HD Failure - Need Repair Help

[StarTAC]

hi guys..

my hard drive failed yesterday, and it's got over 10,000 MP3s that am meant to play tomorrow at someone's wedding [he's paid me already]...

the wedding starts in the evening, i have a replacement disk already.. the disk has mechanical failure.. i think the heads have come into contact with the platter..

is there anyway i could open it up and recover the data..?.. i don't have time to send it to a specialist, as am in another part of the world and such skills aren't available here..

if anyone has done a DYI on this, please help...

all help appreciated..

 

[edfair]

Somewhere between slip and none. Better off downloading replacements.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[PeterGriff]

It sounds like the hard drive has the "death rattle". Time is your biggest enemy here.

Usually I would take out the hard drive and let it rest for 24 hours (some people suggest freezing it in an air-tight container. This was originally to solve a different problem that modern drives dont suffer from, but actually it probably helps in keeping the operating temperature down for a while). Set up your new drive in this time. Then plug the old hard drive back in on the second cable and get off what you can (if it isnt detected by BIOS you are probably out of luck.


NB. Every time I have been impatient and fired it up after say 2 -3 hours I get only a short windows of opportunity. Longer is better!
Also, dont try pulling it apart - you need an IDENTICAL working drive to transplant into, and better gear/tools than what is needed for the usual PC repairs.

Peter G

 

[StarTAC]

well, i put it under my AC for a whole night and one morning.. nothing seemed to work..

is it possible that if i got the right casing, with a working arm and all, and simply moved the disks out of the faulty casing and put them in the new one, it could work..?.. coz i think the problem is with the mechanics, and not the actual disks themselves..

all help appreciated..

 

[edfair]

Slimmer than none. Head tracking front to back is different on every set of heads. And if you mess with it you probably will loase everything, forever.

As it is, you might find a recovery service that can get it back.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.