files (via internet search
engines),
to no avail.
I would hate to lose ALL my data that is on the drive .... is there ANY
way that it can be saved ? As I said, it does still show up as a list of
files , but NOTHING will open. Any info. much welcome !

Cheers.

Mr. Blue :-(

Thanks for that, Bob.

Have also done a bit of *research* ( via google ) & found a few businesses
( here in the UK) that
advertise data recovery .... & they're VERY expensive ! :-(
I also d'loaded some trial software ( Power-Data Recovery ), via a Norton
site recommendation.
Good job I didn't purchase it ...... the trial version told me that " this
type of disc (external HD) is
is not recoverable by Power-Data Recovery".
Ah well, I'll just hang on to my UNplayable media ( external HD ) ..... &
wait a couple of months, 'til
an all-singing-all-dancing data-recovery machine is marketed, at around £3
( $5 ) ! ;-)
Seems to me that's how the technology market is continually ripping us off
!

Thanks anyway for you time & advice. HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS ! ... & ALL
THE VERY BEST
TO YOU & YOURS, FOR 2009 !

:-)

"Robert E. Watts" wrote in message
...
Hi Mr. Blue

Sorry I haven't gotten back to this sooner.....although I have given it a
bit of thought.

After re-reading your post, I realize this is not a PB problem, but a data
recovery problem. Although I have done my share of data recovery, I'm no
expert. It appears to be a problem with the way that Windows "see's" the
drive. Either a root directory, MBR ( master boot record ) NTFS ( assuming
you have NT File system, and not a FAT 32 system ) problem, or some other
thingy.

It's not the *files* on the drive ( probably ) that is the problem, it's
the way that Windows access' them, probably.

Do some searching (googling ) on the internet concerning data recovery on
an external USB drive, and you might even want to check the manufacturers
website. But don't jump into anything, sometimes writing to a drive with
problems will wipe out or corrupt the file system to the point that the
files will be unrecoverable.

The fact that Windows sees files and folders is good, and probably just
can't "use" them.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but data recovery is usually an individual
repair thing, and I don't know what to suggest at this point. Busy time of
year, and got a lot to do. I really thought someone would come along by
now and help. :-)

Let us know how it turns out.

bobwatts

Hi!

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive.

Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB ports in my main PC, it takes
about 10 minutes to load ( & show in *my computer*) & it stops ALL
other programs from functioning, whilst doing so.

I get an error message saying that "windows cannot find the file
H.\\ $Mft. ".

One of a couple things has happened: The drive inside the enclosure has gone
bad. The enclosure's bridge IC has failed. The file system somehow became
corrupted. You could have a bad USB cable. The power supply for the
enclosure could be failing, and not supplying a required voltage.

The easiest thing to do will be to take the drive out of the enclosure and
connect it to your computer. If it works normally, then something is up with
the enclosure or the cable you are using to plug it into the computer.
Should the drive happen to work properly, copy the contents of it to another
storage device that you know to be working properly.

Then you can experiment with the drive once it is back in the enclosure to
find out where the problem is, all the while knowing that the data on it is
safely stored somewhere else. Some things to look for once you've backed up
your data and put the drive back in the enclosure include abnormal dimming
or blinking of any lights on the drive, or any unusual sounds such as
whistling, repetitive loud clicking or the sound of the drive inside
spinning down and up again.

I had an enclosure that would periodically lose its +5 volt power supply.
This failure would let the drive keep spinning, and the bridge IC would keep
working as it could get power from the USB bus. However, the drive's
supporting circuitry would not continue to run, and the computer would
report an error, complain that the device had not been safely removed, hang
up or drop into a STOP error.

William

Hi Bill !

Good to see that you "get out" occasionally, and are not *chained* to the
IBM PS/2 NG. :-)

Interesting take on Mr. Blues problem. I discounted a hardware problem,
because when plugged in to other computers they "see" the files on the
drive. Although I agree that that is possible, I tend to lean more towards
your file system corruption suggestion, which just happens to be what I
suggested also.

:-)

Happy Holidaze Wild Bill !




"William R. Walsh" m
wrote in message news:xRF4l.495486$yE1.299575@attbi_s21...
Hi!

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive.

Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB ports in my main PC, it takes
about 10 minutes to load ( & show in *my computer*) & it stops ALL
other programs from functioning, whilst doing so.

I get an error message saying that "windows cannot find the file
H.\\ $Mft. ".

One of a couple things has happened: The drive inside the enclosure has
gone
bad. The enclosure's bridge IC has failed. The file system somehow became
corrupted. You could have a bad USB cable. The power supply for the
enclosure could be failing, and not supplying a required voltage.

The easiest thing to do will be to take the drive out of the enclosure and
connect it to your computer. If it works normally, then something is up
with
the enclosure or the cable you are using to plug it into the computer.
Should the drive happen to work properly, copy the contents of it to
another
storage device that you know to be working properly.

Then you can experiment with the drive once it is back in the enclosure to
find out where the problem is, all the while knowing that the data on it
is
safely stored somewhere else. Some things to look for once you've backed
up
your data and put the drive back in the enclosure include abnormal dimming
or blinking of any lights on the drive, or any unusual sounds such as
whistling, repetitive loud clicking or the sound of the drive inside
spinning down and up again.

I had an enclosure that would periodically lose its +5 volt power supply.
This failure would let the drive keep spinning, and the bridge IC would
keep
working as it could get power from the USB bus. However, the drive's
supporting circuitry would not continue to run, and the computer would
report an error, complain that the device had not been safely removed,
hang
up or drop into a STOP error.

William

"Robert E. Watts" wrote in message
...
Hi Bill !

Good to see that you "get out" occasionally, and are not *chained* to the
IBM PS/2 NG. :-)

Interesting take on Mr. Blues problem. I discounted a hardware problem,
because when plugged in to other computers they "see" the files on the
drive. Although I agree that that is possible, I tend to lean more
towards
your file system corruption suggestion, which just happens to be what I
suggested also.

:-)

Happy Holidaze Wild Bill !





Out of curiosity here since some of the posts no longer appear on my
server...
I saw no where, where the OP said he could read the files on another
machine.
If that was the case, I don't know why he is fooling with data recovery
software.

Also.
If there is an active PS/2 newsgroup let me know.
I still have my IBM ps/2 and it is one hell of a great machine!

Hi philo !

"philo" wrote in message
...

Out of curiosity here since some of the posts no longer appear on my
server...
I saw no where, where the OP said he could read the files on another
machine.
If that was the case, I don't know why he is fooling with data recovery
software.

Also.
If there is an active PS/2 newsgroup let me know.
I still have my IBM ps/2 and it is one hell of a great machine!




Go to:

comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware

You will be amazed. Active ( very active ) for well over 10 years.
I too still have lots of IBM PS/2 machines, including some very large
Servers. Used to have over 100 IBM PS/2's .


Also.............


Here is the original posters message:

Hello.

This problem will probably look very easy to solve (?) ,
to any PC experts reading this. Admittedly, I'm still very
much a novice .... so ANY advice / information would be
GREATLY appreciated !

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive. It had almost reached it's
capacity of 500Gigs. Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB
ports in my main PC, it takes about 10 minutes to load ( & show
in *my computer*) & it stops ALL other programs from functioning,
whilst doing so. Once loaded, the files all show ( as they did before )
but when I try to open ANY of them, I get an error message saying
that "windows cannot find the file H.\\ $Mft. ". My main PC is XP
Home edition ... although that is probably not relevent as the same
error message & problems occur when I try to access the drive via
any USB on my seperate, brand new lap-top ( windows Vista system ).

I've tried to find problems , about " $Mft." files (via internet search
engines),
to no avail.
I would hate to lose ALL my data that is on the drive .... is there ANY
way that it can be saved ? As I said, it does still show up as a list of
files , but NOTHING will open. Any info. much welcome !

Cheers.

Mr. Blue :-(

"Robert E. Watts" wrote in message
...
Hi philo !

"philo" wrote in message
...

Out of curiosity here since some of the posts no longer appear on my
server...
I saw no where, where the OP said he could read the files on another
machine.
If that was the case, I don't know why he is fooling with data recovery
software.

Also.
If there is an active PS/2 newsgroup let me know.
I still have my IBM ps/2 and it is one hell of a great machine!




Go to:

comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware

You will be amazed. Active ( very active ) for well over 10 years.
I too still have lots of IBM PS/2 machines, including some very large
Servers. Used to have over 100 IBM PS/2's .



Thanks...I had quite a few myself at one time...
glad I have at least kept one.

Though it came with a tolken ring card...
just by chance I happened to come across an eithernet card for it...
so am able to use it on my home network it I want.

Also thanks for re-posting the OP's original link...
hope he gets it sorted out.


Also.............


Here is the original posters message:

Hello.

This problem will probably look very easy to solve (?) ,
to any PC experts reading this. Admittedly, I'm still very
much a novice .... so ANY advice / information would be
GREATLY appreciated !

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive. It had almost reached it's
capacity of 500Gigs. Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB
ports in my main PC, it takes about 10 minutes to load ( & show
in *my computer*) & it stops ALL other programs from functioning,
whilst doing so. Once loaded, the files all show ( as they did before )
but when I try to open ANY of them, I get an error message saying
that "windows cannot find the file H.\\ $Mft. ". My main PC is XP
Home edition ... although that is probably not relevent as the same
error message & problems occur when I try to access the drive via
any USB on my seperate, brand new lap-top ( windows Vista system ).

I've tried to find problems , about " $Mft." files (via internet search
engines),
to no avail.
I would hate to lose ALL my data that is on the drive .... is there ANY
way that it can be saved ? As I said, it does still show up as a list of
files , but NOTHING will open. Any info. much welcome !

Cheers.

Mr. Blue :-(

Mr. Blue wrote:
Hello.

This problem will probably look very easy to solve (?) ,
to any PC experts reading this. Admittedly, I'm still very
much a novice .... so ANY advice / information would be
GREATLY appreciated !

I have stored, over the last 18 months, around 440 Gigabytes
of media ( Mpegs, Mp3's etc.. ) onto a Packard Bell 3500
Store & Save external hard-drive. It had almost reached it's
capacity of 500Gigs. Now when I plug it into ANY of the USB
ports in my main PC, it takes about 10 minutes to load ( & show
in *my computer*) & it stops ALL other programs from functioning,
whilst doing so. Once loaded, the files all show ( as they did before )
but when I try to open ANY of them, I get an error message saying
that "windows cannot find the file H.\\ $Mft. ". My main PC is XP
Home edition ... although that is probably not relevent as the same
error message & problems occur when I try to access the drive via
any USB on my seperate, brand new lap-top ( windows Vista system ).

I've tried to find problems , about " $Mft." files (via internet search
engines),
to no avail.
I would hate to lose ALL my data that is on the drive .... is there ANY
way that it can be saved ? As I said, it does still show up as a list of
files , but NOTHING will open. Any info. much welcome !

Cheers.

Mr. Blue :-(


After reading a lot of posts in this thread, I think I can suggest doing
something different, and maybe even positive.

Read this article:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/Advan...and_MFT_Repair

From there, download a copy of TestDisk:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

The fellow who has done this software is well-known, Christophe GRENIER,
a Frenchman.

First, I agree with others that the external enclosure's circuitry may
be the problem.

Next, I'll hazard a guess that the Master File Table (MFT) is somehow
corrupted.

From here, there are a couple of possibilities:

If the external enclosure is the problem, the drive should be perfectly
readable when attached as a slave (or second SATA) drive inside a computer.

If you can create an Ultimate Boot CD (google it), boot up the system
with the Ultimate Boot CD and the drive (once again) set up as a slave
or second SATA. Ultimate Boot CD essentially boots Windows "Live" (a la
Linux) and in a quasi-safe mode. From there, you may be able to read
the drive.

Finally, run TestDisk, with likely the best results possible with the
drive attached internally in a computer... Ben Myers