Promise controller issue

After about twenty years, I felt ZAR can no longer be updated to match the modern requirements, and I decided to retire it.

ZAR is replaced by Klennet Recovery, my new general-purpose DIY data recovery software.

If you are looking specifically for recovery of image files (like JPEG, CR2, and NEF), take a look at Klennet Carver, a separate video and photo recovery software.

A power supply failure killed my cpu as I started the computer. I put the hard drive in another motherboard and it starts, but gives me the screen that Windows XP failed to start, try SAFE MODE. If I try Safe Mode it displays a series of file names and then stops. I assume the drive is still functioning. File system is NTFS. WinXP Pro.

Before this I tried to install the drive as a slave on my Promise card. The card recognizes the drive during bootup. "MY COMPUTER" sees the drive as Local Disk E, but when I click on it it says the drive is not formatted. PartitionMagic sees the drive as Disk 2, but the drive name is "*:" rather than "E:" . It correctly reports the size of the drive and the amount of used space. It also reports the drive type as NTFS.

Can ZAR work on this problem?

You do not need ZAR for this. If you cannot start in Safe Mode, you need to install the drive as slave to another working XP installation, as you have already tried. However, assuming that the original installation was NOT using the Promise card, you should try connecting the drive directly to the motherboard (i.e. without going through the Promise).

If the above still fails, attach the drive so that Partition Magic sees the drive (even as "*:"). Then refer to the unformat procedure. Should work pretty well in your case.