Microsoft Reserved HDD mounting problem on OSX

[thgil]

Hey everyone, I would really use some help!! I know this might seem like a common question, but upon hours of search I cannot find a solution.

 

A few things beforehand:

1) I just installed windows 7 via bootcamp

2) I have a Seagate goflex desk 1TB that I use to store files on OSX and use it as a time machine with no problem. It has two partitions.

3) I have a 2.1 intel duo core macbook

 

So I used my seagate HDD to store some big files that I wanted to transfer to windows 7. When I plugged the HDD in, the device was recognized by windows, but I would not access it in any way. So I went to "administrative tools" -> "disk management" to see what's going on. The HDD was there, but the contents were under one big unpartitioned block. For some reason decided to right click "format to MBR" or "GPT", not sure which one. The HDD still couldn't be accessed. But when I went back to OSX, the HDD couldn't be mounted at all. Plus the name of partition became "disk1s1". When I go back to try "format to _____" (whichever one I didn't do first), it still doesn't work on OSX or windows 7. So now I basically have a 1TB HDD full of photos that can't be accessed through windows 7 or OSX....

 

Someone please help!!!

Thanks a lot!

[Freaky Chokra]

Hey everyone, I would really use some help!! I know this might seem like a common question, but upon hours of search I cannot find a solution.

 

A few things beforehand:

1) I just installed windows 7 via bootcamp

2) I have a Seagate goflex desk 1TB that I use to store files on OSX and use it as a time machine with no problem. It has two partitions.

3) I have a 2.1 intel duo core macbook

 

So I used my seagate HDD to store some big files that I wanted to transfer to windows 7. When I plugged the HDD in, the device was recognized by windows, but I would not access it in any way. So I went to "administrative tools" -> "disk management" to see what's going on. The HDD was there, but the contents were under one big unpartitioned block. For some reason decided to right click "format to MBR" or "GPT", not sure which one. The HDD still couldn't be accessed. But when I went back to OSX, the HDD couldn't be mounted at all. Plus the name of partition became "disk1s1". When I go back to try "format to _____" (whichever one I didn't do first), it still doesn't work on OSX or windows 7. So now I basically have a 1TB HDD full of photos that can't be accessed through windows 7 or OSX....

 

Someone please help!!!

Thanks a lot!

 

Hi thgil.

 

Before I proceed with a detailed answer, I would like you brace yourself.

 

you have potentially destroyed whatever data you had stored on that drive.

This also means all the partitions on it. Whether it was a 1TB single partition or 4 partitions of 250GB in size or 2 partitions of 500Gb in size.

 

Now why it can be so!!! Here:

 

Becoz, if I am not wrong to understand that when you first plugged in the HDD into Mac OS X, you used Disk Utility to partition the blank HDD.

 

Now, all the partitions are; sorry, "were"; formatted as HFS+ Journaled file system.

 

I, rather nobody, would blame you as I think you did not know.

Windows can NOT read HFS+ type file systems. Such partitions are displayed as blank partitions or "unknown" type partitions.

 

Now, as you went to "Windows 7", and could not see the partitions, you formatted as whatever MBR/GPT.

That don't matter! All the partition type/size/location data from the main records is completely wiped out!

 

What i suggest you to do is, immediately get yourself a copy of Data Rescue 3.

Buy, Beg, Borrow, or Steal!

 

But, get it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!

 

Run it and select to recover full drive. But, before doing so, get yourself another a completely empty 1TB drive. Borrow from a friend or buy a new one. Any how! I suggest buy a new one, as you can use it sometime later too!

 

Then, in Data Rescue 3, select this new drive with a single 1TB partition to recover data to.

 

That's it. AFAIK, Mac HFS+ partitions are much better than NTFS. I have lost 4 times that much data in bits and pieces whenever I've tried something new on my Hackintosh. So I know how things work..

 

I wish you the very best.

Have patience and give all the best of your time. And, I hope if not all, maximum of your data is recovered.

 

As a last note, if you do wish to format the partitions in HFS+ and access them in Windows, get MediaFour MacDrive.

It is a HFS+ file system driver for Windows.

 

Alternatively, after you are done recovering your files, you can partition the drive in GPT, and NTFS file system.

Then boot to Mac. Install Tuxera NTFS file system driver. This will allow you to read AND write to NTFS file systems.

And, even format new partitions as NTFS file system type in DIsk Utility.

 

Or, you can do both!

 

 

Regards,

 

Freaky Chokra