Partly dead hard disk - any ideas?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Llewellyn Smith
  • Start date Start date
R

Richard Llewellyn Smith

I've had a hard disk (a Fujitsu IDE, about 30GB) apparently partly die,
taking some important files with it. I was running Linux on it mainly but
it now fails to boot, hanging with lots of complaints about crc failures
and things.

I've tried accessing the disk from other Linux and Windows systems but
after reading the first few tens of MB on the partition (same point each
time I think) it physically fails (rhythmic mechanical noise, excessive
vibration). Freezing it doesn't help.

Although I'm pretty sure it's a physical problem, it seems quite localised
- I can even boot to a separate Windows partition on the disk.

So, any ideas on the following please?

1) Diagnosis?
2) Are there any tools I can use to look at different parts of the disk
(i.e., skip bad areas)? There are only a few small files I need off the
disk, the rest is backed up
3) Any other possible lines of attack?

Thanks
Richard
 
I'm not sure but I think I read somewhere that Drive Image has the ability
to copy a drive sector by sector and ignore sectors that contain errors.
That might get you past the crc and allow you to recover any data in good
sectors. I think I would stop all attempts to power up the drive until you
know what S/W to run on it. My last drive worked for about 20 mins from
start of failure to complete failure and I was lucky!
 
I've had a hard disk (a Fujitsu IDE, about 30GB)
apparently partly die, taking some important files with it.
Click to expand...

Wouldnt be an MPG* drive ? Those are dying like flys.
I was running Linux on it mainly but it now fails to boot,
hanging with lots of complaints about crc failures and things.
Click to expand...

The MPG failures are usually more black and white than that,
its completely dead and isnt even seen by the bios anymore.
I've tried accessing the disk from other Linux and Windows
systems but after reading the first few tens of MB on the
partition (same point each time I think) it physically fails
(rhythmic mechanical noise, excessive vibration).
Click to expand...

Thats the drive recalibrating when it cant get the data off the platters.
Freezing it doesn't help.
Click to expand...
Although I'm pretty sure it's a physical problem,
it seems quite localised - I can even boot
to a separate Windows partition on the disk.
Click to expand...

Yeah, looks like it with that particular detail of being able
to read part of the platters fine but failing in other areas.
Thats often a crack in the flexible connection to the heads.
So, any ideas on the following please?
Click to expand...
1) Diagnosis?
Click to expand...

Most likely a failed flexible connection to the heads.
2) Are there any tools I can use to look at different parts
of the disk (i.e., skip bad areas)? There are only a few
small files I need off the disk, the rest is backed up
Click to expand...

There are some utes around that will clone the drive
to another thats the same size or bigger and you can
then run recovery programs on the clone to get back
whats recoverable. Thats not the same thing as the usual
drive cloning programs. You want one thats specifically
designed to clone a drive with lots of bad sectors.
http://www.invircible.com/resq.php clonedisk
3) Any other possible lines of attack?
Click to expand...

You can use a professional recovery service,
but you likely wont like the price they charge.
 
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