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• PRO

  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd June 19, 2014 at 8:21pm

  Hi Phil
  
  This is possible with the right software. Your HD should plug into an IDE connector inside a desktop computer and then the program run. You might need to change the jumper switch on the HD from 'master' to 'slave' for it to be seen by your operating system.
  
  Give me a couple of days and I'll try to find out which software I used in the past to recover data which was previously deleted.
  
  When a hd is formatted, usually only the file allocation table is deleted leaving the files intact......
  
  If I'm slow in coming back to you give me a nudge!!
• 

  Paul McNulty June 19, 2014 at 8:53pm

  My last PC melted, literally, when it overheated. The hard drive was just a lump of melted plastic.

  My local computer guy got nearly everything off of it for an hour's work.

  As he put it, the Police or MI5 would be able to get pretty much anything off a hard drive whatever you did to destroy it or erase it....

  Good luck, and it's a reminder that we should all be backing things up more often than we do. Off to do that right now!
• PRO

  Robbie June 19, 2014 at 9:46pm

  As far as I'm aware the only thing you can do to make the data un-recoverable is to run a drill through the drive as then it can't spin. As others have said you should be able to get the images from it, but maybe best to pay someone to do it for you.

  If a job is worth doing, it's worth paying some one to do it right for you ;)
• PRO

  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd June 19, 2014 at 9:48pm

  For backups we use a readyNAS in a separate location. Can be accessed over the web or locally with the right permissions.
  
  It also has the hard disk drives 'raided' so they mirror each other in case of a failure.
  
  This is won't help anyone who has lost data but might show what can be done moving forward.
• 

  Paul McNulty June 19, 2014 at 10:02pm

  
  
  Robbie said:

  As far as I'm aware the only thing you can do to make the data un-recoverable is to run a drill through the drive as then it can't spin.

  
  I bet that's been tried by many a scumbag about to be raided for images on his hard drive!
  
  It's almost always possible to recover data, and although I know nothing about it I was surprised to see how easy a pro could copy almost everything off a burned-out and melted hard drive....
  
  Worth a few £s to an expert if it might recover otherwise lost pictures.
• PRO

  Robbie June 19, 2014 at 11:02pm

  Dropbox / google drive seems the best way to go to backup data at the moment.

  
  Harddrives are made from glass that are referred to as platters, if you drill through it you break the glass, unless of course it's an SSD
  
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7816446.stm
• PRO

  Phil Voice June 20, 2014 at 7:39am

  Hi Nick
  
  Thanks.
  
  I will now need to plug in to the hard drive, externally from the tower unit. If you know of any cables that will plug into the connectors on the unit and directly into my laptop, that would be useful.
  
  
  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd said:

  Hi Phil
  
  This is possible with the right software. Your HD should plug into an IDE connector inside a desktop computer and then the program run. You might need to change the jumper switch on the HD from 'master' to 'slave' for it to be seen by your operating system.
  
  Give me a couple of days and I'll try to find out which software I used in the past to recover data which was previously deleted.
  
  When a hd is formatted, usually only the file allocation table is deleted leaving the files intact......
  
  If I'm slow in coming back to you give me a nudge!!
• PRO

  Phil Voice June 20, 2014 at 7:43am

  I hope you're right Paul:)
  
  I did have a Freecom external hard drive but it got filled up pretty quickly.
  There are so many options for backing up now but the storage available in 2006 was clunky and limited.
  
  I use a combination of Google Drive and Dropbox now.
  
  
  
  Paul McNulty said:

  My last PC melted, literally, when it overheated. The hard drive was just a lump of melted plastic.

  My local computer guy got nearly everything off of it for an hour's work.

  As he put it, the Police or MI5 would be able to get pretty much anything off a hard drive whatever you did to destroy it or erase it....

  Good luck, and it's a reminder that we should all be backing things up more often than we do. Off to do that right now!
• PRO

  Phil Voice June 20, 2014 at 7:45am

  Hi Robbie.
  
  Thanks...I hope you're right.
  
  I am happy to pay as a last resort.
  
  Robbie said:

  As far as I'm aware the only thing you can do to make the data un-recoverable is to run a drill through the drive as then it can't spin. As others have said you should be able to get the images from it, but maybe best to pay someone to do it for you.

  If a job is worth doing, it's worth paying some one to do it right for you ;)
• PRO

  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd June 20, 2014 at 9:48pm

  
  this should work... http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/35-inch-ide-usb-20-enclosure-zt90x
  
  
  Phil Voice said:

  Hi Nick
  
  Thanks.
  
  I will now need to plug in to the hard drive, externally from the tower unit. If you know of any cables that will plug into the connectors on the unit and directly into my laptop, that would be useful.
  
  
  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd said:

  Hi Phil
  
  This is possible with the right software. Your HD should plug into an IDE connector inside a desktop computer and then the program run. You might need to change the jumper switch on the HD from 'master' to 'slave' for it to be seen by your operating system.
  
  Give me a couple of days and I'll try to find out which software I used in the past to recover data which was previously deleted.
  
  When a hd is formatted, usually only the file allocation table is deleted leaving the files intact......
  
  If I'm slow in coming back to you give me a nudge!!