Trying to get data off trouble HDD, but windows won't let me boot up with 2 hard drives

Stupid windows again.

My sister's computer recently got mesed up when a system file deleted itself. big trouble. I couldn't get windows to repair with the windows os cd, so I took the new hdd i was going to install anyway and put a clean install of windows on that. She now has a computer back. One problem, all the data she needs is on the old hard drive. So, I put that in as the secondry hdd in her machine, and told the computer to JUSt boot up with that one good hdd, the C drive. Computer doesn't like it. Won't go past boot process.

So, I try it in my machine. It goes a little further in the boot up process, but then tells me that i have a hdd error and stops.

I need to get this data off, but i can't boot up with more than 1 hdd in any of these pc's.

Help!

 

You can't have two primary drives in a system on the same channel. One must be a slave - set the slave jumper on the old drive.

 

i thought about htis. you must be right. but how do I set the slave jumper on the old drive? what am i looking for? sorry, i've never dealt with more than 1 hdd. i like simple.

 

Sounds more like a PEBKAC rather than Windows. I've done what you're attempting to do many times.

Is this a Parallel or SATA?

 

It's parallel.

I've set the slave on now, figured that out. I'll try this and see what happens

 

IT WORKED!!!! WHOOOOOOOOPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

yes, now all that needs to be done is transfer of files, upgrading of all windows software (IE etc) and download of itunes. thanks

 

Yup. PEBKAC. Microsoft still hasn't come out with a patch for that issue.

 

I'm working on a Beta patch for that problem. It's so wide spread that you'd think someone would do something about it.

 

You should be able to make a fortune off it Lithus if you can get it to actually work.