2 more questions:

You say: "but I still don't understand why my folders are found but no files???"

Where / how do you see these folders?

What is the model of Maxtor? One Touch? One Touch II? other?

When I do a recovery, it finds my folders, however when I click on them, no files are found and I know they were there because I checked and double checked when I did the transfer.

It is a basic Maxtor 80 GB not a one touch....just your basic plug in the USB and go.

Should I just go ahead and reformat and risk the loss or do you think there is hope of getting the files off it? Also, when I look at the disk management it says that this drive is now no longer raw....it is listed as nothing, not FAT, nothing....but in the properties, the type is stilll RAW....

HTH! and I hope you can help me!

We can try to get your data ... Otherwise you can format & start over ...

How much is your data worth to you = how much you want to try to recover it.

We can try certain things here or you can certainly buy a Recovery Program that will work.

The problem with recovery programs is the external drive. The first recommendation even of a purchased version would be to remove the drive from the exterior case & install it into the computer on a IDE cable as slave.
Inside that exterior box is just a normal hard drive. Installing it inside the computer (removing the USB limitations) would probably be neccessary for a recovery program.

That being said I found another shot in the dark:

Go to:

start > run > cmd
in the new window type chkdsk L:/f

Originally Posted by

Go to:

start > run > [b

cmd[/b]
in the new window type chkdsk L:/f

I have heard of that working but it is telling me that it cannot be done on RAW drives....uggh!!!

There is really only one group of files from a folder I want off of it and it is my pix of my kids from 2005 mainly the month of june....

getting late here and I am heading to bed soon....so I will try one more thing and then we will have to chat tomorrow. Thanks for sticking with me so far.

You now have 2 partitions on the EHD? L & (x)?

My idea would be to format the new partition (x) you just created but not the old data partition.

If you ever get the choice choose NTFS as a file system.

If this should work then maybe you can run chkdsk then.

Otherwise I need to start searching further links.

nope, just one partition on the EHD....I wish I could format it to NTFS, but no such luck....I did format teh original partition to enable finding it originally.

I am off to dreamland....I will catchup w/ you tomorrow....hopefully you will have good news for me!!

-L

You had said: "And my computer does NOW see it under my computer because I created a new partition under disk management...but DID NOT format it."

????????

in order for it to be 'seen' under my computer and not JUST under device manager, a new partition had to be created.....then it requested formatting, but I did not do that yet. I am beginning to think partitioning's just as bad as reformatting?

ok ..........

So the only thing that sees anything on that drive is the file inspector program?

& it only sees folders? Not files?

I will look about ........

exactly!!

I had thought about using GetDataBack but it is only for NTFS and FAT drives...would it even work on RAW?

Thanks again....

-L