Thread: If you have a dead HD what do you do?

Say you've got all your eggs in one basket (basket being HD and eggs being data) how do you go about recovering it?

My usual order is - BIOS re-order - 2nd OS boot partition - 2nd HD swap - Knoppix boot and if desperate HD in Tupperware and into the freezer....

Any other ideas?

I'm not sure what OS you use but when crap hit the fan for me on my XP computer I tried this and it worked like a charm. Follow instructions here ... Your Dead Computer

Depends on the type of failure. If the platter's cracked, your screwed. If the needle is broken you can pay alot of money to have em take the platter out and get the data.

If it's just a logical failure, boot onto another OS, preferrably linux live, and drag your important files into an external HDD. Then, reformat using Hitachi Drive Fitness Test.

My hard drive started making funny noises, so I gave it a tap on the sie. After a bit it started smoking.. Best bet is to buy a new HDD and a decent one, and not put all your eggs in one basket. I usually have my operating system on one drive and my data on another, so I can easily reformat if i need to. (Or on seperate partitions). Hard drive recovery is just too expensive and not worth the hassle. If you've got stuff thats worth a lot to you, just back it up.

Originally Posted by desertsounds

and if desperate HD in Tupperware and into the freezer...

Whaaaaaa!? If this works I want to know why :laugh:

Last time I had a fail I ordered an exact replica of the PCB connection board my HD had and replaced the old one.
I got one of ebay not cheap and I was very lucky it worked. Just my connections were acting up.

Yes freezing can actually help. You can usually get about 10 - 20 more minutes out of your hard drive, perhaps enough time to backup some of the important stuff. Its got something to do with the cold shrinknig wires which have become detached, and causing them to reconnect. After a while they heat up and expand again, and it stops working. I've also heard it just gives you more time before the HDD overheats.. I think the 1st one is the actual reason.
I didnt bother with mine.. after it started smoking.. But if you really need some data back.. and dont wanna pay a billion dollars its worth a shot. Freezing is only for hard drives that wont initially spin up. If the hard drive is already spinning, then the freezing trick will not work. Usually if a clicking sound can be heard, it pays to give the HDD a light tap with a rubber mallet, while its running. Do so at your own risk.
Note - A heavy tap will cause your HDD to experience a phenomenon known as internal combustion, and its soul will be expelled to the 5th dimensionj.

Originally Posted by rascuache

Yes freezing can actually help.

I am one of those people that will try any tricks to make a hard drive work. I have so many that I eventually get some that fail. I have to say the freezing method only worked on one in the past (of course you can't just put it in the freezer just like that, you need to put it in a anti static bag and seal it as much as you can). I quickly plugged it in via external so that I could retrieve it's content on the fly, and I did, was fantastic.

Another trick I heard of was the mattress trick, you need a fairly soft mattress so that small weights bounce back up. You drop the drive about 20 cm from the mattress and catch it on its way up. Like I said you need to be the judge there with what mattress you would need for your type of drive, I did it on a Seagate (that one was clicking and not being picked up by the bios) I pretty much had nothing to lose so I tried it. After that plugged it in, spins up - no clicks - bios finds it - accessed it copied data off it - unplugged it now it's being used for target practice LOL. Even if they work again I don't trust those drives that failed, neither should you.

Now remember guys, I'm not advising you to try this. It's @ your own risk (and maybe frustration, I know I was frustrated and I pretty much would have thrown that drive into orbit). My final point is, I might just have been lucky. I have RMA many drives and for those that have the patience/spare drive should do the same. You tend to get a new drive back, sometimes with a new firmware etc... I know I did (1month later)
Mero

A copy of spinrite can help with drives. Its a bit spendy but it is really a good hard drive diagnostic tool. **Home of Gibson Research Corporation**

I had not heard the freezer trick before, if I ever get to that point I'll have to keep that in mind.