I might have to just purchase the recovery CD from Toshiba.
Unfortunately, I suspect this is the easiest, if not only, option.
Is there a way for me to salvage the files on my external drive?
On the Dell machine, please do the following ....
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Step 1
USBNoRisk
Please download
USBNoRisk to your Desktop and run it by double-clicking the program's icon
wait a couple of seconds for initial scan to be done
connect all of the USB storage devices to the PC, one at a time, and keep each one connected at least for 10 seconds
if there are more USB storage devices to scan, please take a note about the order in which these were connected
after all the devices are scanned, choose "Save log" option from right-click menu on Monitor tab. That will open the log in Notepad. Please copy/paste the log to forum
Explanation: USB storage devices are all the USB devices that get their own partition letter at connecting to the PC, e.g. flash drives (thumb/pen drives, USB sticks), external HDDs, MP3/MP4 players, digital cameras, memory cards (SD cards, Sony Memory Stick, MultiMedia Cards etc.), some mobile phones, some GPS navigation devices etc.
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Step 2
Make sure the your External drive is still connected.
You can use the following scan to either scan your entire machine, or just the external drive. Your choice.
Kaspersky Online Scanner .
Your Antivirus and/or Antispyware may give a warning during the scan. This is perfectly normal
NOTE:- This scan is best done from IE (Internet Explorer)
NOTE:-
Vista users should start IE by
Start(Vista Orb) >> Internet Explorer >> Right-Click Run As Admin
Go Here
http://www.kaspersky.com/kos/eng/partner/default/kavwebscan.html
Read the Requirements and limitations before you click Accept.
Once the database has downloaded, click
My Computer in the left pane
Now go and put the kettle on !
When the scan has completed, click Save Report As...
Enter a name for the file in the Filename: text box and then click the down arrow to the right of Save as type: and select text file (*.txt)
Click Save - by default the file will be saved to your Desktop, but you can change this if you wish.
**Note**
To optimize scanning time and produce a more sensible report for review:
- Close any open programs.
- Turn off the real-time scanner of all antivirus or antispyware programs while performing the online scan.
Note for Internet Explorer 7 users: If at any time you have trouble viewing the accept button of the license, click on the Zoom tool located at the bottom right of the IE window and set the zoom to 75%. Once the license is accepted, reset to 100%.
Post the Kaspersky log, and then we can see what is causing the problem.