Laptop HDD CRash! Help

[pkarbass]

Hi Everyone, my Thinkpad Hitachi HDD crashed and I have lost all my data! We have already run diagnostics on it and even the BIOS cannot detect the hdd. This is pretty common on such IBM hdd and I am so frustrated b/c I have lost about 3 yrs worth of data which my Palm had not backed up due to a low battery condition. I am trying to figure out if there is a inexpensive way to recover such files specially my Outlook .pst file. Someone told me to stick the hdd in the freezer for a couple of hours and put it back in the laptop and often times you can use it temporarily to back up your data before it crashes again...
I don't know....Please send me your suggestions... would I have any recourse against IBM or Hitachi b/c this is the 3rd time in a row that this hdd has failed in the past year and half? please respond asap.

Regards,
P

 

[SYAR2003]

If the data is that valuble to you,concider using a
professional datarecovery company before doing more damage to your drive .
Read about this one:

http://www.datarecovery.net/HDD_Recovery.asp

 

[mattjurado]

Could not agree with him more. I see all these postings around here to try this and try that, but if the data is valuable, don't mess with it, pay for recovery!

Although I will say its tough for your local shop to recover pst files, and you will have to pay big bucks to get back a pst from a dead drive (and you may get nothing back), professional recovery is the way to go.

My question is, this is the 3rd time the drive has given you problems, the first time should have been enough. You had a year and a half's worth of warnings, sorry to sound like I'm being mean, but it takes a bad experience like this for you to learn...

BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP!

If the data isn't worth money to you, then you can waste time sticking the drive in the freezer, taking it out and flicking it around to drive an get the disks to spin a little bit, but the end result is that it sounds like the drive is dead.

Matt J.

 

[etiger]

P,

hdd and freezers are a very, very bad combination!!!
If you still go for it, at least put the hdd in a sealed bag to prevent water/moister enter your hdd. Remember hdd are a very delicate piece of hardware... Also consider if you hook up the hdd right out of feezer condensation will start and can destroy the electronics on the pcb and inside the hdd (platers and heads...) Once your head assembly and platter are effected even professional guys have a hard time
I do agree with the previous guys: backup! (save many, save often) and go for professional help.
Visit the IBM site, maybe they have a clue,

suc7

 

[hughk]

the freezer doesnt work if the bios womt even recognize the hdd, it only works for internal disks that have jamed.
have you tryed slaving it onto a desktop with a hdd adaptor?

 

[etiger]

P,

if you power on the hdd and you place a screwdriver with the tipe on the hdd, don't touch the electronics!, and the other end on your ear, can you hear spinning the platters up and the movement of the arm? some little noise?

If so try to get the another pcb, the electronics board, and go for a swap. Check very carefully that both pcb are the same, version number, bios etc.
When removing the old pcb, be very gently and observe and make notes how everething is connected. Also keep esd in mind.
If all goes, backup quick!

(Yeb, this goes very technical)

 

[pkarbass]

Etiger:

Thanks for your thorough response. Please clarify a few things for me:

1)The HDD is inserted inside the laptop. I can put a screwdriver tip on one end but it'd be tough to put your ear to it, b/c there doesn't appear to be hardly any room left.

2)What is a pcb?...I can tell you that I have an identical good HDD that I can swap parts with the one which is the culprit!

3)What is ESD again? Is that the process of strapping the wrist with the band to make sure I would not destroy the components that are super-sensitive to electronic shocks from our body/touch..or whatever they are called...?

4)From what I have read, when a HDD is opened up they do all the work in a clean room to keep the invisible dust in the air to get on the platters! What is your thoughts on this? Also, there is a hexagonal screws on the hdd body...would I use a special-purpose screw driver to open up the drive?

5)I have to forget about retaining a warranty on the HDD, right since I would be opening up the seals which make the warranty null or void automatically?

Thanks again for your response.

Best,
P

 

[etiger]

Morning P,

1. take a bigger screw driver and put the tip somewhere on the hdd and listen carefully.

2.pcb stands for printed circuit board. It is the green colored electronics boards on one side of your hdd. You will also find the connector on it which connect your hdd to your laptop.
If you have an idententical hdd go for the swap! But remember to observe very carefully all rev. marks, jumpersettings, software etc. (take a picture a digital camera) from both boards. Be very carefull on the connectors and flexible (mostly orange colored) wires.
(This is the way I checked and repaired many hdd)

3. ESD stands for Electrostatic Static Discharge. Yeb you hook up with the wristwrap to prevent build up.
It is basically static electricty which can destroy electronics components. If you take of your sweater on a dry winter day, you will notice little sparks and sounds.
Check:

http://www.esdjournal.com/

4. Don't open the hdd outside a cleanroom or cleanbench.
2.5" hdd are opened inside a class 10 cleanroom (less then 10 particles per qubic foot).
Also there are no service parts you can repair.
If you have a hdd which don't use any more open it to take a look at the very delicate electronics and mechanics inside and the distance between the heads and platers. You can also see the hdd spinning up and see the movement of the arm. It will selfdestruct due to the dust particles in the air.
check:

http://www.particle.com/whitepapers_met/Cleanroom Standards.htm

http://www.hgst.com/hdd/research/storage/adt/index.html

5. for hexagonal screws on the hdd body just use a hexagonal sdrewdriver. (Get a bit box) If you don't want to use the screws you can use anything to unscrew.
It is possible that the hdd is sealed along the sides with tape. Yust observe.
Yes warrenty will be void, once you open the hdd.

check also:

http://www.hgst.com

(Hitachi global storage)

Let me know if you managed to get your data!

cu,

Etiger.

 

[MHadden]

Check out

http://www.runtime.org/

The free trial version will get back almost any data. Mine crashed after my 7 yr. old spilled a glass of water in it while it was on.
I opened the case, HDD, and all. nothing helped. I let it dry out for a week & tried again, still nothing. The bios on mine wouldn't recognize the HDD. I found out about this download from a web search. IT WORKS !!!

Make sure to download to another HDD, attach the damaged HDD (as a slave) then let it work it's magic.
I agree with the postings here, but think you should at least check this out.
- Michael
P.S. - Don't forget to BackUp next time, I do



MichaelHadden@yahoo.com
If you give someone a fish, you have given them a meal. If you teach someone to fish, you have given them MANY meals!

 

[SYAR2003]

You need to register with a serial number to
do the recovery .
Unregistered it find all files , but restoring/copying
is not possible.

So it's not free .

Fat/fat32 version 79$
ntfs version 69$

 

[MHadden]

If you open the file & "Save As" it's free.

I saved 137 files from a severely damaged HDD & paid nothing.
I won't argue with anyone, but I know what worked for me.

- M.

MichaelHadden@yahoo.com
If you give someone a fish, you have given them a meal. If you teach someone to fish, you have given them MANY meals!

 

[SYAR2003]

Well , can't find that on v 2.22

I guess you can use it like this:
(and my guess is thats how you did it)
open e.g a word.doc file from the right file window and it
will open with word ,and you can save it from word.

This will be okay to rescue documents one by one ,
but not all the program files and other type of files on a disk.

 

[MHadden]

True, that's the way I did it. VERY time consuming. Although I didn't run into any files I couldn't open / save, I am sure you're correct - some may be unavailable.

BTW - I didn't mean to sound harsh a minute ago, I'm just tired. I just realized what time it is. I think I'll turn in.

Either way, I think most will agree that it would be worth the price even if you do pay for it, or if you "cheat" like I did.

Have a good night!

- Michael

MichaelHadden@yahoo.com
If you give someone a fish, you have given them a meal. If you teach someone to fish, you have given them MANY meals!

 

[SYAR2003]

True , it's worth the $
No offence taken .