Please help with data recovery software suggestion

[jabrwky]

I didn't know where to post this, so here goes. I have a Win8.1 Pro install on a 3TB HDD (also had ab/5 VM's as .vmdk in VBox on it -- which is what hurts!). Trouble started when i accessed a text file from a bootable usb-installed system for convenience. When trying to boot from the HDD, a message came up about the drive being "locked. Please unlock the drive and try again." Win8.1 was unbootable after that.

  Tried ALL the usual cmd fixes, repair options from 8.1DVD, then (maybe stupidly) remembered MariumReflect had a 'repair boot' option--still unbootable. Tried booting into Slaxware live CD, and could see many files--but NO VM's--or VirtualBox VMs folder--I searched thoroughly -- no joy. I ran a deep scan with GetDataBack, and found everything BUT the VM's. Searched for *.vmdk* and found only 0-bytes files except for an old uininstalled Kali vmdk.

  Yes, you could just delete the partition and start over--but how to find what's not showing up? Also nothing visible in application data under username for firefox profiles. The Vol C:\ drive is marked "inactive" at this point. I'm in need of some genius help.

  Any ideas on this one? Thanks everyone.

[macnavarra]

boot from the win 8.1Pro  DVD or USB

go into a command prompt and ran a few bootrec commands:

Bootrec /fixMBR

bootrec /fixBoot

bootrec /rebuildBCD

maybe it helps.

[Sylence]

you seem to know the basics so I'm gonna jump on the main subject. although I don't know what you mean by "  bootable usb-installed system   " 

first go to the Windows recovery environment and lunch command prompt

then from there run notepad.exe. go to the files and open, then you can see you files in the file manager, copy your whole C drive into another drive (remember not folders, just the whole drive). then install a fresh Windows over your C drive and you're good to go.

[jabrwky]

Thanks for advice, and I should have been clearer, that the whole problem started after accessing a text file on the 3TB Windows 8.1-installed drive from a USB-installed Windows10 Operating System, which was booted up on the same computer.

  I was simply accessing the HDD for convenience--UNTIL! da-da-daaaa!

  Properly shut down the USB booted Windows 10--and NO LONGER could boot the HDD-installed Windows 8.1.

  All I get is something like "drive is locked. Please unlock drive and try again" when trying to complete cmds (or anything else). Also the partition is now marked 'inactive' when I looked at is with 'Disk Management' from another drive--so it seems like data recovery is all that's left. Is there anything better than GetDataBack (runtime software). It's past the exhausted panic full-tilt gonzo-bozo techisallthereis -- intheworld! stage. A little calmer from rigor mortis now.

  I had also accessed the drive from a live linux CD, but couldn't *see* the crucial VM's (not in the expected C:\Windows\users >VirtualBox VMs location)--nor visible anywhere. If they had been they would have been copied--Done!

  Good advice saeed_dc -- I'll try *anything* [desperate] that has a chance. Will try that again after a data recovery effort completes -- if it doesn't succeed. I may have screwed things up so badly with so many failed procedures, data recovery might be all that's left.

[Sylence]

3 hours ago, jabrwky said:

Thanks for advice, and I should have been clearer, that the whole problem started after accessing a text file on the 3TB Windows 8.1-installed drive from a USB-installed Windows10 Operating System, which was booted up on the same computer.

  I was simply accessing the HDD for convenience--UNTIL! da-da-daaaa!

  Properly shut down the USB booted Windows 10--and NO LONGER could boot the HDD-installed Windows 8.1.

  All I get is something like "drive is locked. Please unlock drive and try again" when trying to complete cmds (or anything else). Also the partition is now marked 'inactive' when I looked at is with 'Disk Management' from another drive--so it seems like data recovery is all that's left. Is there anything better than GetDataBack (runtime software). It's past the exhausted panic full-tilt gonzo-bozo techisallthereis -- intheworld! stage. A little calmer from rigor mortis now.

  I had also accessed the drive from a live linux CD, but couldn't *see* the crucial VM's (not in the expected C:\Windows\users >VirtualBox VMs location)--nor visible anywhere. If they had been they would have been copied--Done!

  Good advice saeed_dc -- I'll try *anything* [desperate] that has a chance. Will try that again after a data recovery effort completes -- if it doesn't succeed. I may have screwed things up so badly with so many failed procedures, data recovery might be all that's left.

 

Well have you done this before with success? I mean having a Windows 8.1 already installed on the internal hard disk and then booting up your computer on a Windows 10 installed on a flash drive (Windows to Go) ?

cuz what you think that might have caused the problem is impossible, accessing a file and then all da-da-daaaa! unless you have some malware or virus in your computer in that case it's totally possible

I also suspect your bootable flash drive, it might have thought (due to using bad tools to make a Windows to Go) that it's installed on a normal hard disk so it must replace the old boot loader with its new one and that's why you can't see Windows 8.1 in the boot menu. anyway the method i suggested you doesn't cause any harms and i hope it does the job for you. data recovery doesn't always give you the desired result, sometimes the files will be corrupted after recovery. 

 

I would do one more thing before the recovery, use Acronis backup's bootable CD and boot your computer from that (you can put the files on a flash drive too), then make a full backup of your C drive and store it on a different drive. the good thing is this tool shows you ever type of files in your drive whether it's hidden or not. after that Install Windows 8.1 or 10 on internal HDD and install the software to extract the backup files.

 

[jabrwky]

saeed_dc -- great analysis! I've been trying to make sense of this, and your explanation sounds right.

Quote

I also suspect your bootable flash drive, it might have thought (due to using bad tools to make a Windows to Go) that it's installed on a normal hard disk so it must replace the old boot loader with its new one and that's why you can't see Windows 8.1 in the boot menu.

Could that be what happened -- confusion of the boot files when I accessed the 3TB drive C:\ with another Windows system running on the 64GB USB drive C:\ ?

  I used AOMEI Partition Assistant 'windows to go' function after using Rufus to set the USB drive to BCD/EFI (thinking it would run on either legacy or UEFI BIOS's).

  I never did this before. Is there a better way to make a bootable USB drive with Windows that would help avoid these troubles?

  FWIW, I have no infections on either system and both ran flawlessly before this. However, I'll never be without a recent system image again after this. It's been computer hell.

  It'll take some time to work through the possible solutions, but will post the conclusion. Your thoughtful help is much appreciated.

 

[Sylence]

43 minutes ago, jabrwky said:

saeed_dc -- great analysis! I've been trying to make sense of this, and your explanation sounds right.

Could that be what happened -- confusion of the boot files when I accessed the 3TB drive C:\ with another Windows system running on the 64GB USB drive C:\ ?

  I used AOMEI Partition Assistant 'windows to go' function after using Rufus to set the USB drive to BCD/EFI (thinking it would run on either legacy or UEFI BIOS's).

  I never did this before. Is there a better way to make a bootable USB drive with Windows that would help avoid these troubles?

  FWIW, I have no infections on either system and both ran flawlessly before this. However, I'll never be without a recent system image again after this. It's been computer hell.

  It'll take some time to work through the possible solutions, but will post the conclusion. Your thoughtful help is much appreciated.

 

 

Thanks jabrwky!

the only Windows version i tried live was XP and it was a long time ago for emergency purposes. you can use the already Installed but corrupted/unbootable Windows 8.1 or 10 to recover itself or your files, edit registry entries, install/remove drivers etc.... really no need for third party software. 

yes please let us know if any of them worked)

[AP1972]

Sometimes it helps to correct errors.

https://sharewareonsale.com/checkout

[macnavarra]

these guy has solved his problem these way https://www.boyans.net/RepairWindows/The_drive_where_Windows_is_installed_is_locked.html

he says.

 

[jabrwky]

12 hours ago, saeed_dc said:

the only Windows version i tried live was XP and it was a long time ago for emergency purposes. you can use the already Installed but corrupted/unbootable Windows 8.1 or 10 to recover itself or your files, edit registry entries, install/remove drivers etc.... really no need for third party software. 

yes please let us know if any of them worked)

Do you mean access the Win 8.1 installation with the Acronis boot disk suggested earlier? Access with the Win 8.1 install disk is simply denied, and at this point it won't even recognize the 3TB drive.. [Every possible way I tried to use it resulted in the same 'drive is locked' message--except when I ran chkdsk (with /f /r switches) from cmd--and sfc /scannow--both completed perfectly--just no help.

  As soon as the recovery process running right now completes (probably tomorrow), it's on to the Acronis disk., even if the data recovery succeeds--because we'll never know if it isn't tried.

@macnavarra: Good suggestions, except nothing worked, not even trying the boot rebuild commands, or recreating the boot (uefi) info to another partition, and then overwriting the existing boot folder to correct it. I don't know enough, but after that it would seem it should have once again been bootable if the boot files were corrupted.

  You used to be able to copy info from the install disk on WinXP. Maybe some of the automated processes offered on the install disk are designed to do the that? I'm an amateur.

[Sylence]

13 hours ago, jabrwky said:

Do you mean access the Win 8.1 installation with the Acronis boot disk suggested earlier? Access with the Win 8.1 install disk is simply denied, and at this point it won't even recognize the 3TB drive.. [Every possible way I tried to use it resulted in the same 'drive is locked' message--except when I ran chkdsk (with /f /r switches) from cmd--and sfc /scannow--both completed perfectly--just no help.

  As soon as the recovery process running right now completes (probably tomorrow), it's on to the Acronis disk., even if the data recovery succeeds--because we'll never know if it isn't tried.

@macnavarra: Good suggestions, except nothing worked, not even trying the boot rebuild commands, or recreating the boot (uefi) info to another partition, and then overwriting the existing boot folder to correct it. I don't know enough, but after that it would seem it should have once again been bootable if the boot files were corrupted.

  You used to be able to copy info from the install disk on WinXP. Maybe some of the automated processes offered on the install disk are designed to do the that? I'm an amateur.

 

I mean with the already installed Windows 8.1 or with an installation media disk. but in your case something else is malfunction other than the Windows itself. can't tell what's locking it up, it'd be a lot easier if i had physical access to the machine but that's impossible for now. lol

i see only 3 options left for you based on the information you've given me so far:

1. make a full backup of your C drive using acronis bootable media and then install a fresh Windows on your C drive. after that install the main acronis program on your new Windows then extract your backup file to see its contents. backup process shouldn't take more than an hour without compression. 
2. if you can't do the 1st option for whatever reason like your internal HDD is locked (!)  or your HDD isn't recognized by the bootable acronis backup (pretty rare), then remove your HDD and connect it to another SATA port in your motherboard. if still locked try connecting it to another computer and then do the 1st option.
3. use a Linux distro to access your HDD and make a full copy of your HDD into another internal/external HDD, then format your whole disk.

[jabrwky]

Gentlemen, A Huge Thanks to all who came to my aid. Nsaneforums are a warm community of caring people.

Sometimes, things are beyond the understanding of mortals. Perhaps an explanation will emerge somewhere in time.

  I have deployed every method suggested here and many more, including GetdDataBack and Acronis.

  A deep scan (GetDataBack) revealed x(2) of 5 VM's on the disk, which were copied, but were unbootable. So I booted up the Win10 install disk for repair options and tried boot repair. All operations from elevated cmd prompt indicated 'completed successfully', but when I tried to boot the VM, I got 'volume locked' message. Maybe the drive and subfolders were locked, too?

  It was a good fight, but 'discretion is the greater part of valor', and it's time to use a different install configuration so this never happens the same way again.

  I'll install windows on its own partition with other folders on another partition, as suggested by @jordan4x (thank-you). Then the OS partition can be formatted & reinstalled without significant data loss (and the virtualBox VMs folder).

                                                                                                   -jabrwky