View Full Version : Hard Drive Failure and Data Recovery Services
The HD in the wife's computer failed last night. It just crapped out and isn't recognized by the PC any more. It won't spin up and when I go into the BIOS settings it looks like there isn't one installed.
I believe, the power connector on the disk failed and that the files are intact but I can't be 100% sure.
I was wondering if anyone has used a data recovery service in the past, one that will work with individuals, and what the success rate was. I'm pretty sure that if the plates were removed the files could be retreived but most places I know deal mostly with businesses.
Any ideas?
Robb Jensen
02-12-09, 06:45
When I worked for UPS one of the companies I delivered to everyday in Reston VA (Isaac Newton Square) was http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/
I believe their services start at $500 and go up from there.
Where are you located? I have used a small but very good business right here in Melbourne. If it can be recovered, they can do it.
They are ComputER. Here is a link to their website:
http://www.computer-south.com/Support.htm
Good luck.
Where are you located? I have used a small but very good business right here in Melbourne. If it can be recovered, they can do it.
They are ComputER. Here is a link to their website:
http://www.computer-south.com/Support.htm
Good luck.
I'm in VA but do you know what they charge for that type of stuff?
When I worked for UPS one of the companies I delivered to everyday in Reston VA (Isaac Newton Square) was http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/
I believe their services start at $500 and go up from there.
Thanks Got. I've heard of them but I thought they were geared more towards businesses.
Any ideas?
Buy her a Mac and a Time Capsule and never worry about HDD failure again. :cool:
In all seriousness, good luck with the data recovery. Having your HDD fail completely has to suck.
laptop or desktop? laptop failure is harder to correct.
start wit the basics. check your power connections, and check the cable connecting the hd to the mb. remove them and reseat them, and if you have the older drives, try using an alternate power connector (molex) from the powersupply; if you can't do that, try hooking the power line that had been feeding the hd, to a fan to verify that power is moving through the line. if these don't work, go to next phase.
if your hd crash was physical in nature (bad platters, corrupted boot sector, ect.) there is an outside chance that you can "skip" over the bad sector; this involves multiple attempts to boot up (power system up, get blue screen of death, power down. repeat). If you are lucky, the system will jump past the damaged section and allow you to boot up and run. If that happens, immediately back up everything and celebrate with a 12 pack. If you still can't get it working, one last effort is to remove your hd and put it in another system, allocating it as a "slave" unit. If your boot sector was corrupted and you lost some of the primary boot commands, having it function as a slave unit will bypass those sectors and you might be able to access it as a secondary drive.
if your crash was software related, you might be able to change the boot sequence in cmos and have it go to cd first, then try to reinstall the OS. but if your system still fails to recongnize your hd, this approach won't work. It's worth a try though. Good luck.
When I used to work for a large computer company, we recommended one and only one company: DriveSavers (www.drivesavers.com). They're not inexpensive though, so be prepared for that before you send the drive in.
I have also had success in the past with buying another identical drive, unscrewing the circuit board, and swapping it onto the dead drive. If it's acting like it's not getting power (no noise, vibration, etc) I would think about doing this. You just need a few Torx bits and a steady hand. The platters are in their own sealed chamber below the circuit board, so it's not like you need to worry about exposing them to the elements in the process. Good luck.
If you still can't get it working, one last effort is to remove your hd and put it in another system, allocating it as a "slave" unit. If your boot sector was corrupted and you lost some of the primary boot commands, having it function as a slave unit will bypass those sectors and you might be able to access it as a secondary drive.
This has saved my ass at least twice. I have also had success with the external HDD enclosures being able to revive a dying HDD for long enough to retrieve data.
I'm in VA but do you know what they charge for that type of stuff?
I had my HD die a year or so ago and they were very reasonable. I believe they charged around $250 which included a new HD. They are very busy as they do alot of businesses computers updates. Give them a call and talk with Miguel (owner) or Scotty. John is the other tech and very knowledgeable, but a little talky and has that great NY/NJ accent. All are very good, but if you speak with the owner, he will be able to give you a close estimate I'm sure.
Take care and good luck.
Thanks for the info guys.
It turns out I didn't lose as much as I thought I did. My last backup was 01/02/09. I did lose some pictures and my checkbook was a little out of whack in MS Money but I got that straightened out in short order.
The pictures, while a bummer, aren't worth the effort to get them back. We have roughly 33GB of pictures already so a months worth isn't going to hurt.
HP was helpful and has already shipped me a new drive free of charge. However if I don't return it they will charge me so again, it's not worth destroying the drive over a few pictures.
However, I did learn a valuable lesson (one I already knew and preached but rarely followed) and that is to back up often. As soon as the new drive is up and running I'll just schedule automatic backups to occur nightly.
BTW - The drive is toast. All the little tips and tricks are useless. My only other option would be to send it off to have the plates removed. Apparently Seagate has been having some problems with this sort of issue lately so buyer beware.
AwaySooner
02-12-09, 18:37
The $400-$500 usually doesn't recover much, not worth paying that if you ask me. My work HD went down without backup, the bill my manager had to approve was $2000+. :eek:
In the February issue of PC World there is a short article on recovering data from a failing drive. It recommends a program called Ultimate boot CD.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,71021/description.html
You download the file and burn it on a CD. It runs a Linux OS from the disk, giving you access to your hard drive without running windows.
Can’t hurt it’s free.
One of the reasons why I really like Windows Home Server (WHS) is the automatic backup feature.
I've used it a few times, and once you do a full restore in 10 min with just a few clicks, it is impossible to go back.
Gentoo -- I'll see your WHS automatic back-up and raise you an Apple OS X Time Machine. Constant on-the-fly backups. It can even be done wirelessly if you buy Apple's 802.11n router/HDD combo.
Eh... I despise Macs.
But lets save that bickering for another forum. I come here to argue Eotech vs Aimpoint, S&W vs Glock, etc...
Quick and dirty recovery that's worked for me in the past is to freeze the drive. Really. Place drive inside your freezer for about 12 hours to get it deep cold, remove, install ASAP and try and boot. I've had about a 50% success rate with doing that.
It's non-invasive and worth a shot when all else fails.
VooDoo6Actual
02-13-09, 07:53
I have had the same issue last month.
I found a guy in Los Angeles that completely recovered and restored my data from my old HD and transferred it to my New HD using a program called GHOST for $180.00 installed complete. Be WARY of ridiculous charges repair shops charge.
BTW - The drive is toast. All the little tips and tricks are useless. My only other option would be to send it off to have the plates removed. Apparently Seagate has been having some problems with this sort of issue lately so buyer beware.
Sounds very much like the infamous recent Seagate FW bug:
http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931&NewLang=en
If that is what happened, then you can get your data recovered for free. Basically the bug makes the drive so it will not work, but all of the data is still there. If that is what happened to it, Seagate will 'fix' the drive for free and give it back with all the data in tact...
The technical details of the bug aren't really relevant, but basically the drive gets into non-functioning state -- Seagate can attach a special serial device to it and restore it to normal function (and presumably then update the firmware so it doesn't bite you again).
Work for a tech company that got bitten by this (and in fact, had to write the document to explain it to our customers).
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