I was coping filles over to a Seagate 250 HDD which I use for backup and storage. Left unattended the drive filled to capicity. I actually got the message that the HDD was full. Well, at this point I could still see the data. But, the next time I started the system, I could no longer see the data. The HDD now reads as unformatted or "Raw". Is there a way to recover from this. This is very vital information that needs to be recovered.

If the data is vital (.i.e.worth money) send the drive to a professional data recovery company.

There are several ways of doing this yourself, but they all involve risk if you dont know exactly what you are doing. Best to be safe than sorry.

I'm willing to take the risks if there is a way to do myself. Any ideas would be very helpful.

If the drive is a 7200.11 ... You can't do nothing. You can't also fix a firmware problem unless you have expensive gear and knowledge. Anyway - your data, your choice. Seems not 'vital' data anyway, as you want to risk screwing up the disk by yourself...

Sounds like a logical issue to me...

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

What does the data look like in a hex editor?

The drive is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250 GB. It has to be something more simple than this. The drive was working fine. I was moving data to the drive. I ran out of space on the drive. At this time I could still access the data. It wasn't until a system reboot that the drive started registering as "RAW". There has to be some utility out there that can fix something this simple. If I rip the partition and format the drive is good as new.

what does the start of the disk look like in winhex? post a picture here

Tools are exist besides you. But you have to identify the problem first then take the proper action. But, Its a logical problem n easily could be solved.

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It's also important to understand... just because the problem occurred quickly, and maybe was 'easy' from your point of view, it doesn't necessarily mean the solution is 'more simple'. It may be as simple as a logical recovery, but the problem will not become eaiser to meet your abilities. Wishful thinking isn't an effective DR tool.

I believe the drive information is being read wrong or being reported wrong. Remember, this occured as a result of copying data from an external source to a perfectly good HDD.

Since you're sure of what caused it, and managed to eliminate the possibility of any other damage, then all you need to do is 'Undo' the action. Quite simple. Best of luck.

For me it's not logical, unless mhdd can read the drive. Diag is simple, recovery may not.

rchadwick, How would I go about "undoing" the action? The drive is reading as RAW right now.

BlackST, If it's not logical, what does it look like to you? Remember, if I rip the partition and format, the drive is perfectly useable. I know, because this is not the first time this has happened to me. But, unlike in the past, I don't have a second backup of the data. Before, I did. So, it was no big deal. Rip the partition, format and copy the data back.

Well, if YOU find an undo button, please let me know, as it would make DR a lot easier.

Maybe I can put it a better way. Lets say you have a car accident, and hit a tree. You later find out there was a problem with the steering. If you asked your mechanic to ONLY fix the steering, will the collision damage magically disappear?

There is also such a thing as coincidence in computers, hard drives, and data recovery. Anyone in the industry long enough has seen strange coincidences. Maybe two drives failing on the same day, in the same computer. Maybe you'll get a week of nothing but Maxtors, and the rest of the month you won't see any.

What I'm saying again is that it is likely not just a simple matter, and you may have to approach it differently than how you think the problem started. Also, you may have a separate problem unrelated to the drive filling.

rchadwick, Thanks for the input. Let me just say this, I believe in coincidence. But, I've had this happen to me with a seagate 80 GB, 120 GB, twice with a 160 GB, and now my 250 GB. No matter how much research I do, there doesn't seem to be an answer out there as to what causes it, or how to prevent it. Other than, "Stay well under capacity".

Well, since there doesn't seem to be answer out there for me, I'll have to turn to the next best thing. Can anyone out there vouch for R-Studio. Can it do the job?

There is an answer, there is diagnose and prevention, but this is not to be discussed in a public forum, it's consulting and not for free (for me), just because it seems an enterprise system. And you want a working solution and no more loss of data and revenue, don't you ?
Moreover, you are trying to do the job, if you are not familiar with DR, partitions and/or how this stuff work, you have to document yourself and go trial and error. A pro would be responsible to get data back for you and to give a solution.

If it's logical damage, R-Studio is excellent.