External HDD is corrupted and unreadable

trembuzz said:

Files are copying as I write this. It'll be a long process as there are over two and a half tb's of data and of course lucid puppy doesn't support usb 3. So how is it that windows couldn't access the files but Linux can? I did notice that the recycle bin was reported as corrupt when I tried to open the drive in windows. Could this have been the root of the problem and could a corrupt recycle bin render a complete drive inaccessible?
t

Good to know the file copying process is on.

"how is it that windows couldn't access the files but Linux can? "

A good question. Here is the answer from some experts. Why Can Linux Systems Sometimes Recover Data Windows Can’t?

"could a corrupt recycle bin render a complete drive inaccessible?"

Answer: "If your Recycle Bin is corrupted, you can face various problems when using it. The Recycle Bin may not show the files that you may have been deleted from your File Explorer, or you may be unable to delete the files in it – or even empty the Recycle Bin completely. At times you may even receive an Access Denied or a Corrupt Recycle Bin error message. In such a situation, you may need to repair or reset the Recycle Bin."

Fix: Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10/8/7 Fix: Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10/8/7

jumanji said:

Good to know the file copying process is on.

"how is it that windows couldn't access the files but Linux can? "

A good question. Here is the answer from some experts. Why Can Linux Systems Sometimes Recover Data Windows Can’t?

"could a corrupt recycle bin render a complete drive inaccessible?"

Answer: "If your Recycle Bin is corrupted, you can face various problems when using it. The Recycle Bin may not show the files that you may have been deleted from your File Explorer, or you may be unable to delete the files in it – or even empty the Recycle Bin completely. At times you may even receive an Access Denied or a Corrupt Recycle Bin error message. In such a situation, you may need to repair or reset the Recycle Bin."

Fix: Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10/8/7 Fix: Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10/8/7

To tell you the truth I wasn't aware of the fact that the external drive even had a recycle bin. I just took for granted that the "c" drive bin was used.

"3. Once you have copied all the data, check your faulty drive with SeaTools for Windows. SeaTools | Seagate If it reports problems with that drive, do not blink. Discard the drive. It will no longer be safe to entrust any data to it."

I have run the self test and the short generic and both passed. I'm running the long generic now but it will obviously take a while. Which other tests should I run?
t

If Seatools clears your drive, well and good. If you consider that the corrupt Recycle bin was the cause, fix it and check whether your drive is accessible.

If the drive is still unaccessible, then consider writing zeros to the drive using Seatools , and then format your drive. ( Make sure that you wipe the correct Drive.)

jumanji said:

If Seatools clears your drive, well and good. If you consider that the corrupt Recycle bin was the cause, fix it and check whether your drive is accessible.

If the drive is still inaccessible, then consider writing zeros to the drive using Seatools , and then format your drive. ( Make sure that you wipe the correct Drive.)

Can I just delete the recycle bin when in lucid puppy. There was no bin until files were deleted so will it let me delete it and will the system just create a new one when there is a deletion?

Yes, you can delete the recycle bin in Lucid Puppy. When you boot into Windows it will be recreated.

jumanji said:

Yes, you can delete the recycle bin in Lucid Puppy. When you boot into Windows it will be recreated.

OK thanks.
Let me know what you think of this.
Fix Hard drive Access denied [ Hard disk is not accessible ] - YouTube

trembuzz said:

OK thanks.
Let me know what you think of this.
Fix Hard drive Access denied [ Hard disk is not accessible ] - YouTube

I'm quoting myself here but had to let you know that the you tube video worked like a charm. OMG after all that it was a permissions issue! Oh well, I now have a new 3tb hard drive full of backup files so no worries.
Thank you again for all your help with this perplexing issue,
t

There can be any number of reasons why access is denied and accordingly there can be a number of solutions.

Generally what happens is OPs try things on their own reading the internet solutions. If they are lucky their problem is resolved on the first try.

But most end up further complicating the problem. So we go by te general dictum, recover the data first and then do whatever you want or try, whatever solutions you want to try.

Your case itself is a good example. You never said what exactly was your problem in the first instance, What exactly was the error message you got first that prompted you to look for a solution?.

And the first solution you tried. Did it work? It didn't. You merely got into another problem and a different error message. And you also did not give the exact error message. Just Access denied was not the error message. There definitely was more in that message. You must always reproduce the complete error message verbatim, better if you post a screenshot of it. Whenever you get any error message, just don't panic. Take a snapshot and keep it. You may not always recollect the exact error message when you seek help.

When OPs do not give the complete information, they will only get generalised solutions. We do not have that magic crystal ball to tell us what exactly is the cause for that incomplete error message "Access denied". :)

In any case, you have definitely learnt more than what you already knew - using live Linux to recover data from an inaccessible boot drive or any external drive, that will keep you in good stead in future. Thank Ten Forums for that.