migrating windows file into zorrin via external harddrive

I am new to linux and not very savvy with computers. (Although my HP dv4 has definitely forced me to learn this past week) I have spent several hours a day for the past 3 days searching forums, trying shareware data recovery programs, and basically trying everything I can think of to access my external hard drive enclosure. The drive appears in "my Computer" as 2 icons. Generic- USB3.0 CRW -0 or -1. The type of file system is unknown to zorrin, and the permissions cannot be determined (or modified)

I have made few mistakes that might make a few of you laugh.... But I really need somebody's help to access my old data and copy it to Zorrin OS.


Essentially I need to access and copy files saved in windows, and on an external ntfs formated 3.5 SATA drive, (in Rocketfish 3.0USB enclosure) to Zorrin on a machine that no longer has windows



Below is just a long, LONG story of how this situation came to be.

I tried 32 bit Ubuntu first and then switched to 64bit Zorrin..........

This is what happened:

My internal, C:/, drive had win7 home premium factory installed on it.

I had extracted an ISO of Ubuntu 11.10 on to my C:/ drive using UnetBootin

Had a working "Live" version of of Ubuntu 11.10

Cloned my C: drive using XXClone to my external drive, H:/, Copied MBR

Rebooted and tried to install Ubuntu from the extracted ISO image ON my C:/ drive TO THE SAME DRIVE, when it wouldn't work on it's own, I looked up youtube videos and followed instructionsto manually partition the internal C:/ drive. (which is the same place windows, and my ubuntu installation media was)

This completely wiped out any working files on my internal c: drive {Learning is so fun }

The clone on the external drive turned out to NOT BE BOOT-ABLE after all.

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I bought a 4G USB thumb drive and went to a friends house. I plugged my H:/ drive enclosure into his XP laptop I could access all my files in windows.

I didn't have alot of time (late for an appointment) so, under hurried conditions I copied the extracted ISO file of Ubuntu 11.10 to my thumb drive

I was able to install it succsessfully on my laptop at home.

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After 2 days of trying LITERALY EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN to mount and access the data on my external drive I thought that maybe the issue was that my current OS was 32 bit and the files on the drive were saved under a 64bit OS, so I installed Zorrin on my laptop and wiped ubuntu and the dozen or so data recover, nfts readers, and dos-win file exploring softwares that zi tried and didnt work.

I really like Zorrin OS by the way.

I tried to do download an ISO of the win 7 install disk and extract to my thumb drive. I then tried to boot off it.....NO AVAIL.

so here I am......

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When I boot off the external drive It skips the option to select either ubuntu or win 7 and goes straight to the option of "start windows normally" or "Launch start-up repair" If I pick the first one the win7 splash will come up, and I get kicked back to the HP logo (post screen?). If I select "Launch Start-up Repair" It will tell me to insert Windows start up disk and depending which of the 2 keys I press, drop me back to the start win normally screen, or go back to post.



Tried every file recovery software, ntfs viewer, dos exec program that I could find. LITERALY A DOZEN different methods. (Event repair utilities in my bios)



Any advice is greatly appricieated


Thanks!

Hi,

sounds to me like you just need to install any OS (Linux/Windows) to access your files via mounting the drive they are on to an installed OS. You said that you could access the files at your firends house so you should just copy them to another hard drive or USB stick!!.

Regards Wolfman

Yeah, when my friend gets back into town I'll probably use his computer again to transfer files to a couple usb sticks. It just seems like there should be a way to do this, I'm supprised it's not a more common way to try to migrate data when switching OS


HP dv4 is a pavillion series laptop that continually crashed in win7 like every 2-3 months. ( I've had it two years and had to re-install windows 7 or 8 times.) Every one I've come accross with a pavillion dv series laptop has also had lots of issues. My laptop also had problems going in and out of standby and hibernation, and the c: drive would sit idle for 120+ seconds once the boot cycle hit the windows splash screen. My dvd rom also quit working about 6 months ago.

Once I installed Linux, all of these issues seem fixed. My dvd drive even works now.

I did not recieve any repair disks with my laptop. There was always a way to restore factory settings from the hp logo by pressing F11. After my initial failed attempt to install linux, this option no longer was available. It would go from the HP logo to a blank screen with a blinking curser, pressing f 11 would just get you there faster. Now adays pressing f11 on start-up takes me to Zorrin's start up repair. As far as I know there is no way to get windows back on my laptop without buying a disk.

When I had windows, and cloned my drive, it was windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. I'm not sure, but I think my friends laptop (which was able to veiw the files on the external drive) was an older 32 bit with windows XP.

I am running 64 bit Zorrin OS now.

I was able to take out my internal hard drive and boot a live version of ubuntu with my external drive attached. I think that I would be able to install ubuntu, but I'm scared to partition the drive manually because I screwed it up last time and crippled the internal drive.

I think I might try it to see if it will dual install automatically without having to partiion the drive myself.......