WWYD? Faulty HDD and broken-hearted father?

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garvani

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#1230529 3-Feb-2015 13:39

We have used three different companies, we started with data forensics and used them several times (usually within the $800-1500) range, however our nas decided to die a horrible death and that ended up costing us $4000. Not long after we got approached by another company, Datalab, we have since used them a few times, they cap the charge at around $700 so we havn't paid anymore than that. This last time was this exact issue, a clicking drive, they managed to get all the data required off the drive which saved our customer thousands of dollars and countless hours.

gzt

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#1230536 3-Feb-2015 13:50

paulmilbank:
xpd: *** AT YOUR OWN RISK***

My solution rather than to spend money, was to bash the drive against something solid..... sometimes it was enough to get physical things back in place long enough to do a copy of the data. Did this about 2-3 times on one drive, each time it stopped working Id bash it again. Didnt copy everything, but something was better than nothing. However this was on a drive that didnt contain anything Id miss really.... just more frustrating to replace.

Just remembering of course that it may make data recovery harder if it doesn't work and you have to send it away. As others have said, pack it up, send it away if the data is priceless. Also set up the external drive as an automatic backup. You could also buy a small NAS and set up an automatic backup to that.
In my experience, SSD may also be fine one day, then not be there at all. Of course, this depends on what SSD drives you are buying. Don't rely on your grand father to run a backup is all I am saying, make it something he doesn't even think about.

Google drive is a simple automatic solution.

The money isn't important get the job done then work out how to pay for it. Family can chip in later etc.

kiwifidget

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#1230546 3-Feb-2015 14:12

Thanks everyone, lots of practical and sensible advice.

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Glassboy

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#1230560 3-Feb-2015 14:35

xpd: *** AT YOUR OWN RISK***

My solution rather than to spend money, was to bash the drive against something solid..... sometimes it was enough to get physical things back in place long enough to do a copy of the data. Did this about 2-3 times on one drive, each time it stopped working Id bash it again. Didnt copy everything, but something was better than nothing. However this was on a drive that didnt contain anything Id miss really.... just more frustrating to replace.

I wouldn't do this on modern drives. The tolerances are way too fine.

DravidDavid

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#1230567 3-Feb-2015 14:40

There are still multiple reasons it may be clicking.

Drives click if they are not recieving enough power to spin up. They also click if they are dead, but if you are using the wrong USB cable for your external enclosure, you may find that using a different one will get it to spin up properly.

Freezer trick has worked several times for me, but it needs to be in there for a while (three or so days and kept as cool as possible while operating)
Take it out of it's enclosure and plug it directly in to a sata port and power supply cable.

I agree with taking it to a recovery specialist. But if the budget is too small, you can only keep trying yourself. I wouldn't recommend banging it against anything as a first attempt, but anything is possible and if you're flat out of ideas, go for it.

networkn

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#1230569 3-Feb-2015 14:44

We used to use Computer Forensics before we found Datalab who do single drive fixed cost recoveries with zero charged if they can't recover it. PM me if you want a price.

MikeB4

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#1230572 3-Feb-2015 14:51

I am not sure you are allowed to slap a hard drive here, maybe contrary to the FUG

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gzt

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#1230577 3-Feb-2015 14:57

Most of these services charge less if it is an easy or simple fix so don't worry.

kiwifidget

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#1230578 3-Feb-2015 15:03

OK, I've done an online quote request with Datalab. Fingers crossed.

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xpd

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#1230650 3-Feb-2015 16:31

KiwiNZ: I am not sure you are allowed to slap a hard drive here, maybe contrary to the FUG

I give them a good ole' Kiwi bash, not a slap.

Just to clarify, I only use this method on drives that hold data Im not too concerned about but would make life easier if could recover for free.

Obviously if it was vital/sensitive data, Id take the drive to a recovery firm.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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richms

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#1231331 4-Feb-2015 19:21

kiwifidget: Cloud backup would be great except he has a small datacap (and over 15GB of photos and videos IIRC), and I have hideously slow upload speeds. Still, it could be done over time.

Well the photos are either important to him or not.

The cost of a proper internet plan will be less than the data recovery costs you will be now paying if he actually wants the photos.

Richard rich.ms

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#1231749 5-Feb-2015 14:57

xpd: *** AT YOUR OWN RISK***

My solution rather than to spend money, was to bash the drive against something solid.....

Ive actually seen this work. I was horrified when I watched my boss do it, but it worked, that time.
I dont think it will work on a clicking drive though.
Ive even seen drives just opened up, on a bench (not a clean room) & manually spun up/unstuck & the data was recovered .

Take it to a true data recovery specialist (datalab, Computer Forensics etc), not some PC repair shop.
Freezing wont fix a clicking drive, Ive only seen freezing work once in 15 years, at even then only till the drive got warm again, enough for a few files at a time.

In general, the more you try yourself, the more damage that can be done as the platters can get so scratched they can never be read.

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