Recently I had one hard drive go bad on me, making windows unusable. SO i bought a bigger hard drive, did a clean install of windows and im back in business. My question is, I put the old HDD back in as a secondary master (SATA) and is it possible to retrieve my old emails and addresses from the old drive's windows files? I just transferred data from the old drive to the new, and the emails and addresses are the last to try and retrieve.... I just need to know where to look in the folders if they are obtainable... my old drive is a seagate sata, and so is the new one...just twice as big. thanks in advance....
NVM i think....i connected the old SATA drive and I am getting the same freeze problem that made me get the new one, leading me to believe that it WAS the HDD that was no good....I think Ill cut my losses on the emails and stuff, and work to connect it as a external to save my PSP games....thanks anyways, and if you do have any ideas, please let me know....
If you are running Windows XP, and you can get that old drive running: On the old drive, go to what was your C: drive. Click on Documents and Settings, then on your name, not All Users. Then, click on Local Settings, then on Application Data, then on Identities. Hopefully, you will see a folder there named with numbers and letters. Note: If you don't see that Local Settings folder, you have to let Windows see hidden folders. You can do that by going to My Computer, click on Tools at the top of the window that opens, then click on Folder Options. Next, click on View, scroll down to where you see Hidden files and folders, then click in the circle to the left of Show hidden files and folders. Also, uncheck the box to the left of Hide extensions for known file types. Then click on Apply, then OK, and get out of there. Now, get on the Internet, open up your mail, and hopefully you are using Outlook Express. Then, click on File, go down to Import, and click on Messages. Scroll down and click on Microsoft Outlook Express 6. Click on the circle to the left of Import mail from an OE6 store directory. Click OK or Next. Then, use the box to browse to where that Identity was in your old Local Settings. It will be a bunch of letters and numbers. Click on the plus sign until you get down to the Microsoft Express, or whatever it says, then click on it. You want to import everything, so check that box, and click Next, or whatever the prompt is. You will see all of your old e-mail and addresses come in.
jestah57, you'll probably have the same problem as an external as you did internally. been there & done it.
@ddp... u think so?...even if i do a complete reformat first? I think it was something bad in windows that caused the freezing so i was hoping that wiping the drive would better the problem.... what do u think? have u ever seen this problem before, where Windows freezes at various points of boot, and on the desktop. my new drive is a clean windows install on a brand new HDD, and i flashed my bios first thing, (after flashing, it ran ok, bfore that even on the new drive it locked up at times)....I have so lost confidence in my PC.... thanks for the help!
try using the pc for awhile without connecting the old hd to see if you have other issuses. if old drive was slave to new drive & was still freezing then the old drive is causing problem & will still cause problem externally.
As they chap said above give it time without the old hdd in and see if its stable. If you cant copy the files off the old hdd then it maybe worth formatting it and using some software like ontrack data recover to get it back.
OK!...got old emails, and addresses....GBW, your method worked for me, but for my wifes, I had to boot the old drive, and mail all the old mails to herself...then saved attachments....better than not having them at all. And as far as the old HDD, it gave me freezes galore even as a slave. I think its goners. Without it in, I freeze 1/10 times...cant figure that one out....but at least it runs fine 90% of the time, as opposed to 0% of the time.....I am gaining confidence in my system once more.... THANKS ALL!
