Dead Hard Drive/Data Recovery - HELP!!

[hamerhead]

*** HELPFUL REMINDER - BACK YOUR SH!T UP!!! ***

My main PC has 2 hard drives - a small one (60GB) with the operating system, and a 1TB drive that is used only for storage (kinda the way you'd use an external HD, except it's inside the box).

The storage drive crapped out. It makes noise like it's running or trying to run, and I don't think it's a software issue. I got a warning that a drive was failing/about to faiI but it was too late. I tried all the usual stuff (unplugging/replugging, wiggling wires, turned upside down and sideways, tapping gently with a BFH,......) and got nothing. It is currently in the (hopefully) capable hands of a local tech. My fingers are crossed.

Is there any way to recover all the stuff some dumbass didn't have backed up elsewhere? Dammit this sucks.

[atquinn]

There are all sorts of companies that you can send drives to to recover the data, like Drivesavers for example. Prices for data recovery range from completely insane to batshit crazy though, so get out your wallet!

-

Austin

[Thundersteel]

Hopefully you didn't have any pron stored on there!

[bubs_42]

All of his Sustainblock Programs and Setup Info i'm sure. Now that he decided to fire it back Karma reared its ugly head.

[Armitage]

If you're going to send your drive in for repairs... hope there's nothing on it you don't want them to find.

You might find Schnauzer Porn funny... the cops... and your wife... might not...

[hamerhead]

Hopefully you didn't have any pron stored on there!

I DID!!

.......unfortunately nowadays my porn is 99.8% guitars. Highly-figured guitars, but guitars all the same. It's just sad.

[Armitage]

So you're old then...

[bubs_42]

If you're going to send your drive in for repairs... hope there's nothing on it you don't want them to find.

You might find Schnauzer Porn funny... the cops... and your wife... might not...

If only it was that clean!

[mathman]

I have software that can recover data. Pm me if interested

[hamerhead]

PM sent!!

[scottcald]

23804 scott caldarelli consulting

That's my drivesavers partner number. It'll save you 10%. Call them 800-440-1904 and talk to them. Pricing does vary, but if you only need jpegs or wav files or one file type that'll help you. But talk to them first. They recommend you don't do anything to the drive like run other software or anything. Just shut down first

[mathman]

If the data is valuable enough that you would pay someone $200 to $500 to recover it you may want to go ahead and go that route. If this is a newer sata drive they have other reasons for failing. The circuit board can short out and you need to have the rom transferred to the replacement pcb before recovering the data in some cases. Older sata and ide drives are different.

What I do is make a clone of the drive to another harddrive then recover the files from the clone. Easier on a failing drive

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

Take the drive and put in in a waterproof air-tight bag and put it in your freezer overnight. This possibly makes the platters readable again but only once or twice. I've done it a couple of times. This should only be used as a last resort or if you aren't paying anyone to do it. I know of many people who have recovered data this way. I would recommend this method only be used once or twice per drive. Google it and see it works...

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

Here's a link; read the comments from people who have done my method successfully http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.co.uk/2006/01/freeze-your-hard-drive-to-recover-data.html

[hamerhead]

I got a call from the Computer Hospital. They couldn't do anything and suggested I take it to a place in town who can pull the drive apart and mess with the disk and/or related parts. He thought it would run about $500. That really hurts, but I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see.

I had about a year's worth, maybe 2, of family photos that weren't backed up. That's the the most important thing on there. Some included my Mom, who is no longer with us. I doubt if it's 10GB total so maybe they won't beat me up too bad.

[stratacus]

I've had good results with Gillware in Madison performing data recoveries from failed hard drives.

[Boomerang~Junkie]

ADR - Advanced Data Recovery has been mentioned in conversation that others have used - but I have not. If I recall correctly, they don't charge you the full fee unless they recover your data and are not cheap if they succeed.

NOTE: If you allow anyone crack your hard drive case open and break the clean vacuum on the drive to remove the actual discs and they can't get anything off of them - any other data recovery company will charge you a crapload more money to drag an exposed - bare disk into their clean room for them to test it. Moral of this story is to make certain you choose a qualified professional to do it, not necessarily the cheapest.

Opening the drive body to get to the discs would be my dead last option. As they say, "ain't no puttin' that genie back in the bottle".

http://adrdatarecovery.com/

Best of luck.

[specialk]

I had about a year's worth, maybe 2, of family photos that weren't backed up. That's the the most important thing on there. Some included my Mom, who is no longer with us. I doubt if it's 10GB total so maybe they won't beat me up too bad.

Ouch!

Best of luck to you in recovering the pictures. When you think about it, the stuff on our drives is priceless and/or impossible to replace.

Have a backup plan and use it, people!

[scottcald]

Yeah, check around. Make sure the local place is doing clean room swaps of platters and things, they're sensitive. Also, give the DriveSavers folks a call if you didn't see my post before. If you're just looking for photos, that'll be helpful and less costly than trying for everything.

In the future for photos, get a flickr account or some other type of online photo repository. You don't have to share them out, and it's a poor man's backup of the photos.

Good luck with it. A friend of mine has a saying that there are 2 kinds of computer users - those who have lost data and those who will lose data.

[scottcald]

Oh, I think Seagate also has a drive recovery service.

http://www.seagate.com/services-software/seagate-recovery-services/recover/

I've talked to them on the phone as well. Very helpful folks too.