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Posted: 9/9/2014 4:44:22 PM EDT
I could really use some help with a hard drive problem. My brother's pc just stopped working all of a sudden and I have it narrowed down to a HDD issue. On bootup the pc continually asks for a bootable device.
So I try using the windows repair disk and it couldn't do anything to it. Then I went in and physically pulled out the HDD and hooked it up (SATA BTW) in another pc to see if it was readable. Using the windows disk management thing, it pulls it up as disk 1 but when I try to initialize it, it gives "data error (cyclic redundancy check)". I have tried this drive on 3 different PCs and they all give the same error. Since I cannot assign it a drive letter, I can't run chkdsk. I have tried several different programs to see if they could do something with it to no avail. (Recuva, Partition Wizard, Spinrite, and WD's diagnostic tool). My brother needs the stuff off the drive or I would have attempted to wipe the drive and start over. I am out of ideas. I know that there are people much more knowledgeable on this stuff than I am on here. If anyone has any ideas or anything that could get this data off the drive, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. |
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Windows has a drive management program that assign drive letters or changes them. Just click your start button and type "disc management" and it will find it.
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Do you have access to a Linux machine? If so hook it up as a slave device and mount it. If not, you could download a bootable Linux distribution like Knoppix and try to mount it.
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Windows has a drive management program that assign drive letters or changes them. Just click your start button and type "disc management" and it will find it. View Quote I know. That is where I get the error. The HDD won't initialize and it gives that error "data error (cyclic redundancy check)". |
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Do you have access to a Linux machine? If so hook it up as a slave device and mount it. If not, you could download a bootable Linux distribution like Knoppix and try to mount it. View Quote I have no practical experience with Linux. I put Ubuntu on a system once a played around a bit but it's been years ago. I wouldn't even know where to begin with doing that. |
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I dont know shit about linux but that sounds overly complicated. OP have you tried any data recovery freeware? I had an external go down a few years back and I just used some random freeware it got me about 70% if the info that was on the drive. I did have to buy a new one though in the end.
Maybe tell the owner of the harddrive int he future to keep redundant copies of important things on an external harddrive. A quick google search yielded this http://lifehacker.com/5237503/five-best-free-data-recovery-tools |
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Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts.
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I dont know shit about linux but that sounds overly complicated. OP have you tried any data recovery freeware? I had an external go down a few years back and I just used some random freeware it got me about 70% if the info that was on the drive. I did have to buy a new one though in the end. Maybe tell the owner of the harddrive int he future to keep redundant copies of important things on an external harddrive. A quick google search yielded this http://lifehacker.com/5237503/five-best-free-data-recovery-tools View Quote Thanks for the link. I don't think I would have much trouble getting the data off if I could actually access the drive. I made that point to my brother about backups but it's too late now. |
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Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. View Quote Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. |
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I have no practical experience with Linux. I put Ubuntu on a system once a played around a bit but it's been years ago. I wouldn't even know where to begin with doing that. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Do you have access to a Linux machine? If so hook it up as a slave device and mount it. If not, you could download a bootable Linux distribution like Knoppix and try to mount it. I have no practical experience with Linux. I put Ubuntu on a system once a played around a bit but it's been years ago. I wouldn't even know where to begin with doing that. I could guide you through it if you download Knoppix onto a USB drive or burn it to a CD. We could at least determine whether the drive is still accessible. |
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Quoted: Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. |
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Quoted: Trust me on this, you are experiencing a mechanical failure. If you cant get a machine to read a drive without I/O errors or the drive is not mountable then its done, unless you want to send it off for advanced recovery procedures. Mechanical failures do happen from normal use, just like an engine in a car will eventually fail no matter how well you take care of it, mechanical life of devices is finite. It doesn't take abuse to ruin one. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. Ask bro how much he wants to spend to get the data back. 100? 500? 1000? I have had a lot of luck with a place called Gillware (https://gillware.com/) They built a drive array with a database on it for us, for a couple of grand (three or four). A single drive might be a lot cheaper. But, STOP FUCKING WITH IT. Until you decide on a price. Next time, buy two drives, and back the shit up. "Sitting in the PC" means it was used? or not? Sitting drives die just as fast as used ones do. Only they die of different stuff. Back up, rotate, backup and backup more. If the answer is "I don't want to pay anything for it" then give the drive a solid whack with your hand on all six dimentions and put it back in the external case and see what happens. Sometimes, that works. But do this ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE A DRIVE WITH SPACE TO PUT THE DATA ON. Often they only run once after the whack treatment. |
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Yup. Stop fucking with it. Ask bro how much he wants to spend to get the data back. 100? 500? 1000? I have had a lot of luck with a place called Gillware (https://gillware.com/) They built a drive array with a database on it for us, for a couple of grand (three or four). A single drive might be a lot cheaper. But, STOP FUCKING WITH IT. Until you decide on a price. Next time, buy two drives, and back the shit up. "Sitting in the PC" means it was used? or not? Sitting drives die just as fast as used ones do. Only they die of different stuff. Back up, rotate, backup and backup more. If the answer is "I don't want to pay anything for it" then give the drive a solid whack with your hand on all six dimentions and put it back in the external case and see what happens. Sometimes, that works. But do this ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE A DRIVE WITH SPACE TO PUT THE DATA ON. Often they only run once after the whack treatment. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. Ask bro how much he wants to spend to get the data back. 100? 500? 1000? I have had a lot of luck with a place called Gillware (https://gillware.com/) They built a drive array with a database on it for us, for a couple of grand (three or four). A single drive might be a lot cheaper. But, STOP FUCKING WITH IT. Until you decide on a price. Next time, buy two drives, and back the shit up. "Sitting in the PC" means it was used? or not? Sitting drives die just as fast as used ones do. Only they die of different stuff. Back up, rotate, backup and backup more. If the answer is "I don't want to pay anything for it" then give the drive a solid whack with your hand on all six dimentions and put it back in the external case and see what happens. Sometimes, that works. But do this ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE A DRIVE WITH SPACE TO PUT THE DATA ON. Often they only run once after the whack treatment. It was used daily until about 2 or 3 years ago when he got a laptop. I still don't know why he didn't make backups if his data was important to him. I will try just whacking the thing like you said and I'm calling it done if it still won't work. I really doubt he would want to spend $500-1000 for someone to recover it. This thing has been a huge PITA. I truly appreciate the help. |
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If you haven't played whack-a-mole with the drive yet, don't!
When you say the drive sounds a bit off, what do you mean? Clicking noises, something else? When you've decided to call it quits, wrap the drive up in bubble wrap, put it in a box, and PM me for an address. I've managed to pull some minor miracles out of my ass with failing hard drives before, and I'm willing to take a crack at the one you've got. I'll even pay shipping both ways for the opportunity of a good challenge. I have a dominant stubborn gene, and he's in the mood to play. |
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If you haven't played whack-a-mole with the drive yet, don't! When you say the drive sounds a bit off, what do you mean? Clicking noises, something else? When you've decided to call it quits, wrap the drive up in bubble wrap, put it in a box, and PM me for an address. I've managed to pull some minor miracles out of my ass with failing hard drives before, and I'm willing to take a crack at the one you've got. I'll even pay shipping both ways for the opportunity of a good challenge. I have a dominant stubborn gene, and he's in the mood to play. View Quote It is difficult to put sound into words adequately. It isn't really clicking. I have heard a clicking drive and this isn't it. It sounds almost like something is stuck. The discs sound like a motor revving for a couple of seconds and the arm sounds like it is making a ratcheting noise as it moves, for lack of a better analogy. The drive is making the normal spinup sound all hard drives make. It is after it spins up and something tries to access it that it makes weird noises. |
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Does it sound like this, or this? When you ran it through Spinrite, what did you get for error messages? View Quote It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. |
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I am thinking about taking it apart and tinkering with it once I have exhausted all other options.
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On a newer motherboard you may need to change the BIOS to use IDE mode for Spinrite.
https://www.grc.com/sr/kb/sata.htm |
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On a newer motherboard you may need to change the BIOS to use IDE mode for Spinrite. https://www.grc.com/sr/kb/sata.htm View Quote Thanks. I tried that and it didn't do anything different. |
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It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. |
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Quoted: Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick |
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SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick I'm thinking that the drive is just totally unreadable. No matter what I try, I cannot access it. Whether it is the controller or what, I have no idea. |
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Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick |
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Quoted: Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? View Quote Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick |
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Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. That could be an option. It looks like the strip that connects the controller to the drive is soldered on. Why does messing with platters require a clean room? In my mind, if I got another drive of the exact same make, model, and size, I could just swap out the platters and go. It probably isn't that simple though. |
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Quoted: That could be an option. It looks like the strip that connects the controller to the drive is soldered on. Why does messing with platters require a clean room? In my mind, if I got another drive of the exact same make, model, and size, I could just swap out the platters and go. It probably isn't that simple though. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. That could be an option. It looks like the strip that connects the controller to the drive is soldered on. Why does messing with platters require a clean room? In my mind, if I got another drive of the exact same make, model, and size, I could just swap out the platters and go. It probably isn't that simple though. |
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Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. Things break. Things with tiny moving parts that are designed to be as cheap as possible break more often. |
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Quoted: Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick This part: It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years leads me to believe it's not a newer drive. I get a distinct impression of 40 GB DeathStar drive... Nick |
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Quoted: SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick It may have ripped up the platters when it went. Or it could be the mechanical arm isn't going anywhere and the data is fine because the arm never got to to the platters after it went bad.
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If it sounds different, it's probably mechanical. It may have ripped up the platters when it went. Or it could be the mechanical arm isn't going anywhere and the data is fine because the arm never got to to the platters after it went bad. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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It doesn't sound like either of those. I will have to get back with you tomorrow about the error message spinrite gave. I know it gave one but I don't remember exactly what it said. I will have to rerun it. Also there is another thing. When I plug the drive directly to the board, the BIOS or OS won't recognize it. But if I plug it in with a USB adapter, it recognizes a drive but it gives that error. Ok so I reran spinrite and it only recognizes the drive as empty. When I tried to do the repair, it gave an error saying it couldn't do anything to it and that it was important spinrite not be ran on this system and abort immediately. SWounds to me like the controller on the drive is hosed. Empty means it is having issues reading the catalog. Nick It may have ripped up the platters when it went. Or it could be the mechanical arm isn't going anywhere and the data is fine because the arm never got to to the platters after it went bad. This is the closest description of what it sounds like is happening. It's like it's trying but can't and the platters just spin back down after the error and it's trying 3 or 4 times before it gives up. |
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The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. This part: It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years leads me to believe it's not a newer drive. I get a distinct impression of 40 GB DeathStar drive... Nick View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. This part: It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years leads me to believe it's not a newer drive. I get a distinct impression of 40 GB DeathStar drive... Nick It's a WD Caviar 320Gb SATA. It was new in '09 or '10 I think. It hasn't been sitting solid in those years either. It was used maybe a dozen times in those years, i.e. turn on, burn a CD, turn off. |
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A single speck of dust or a finger print will cause the head to drag on the platter. If you open the drive, you are basically assuring that the data is not recoverable by any inexpensive means. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Weird question-do you have a duplicate (exact-same make, model, and size)? Longshot, but if you have another exactly the same, you can swap the controller board-if the boards is bad, that would resurrect it so can pull the data off. The data is not gone either way-just depends on how bad you want it. There are services that will disassemble the drive (clean room operation only!), and read the data directly off of the platter(s). Nick On most modern drives the board is linked with internal components, ie if they don't match a serial number they wont work together. The days of swapping boards are over unfortunately. That could be an option. It looks like the strip that connects the controller to the drive is soldered on. Why does messing with platters require a clean room? In my mind, if I got another drive of the exact same make, model, and size, I could just swap out the platters and go. It probably isn't that simple though. Ok I won't be doing that then. |
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Update: I just spoke with my brother and apparently he really wants that data off the drive, so I will need to send it to someone who can take it apart and get the data straight off the platters. Anyone have suggestions on who could do this?
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Quoted: Trust me on this, you are experiencing a mechanical failure. If you cant get a machine to read a drive without I/O errors or the drive is not mountable then its done, unless you want to send it off for advanced recovery procedures. Mechanical failures do happen from normal use, just like an engine in a car will eventually fail no matter how well you take care of it, mechanical life of devices is finite. It doesn't take abuse to ruin one. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. |
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Op, sorry to say but it sounds like you have a physical problem with the drive. Getting data off of it is akin to getting a blown motor in a car to start up and drive. You are probably going to need to send the drive off to a data recovery specialist that has a clean room, can remove the platters and get the data off. That being said these services are expensive, usually several thousands of dollars. The tolerances in these drives are too tight and precise for the everyday joblow to try a physical repair themselves, even if you could find the parts. Holy crap! I doubt the data is that important to him. I wonder how it could be a physical problem though. It hasn't been dropped or anything. It's just been sitting in a PC for the last few years. The drive does sound a bit off though. Yep, ALL hard drives will fail. This is the importance of data backups! |
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Quoted: Update: I just spoke with my brother and apparently he really wants that data off the drive, so I will need to send it to someone who can take it apart and get the data straight off the platters. Anyone have suggestions on who could do this? View Quote |
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I have had great luck with using Disk Copy 2.3 (it's free!) for recovering hard drives that come up as unbootable and/or can not be seen in Windows. All you need is another hard drive to transfer the data to and an extra computer or USB external cabling. If the drive can spin up (and even if it's making funny sounds), you might have a serious chance of recovery. The software makes a one to one copy of the drive (just make sure the destination drive is the same size or larger).
This software has proven very reliable and successful for me over the years so I suggest you give it a shot before sending it off to a company for platter removal. |
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Quoted: I have had great luck with using Disk Copy 2.3 (it's free!) for recovering hard drives that come up as unbootable and/or can not be seen in Windows. All you need is another hard drive to transfer the data to and an extra computer or USB external cabling. If the drive can spin up (and even if it's making funny sounds), you might have a serious chance of recovery. The software makes a one to one copy of the drive (just make sure the destination drive is the same size or larger). This software has proven very reliable and successful for me over the years so I suggest you give it a shot before sending it off to a company for platter removal. View Quote |
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No idea. Does your brother have a lot of money to spare? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Update: I just spoke with my brother and apparently he really wants that data off the drive, so I will need to send it to someone who can take it apart and get the data straight off the platters. Anyone have suggestions on who could do this? Apparently |
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How will this work if the computer you are using cant even see the drive via BIOS? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
I have had great luck with using Disk Copy 2.3 (it's free!) for recovering hard drives that come up as unbootable and/or can not be seen in Windows. All you need is another hard drive to transfer the data to and an extra computer or USB external cabling. If the drive can spin up (and even if it's making funny sounds), you might have a serious chance of recovery. The software makes a one to one copy of the drive (just make sure the destination drive is the same size or larger). This software has proven very reliable and successful for me over the years so I suggest you give it a shot before sending it off to a company for platter removal. I'm not sure how it would work either. I might try it if I have time. Thanks for the suggestion Cage. |
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