Broken Hard Disk

  • Thread starter Thread starter TS
  • Start date Start date
T

TS

Hi,

I hope that someone can help.

I have a hard disk (20GB) that has stopped working. I dont think it even
spins up and it is not recognised when booting. fdisk does not seem to
recognise it either. I have tried it in more than one PC using different
ide cables.

Is there anything I can try to allow me to salvage the data? Now here is a
lesson in backing up our data!

Thanks
 
TS said:
Hi,

I hope that someone can help.

I have a hard disk (20GB) that has stopped working. I dont think it even
spins up and it is not recognised when booting. fdisk does not seem to
recognise it either. I have tried it in more than one PC using different
ide cables.

Is there anything I can try to allow me to salvage the data? Now here is a
lesson in backing up our data!
Click to expand...

No doubt.

There are data forensics people who (for a price) can get in there and
retrieve your information.

Keep in mind their pricing is set with a mind toward businesses who
can clearly justify hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars
recovering such data that's irreplaceable and has a tangible hard
dollar value.

There's also software where you can do this yourself, but it's priced
painfully as well.

Best Regards,
 
Todd H. said:
No doubt.

There are data forensics people who (for a price) can get in there and
retrieve your information.

Keep in mind their pricing is set with a mind toward businesses who
can clearly justify hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars
recovering such data that's irreplaceable and has a tangible hard
dollar value.

There's also software where you can do this yourself, but it's priced
painfully as well.
Click to expand...


Somehow I doubt software will help if the hardware has completely failed.
First thing to do is to get the drive functioning so the system can
recognize it. Then, if still necessary, software can be used to recover as
much data as possible.

If the same model, functioning drive can be found the drive controller PCB
can sometimes be changed to restore the drive to enough functionality to
recover most if not all of its data.

Good luck.


--
callsignviper


The truth is out there. You just have to look in the right places and ask
the right questions.
 
TS said:
Hi,

I hope that someone can help.

I have a hard disk (20GB) that has stopped working. I dont think it even
spins up and it is not recognised when booting. fdisk does not seem to
recognise it either. I have tried it in more than one PC using different
ide cables.

Is there anything I can try to allow me to salvage the data? Now here is a
lesson in backing up our data!

Thanks
Click to expand...
In PCWORLD (June 2003) they suggested using Ontrack's Data Recovery
Center(www.ontrack.com) this cost then over $100.

two other last-gasp suggestions they had where
1.)Place the disk in a ziploc freezer bag and pop it into the freezer
for an hour. Cooling the disk can subtly change geometry of the head
and platters, enabling the drive to pick up data for a brief period of
time. Just have a new harddrive installed and some mirroring software
like Norton Ghost ready to go to make a one-shot transfer of the old
disk's contents.

2.)If the above does not work, with slim hope this might. Remove the
cover of the harddrive with a Torx driver, then give the drive heads a
gentle tap. Hook the drive to your system with the cover off and see
if you can access the drive.

hope this helps
 
TS said:
Hi,

I hope that someone can help.

I have a hard disk (20GB) that has stopped working. I dont think it even
spins up and it is not recognised when booting. fdisk does not seem to
recognise it either. I have tried it in more than one PC using different
ide cables.

Is there anything I can try to allow me to salvage the data? Now here is a
lesson in backing up our data!

Thanks
Click to expand...

here is a site has articles on recovering data
http://www.howtorecoverdata.com/ including better instuctions on the
freezer bag trick.
 
jamotto said:
"TS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
In PCWORLD (June 2003) they suggested using Ontrack's Data Recovery
Center(www.ontrack.com) this cost then over $100.


2.)If the above does not work, with slim hope this might. Remove the
cover of the harddrive with a Torx driver, then give the drive heads a
gentle tap. Hook the drive to your system with the cover off and see
if you can access the drive.
Click to expand...

Opening the drive cover and exposing the heads/disks to the usually dusty
(can't be totally eliminated without a clean room) conditions inside a home
is probably the worst thing that could ever be done to a hard drive that has
any hope of data recovery. The heads in modern hard drives ride on an
incredibly thin cushion of air over the disks. Any dust that might get
caught between a head and a disk may easily destroy any reasonable, at home,
data recovery attempt and possibly even at companies with clean rooms
designed for hard drive disassembly and data recovery.

Chapter 10 of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 13TH Edition, has a very good
description of modern hard drive design and operation.



--
callsignviper


The truth is out there. You just have to look in the right places and ask
the right questions.
 
callsignviper said:
Opening the drive cover and exposing the heads/disks to the usually dusty
(can't be totally eliminated without a clean room) conditions inside a home
is probably the worst thing that could ever be done to a hard drive that has
any hope of data recovery. The heads in modern hard drives ride on an
incredibly thin cushion of air over the disks. Any dust that might get
caught between a head and a disk may easily destroy any reasonable, at home,
data recovery attempt and possibly even at companies with clean rooms
designed for hard drive disassembly and data recovery.

Chapter 10 of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 13TH Edition, has a very good
description of modern hard drive design and operation.
Click to expand...

mmm, should have worded the suggestion differently thanks for pointing
this out.

Use the above option ONLY if
A.)all other options have been exhausted. "VERY IMPORTANT"
B.)You intend to not use the drive after this action is performed
(read it's going in the trash if it does not work or if it does work)
C.)If you have ANY uncertainties refer back to option "A"
 
mmm, should have worded the suggestion differently thanks for pointing
this out.

Use the above option ONLY if
A.)all other options have been exhausted. "VERY IMPORTANT"
B.)You intend to not use the drive after this action is performed
(read it's going in the trash if it does not work or if it does work)
C.)If you have ANY uncertainties refer back to option "A"
Click to expand...

With a modern drive it might be more common for the bearing to seize
rather than the head getting stuck. In such cases it might be of
benefit to carefully build a homemade "comb", a device to separate the
heads from the platter and keep them above the platter while manually
grasping the edge or center of the platter(s) and trying to free them,
get them rotating again. IF they were stuck and are easily freed, it
might then be best to retry placing the drive in the freezer and
accessing it. I would not try leaving the cover off the drive while
hooking it up, nor any amount of time longer than absolutely
necessary. I suggest removing (and returning) the drive cover while
wearing unpowdered latex gloves and inside a large freezer bag.
 
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