Desperate Ideas to Recover Data on Damaged Drive 2

[Tiberiusfury]

Hello,
I've come to this site seeking ideas -any of them- to get data off of my old Maxtor SATA150 120gb drive.
I can provide a better description and technical numbers if anyone thinks they will help.

Over the months since my drive suddenly "stopped" working (if I remember correctly, it went kahpooh while I was using my computer, and would not boot), I have tried many ways of getting data off:

Freezer bag trick
Winhex (It refused to open the disk, claiming some I/O connection problem)
Assorted data backup programs (most crashed, froze, or gave error messages when I tried to access my damaged drive)

I have reason to believe that overheating is an issue for my hard drive, seeing as when I tried to boot my computer with my new 400gb SATA drive (onboard motherboard connection) with my damaged drive on my Adaptec SATA adapter, I would get a blue screen of death halfway through Windows loading, yet I froze the drive overnight in a freezer bag, and windows loaded fine (yet still would not recognize the drive). The same thing happens if I switch the drives (main on the Adaptec, damaged on the motherboard port)
*note* I have no problems loading Windows at all, when my damaged drive is not connected.

As far as the drive is concerned, there is no outward physical damage. The only thing I've noticed when listening to it (when picking it up, etc) is that there is a noise like something is loose inside.

Most of the files on the disk are old ISO's, mp3, movies etc, and I would be happy to get *any* of them off, regardless of method (excluding paying hundreds of dollars for professional work).

There is one option I've been holding back on, though.
I have a duplicate, same model and capacity, Maxtor drive that I bought earlier and is in good condition.
Is it possible that I can transfer the "disks" inside my damaged drive into my idle working drive?
I've been afraid to do this without serious help, as I've heard the working conditions of a hard drive are extremely precise.

Also, any information on programs (free or not) that specialize in recovering data from damaged drives, I would be happy to try.

Any other suggestions would be very appreciated,

Steven

P.S, there is one more detail I think I should add.
While booting my computer, the drive is recognized and identified by my SATA adapters.

 

[Tiberiusfury]

Update:
I've spent the past couple hours trying Spinrite from a bootable CD-rom.
From a freshly-frozen (in a freezer bag) hard drive, SpinRite managed to work to about 3% before slowing down to an infinitely-slow crawl, corresponding with my damaged hard drive feeling very hot.

I would estimate that, assuming a good (albeit, ghetto) setup of my hard drive surrounded by ice-packs, it would only be able to remain cool for an hour at most.

Which begs another question:
What kind of physical problem would cause a hard drive to overheat, repeatedly?

Still awaiting any responses

 

[wolluf]

could be friction - parts that aren't supposed to 'rub' are doing so.

There are many data recovery apps - as I'm sure you've found from Google. But you generally need to have windows running with the drive connected - and data recovery can take a while of course. I've used getdataback with considerable success. Might be worth trying - if you can get machine to boot with drive connected by freezing it again.

On the moving platters bit - I've never tried or been tempted to try it! Some other posters here have offered advice previously (searching this forum may find suggestions) - but I can't actually remember seeing an 'i did it' post.

 

[wahnula]

Is it possible that I can transfer the "disks" inside my damaged drive into my idle working drive?

The possibility of success is inversely proportional to the value of the data; i.e., if you were just conducting a fiddling-around adventure, it would probably work fine, if you have mission-critical data your failure is assured. This is a job for pros if the data is critical. A much easier thing to try would be to swap PCBs, which is easier and SHOULD not cause any data loss.

You have chosen the same app, Spinrite, that I would have recommended. The issue is it takes several hours, typically overnight, to correct the HDD's problems.

What kind of physical problem would cause a hard drive to overheat, repeatedly?

Bad bearings is the first thing to come to mind. Friction = heat.

Hard to say what I would do here (no preaching about backups today), it would depend upon the personal value of the data. If it's stuff you'd "like to have" and not stuff you "HAVE to have" then fiddle away. If it's critical, send it off or put it away for later (label it!) when you can afford pro disk recovery, which is getting cheaper every day.

My first step in the "fiddling" process would probably be to swap PCBs (if identical model & close in serial #) and see what happens. Next, I would run Spinrite overnight with as much cooling as I could arrange. Could destroy the drive and data, but could also possibly fix the drive long enough to get the data off. Only as a LAST RESORT would I attempt to tinker with the insides of the drive, then only in a clean room (like the kitchen) wearing latex gloves on a clean surface. Work slowly and carefully. If you don't know anlout a drive's innards dissect an old one to find out. Best of luck.

Tony

 

[Tiberiusfury]

@wahnula

What exactly does "PCB" stand for?
What are bearings, and how easy are they to replace?

Yes, I have taken an old hard drive apart before, but unfortunately did so without a book describing what parts I was seeing.

Is there some sort of Maxtor spec guide with descriptions of parts inside the hard drive?

Thanks for your previous answers.

 

[eyec]

PCB = Printed Circuit Board

 

[wahnula]

It's the board that sits on top of the drive and can be changed out easily. The bearings are located at the motor driven spindle and reduces friction between the moving parts and would be difficult to replace. Take a look here:

http://www.hackaday.com/2005/11/17/hard-drive-resurrection/

...and you will see this is no picnic...but can be done if you are PATIENT AND METHODICAL. Keep practicing..you never know...hard drive repair may be your calling!

Tony

 

[Tiberiusfury]

Thanks for the link;
I think I'll try that in a few days, after I've practiced on some cheap drives!