bagellad
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Does anyone know anything they can do with these, except sending them to a professional?
The Clicking Hard Drive
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nj_computer_repair
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There are a few techniques that sometimes work without opening up the case and replacing parts. One method that sometimes works is freezing the hard drive. You can put the drive in a anti-static bag, then in a ziplock bag, close it up and stick it in your freezer for a half an hour. Take the drive out and promptly connect it to a computer. Speed is the key here so make sure you have everything you need to connect the drive and start transferring data. If a half an hour doesn't do the trick, you can try a couple hours.
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vdub12
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This is totally last ditch, but I know a guy that if all else fails he takes the drive and slams it down on the bench. Not the PCB side but the top side and square kind of like a belly flop.
I told him he was a nut but I have seen him do it a few times and recover a drive after words. These drives would not recover without it.
I personally would probably not try it unless the data wasn't important but this guy swears by it and from what I have seen it works.
I told him he was a nut but I have seen him do it a few times and recover a drive after words. These drives would not recover without it.
I personally would probably not try it unless the data wasn't important but this guy swears by it and from what I have seen it works.
Puff
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Never freeze the drive or put it in the fridge. That won't do anything for you and can actually cause damage because of condensation (hard drives are not sealed).
Slamming a hard drive is worse than freezing it, don't do it. I have heard of people giving a slight tap with the handle of a screwdriver on the side of the case. That to me is more believable since it could do the trick if something happened that caused the head(s) to get stuck.
For some good tips from a professional check out this whitepaper by Scott Moulton.
http://www.myharddrivedied.com/presentations/presentations_whitepaper.html
Slamming a hard drive is worse than freezing it, don't do it. I have heard of people giving a slight tap with the handle of a screwdriver on the side of the case. That to me is more believable since it could do the trick if something happened that caused the head(s) to get stuck.
For some good tips from a professional check out this whitepaper by Scott Moulton.
http://www.myharddrivedied.com/presentations/presentations_whitepaper.html
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repairit
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I've tried the freeze method as a last ditch. Works sometimes but the window for retrieval is very small.
nj_computer_repair
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This is a great video on hard drive repair. It's kind-of long but definitely worth it. Check it out:
How NOT To Recover Data
Kids, don't try this at home!
How NOT To Recover Data
Kids, don't try this at home!
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Morrison5891
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If you decide to freeze the drive, make sure its a few hours. This has worked for me many, many times.
Puff
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If you take your failed hard drive to a data recovery or computer repair shop and they say that they are going to freeze it or slam it into the ground, take your hard drive back and RUN!
Either of these methods tell me the following:
They don't know data recovery.
They don't know how to diagnose hard drive problems.
They don't have the proper tools to perform the recovery.
Ask anyone who puts drives in a freezer what they did to diagnose the drive and I'm sure they'll just tell you they just plugged it in and listened. They didn't check the SA, they didn't map the heads, they didn't check for weak heads.
A bad PCB could also cause the click of death...did they check it?
Places that do these kind of things usually cause more damage to the drive and sometimes you only get one chance to get the data off and they often ruin that once chance.
If the data isn't worth anything then knock yourself out but if it's of value then send it to a professional with some kind of background in data recovery or learn how to do it yourself the proper way.
Either of these methods tell me the following:
They don't know data recovery.
They don't know how to diagnose hard drive problems.
They don't have the proper tools to perform the recovery.
Ask anyone who puts drives in a freezer what they did to diagnose the drive and I'm sure they'll just tell you they just plugged it in and listened. They didn't check the SA, they didn't map the heads, they didn't check for weak heads.
A bad PCB could also cause the click of death...did they check it?
Places that do these kind of things usually cause more damage to the drive and sometimes you only get one chance to get the data off and they often ruin that once chance.
If the data isn't worth anything then knock yourself out but if it's of value then send it to a professional with some kind of background in data recovery or learn how to do it yourself the proper way.
nj_computer_repair
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I agree that freezing the drive or knocking it is not the best thing to do. It may sometimes work but you are relying more on luck. If you really care about the data (and can afford it), definitely, send it away to a professional that does hard drive hardware diagnosis and repair.
basic
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Eeek....i'm surprised he didn't completely ruin the head on the drive or scratch up the platters to make data recovery more difficult. Sounds like a questionable method
vdub12
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Eeek....i'm surprised he didn't completely ruin the head on the drive or scratch up the platters to make data recovery more difficult. Sounds like a questionable method
Totally, I completely agree. However, I have seen him do it to multiple drives and get very good results. He's one of my very good long time friends and hes a very good tech. I guess every tech does some things that you may not agree with but in this situation he does get results and i have seen him recover drives that otherwise where unrecoverable and not on just once but multiple times.
RegEdit
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I only work on drives with logical damage. If someone brings me a drive that is making strange noises then I tell them to take it to a specialized lab. These sounds could indicate a head crash, in which the arms that read the surface of the hard drive’s platters smash into or scrape across the rotating platter. This can result in physical damage to the platters causing permanent data loss.
What exactly does freezing do? What specific HD problem is that used to fix? Jammed HD that won't start up?
What exactly does freezing do? What specific HD problem is that used to fix? Jammed HD that won't start up?
Morrison5891
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Its not a matter of someone not KNOWNING what they're doing... It's a technique That can be used if all else fails. I've been in this business for over 20 years, and... this isnt the only "trick" or technique I use to repair computers, networks, or televisions. Also, When a client wants data recovery... I don't tell them "i'm going to freeze your HDD" I have a very specific procedure I follow when doing data recovery. Freezing the drive is the VERY last thingI consider doing. So if someone uses a unorthodox technique to repair or fix computers, or whatever it me be... does not make them unprofessional. Its about getting the job done and making the client happy. You do whatever it takes to get the job done.
"failure is not an option"
usacvlr
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Freezing works just fine. You don't need to put it in a bag. Just clean off the board with rubbing alcohol so there's no junk on it to conduct electricity if it gets damp. The condensation by itself is non conductive. Freeze it over night and then immediately do your recovery, or hook up your data cables to it while it's in the freezer and do it that way. Set it on some ice.
The whack method works too sometimes but you want to whack on the edge of the drive not the flat side.
The whack method works too sometimes but you want to whack on the edge of the drive not the flat side.
Harold
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Freezing a HDD and slamming it flat on a table are both valid techniques as long as they are the very last on the list. The list should go something like:
1) Standard data recovery efforts via software tools
2) Replacement PCB or other hardware tools short of dissecting the HDD
3) Estimate for data recovery from a clean room service that will dissect the drive.
4) If the customer declines clean room service, and is at the point where they are willing to throw away the data instead of paying the price to recover it, have them sign a waiver of liability acknowledging that you are going to try a few lower cost, highly risky alternatives that may recover some data but will likely end up ruining the drive.
5) If the customer agrees, go for it.
1) Standard data recovery efforts via software tools
2) Replacement PCB or other hardware tools short of dissecting the HDD
3) Estimate for data recovery from a clean room service that will dissect the drive.
4) If the customer declines clean room service, and is at the point where they are willing to throw away the data instead of paying the price to recover it, have them sign a waiver of liability acknowledging that you are going to try a few lower cost, highly risky alternatives that may recover some data but will likely end up ruining the drive.
5) If the customer agrees, go for it.
rehallaz
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Theory:
One of the problems that can happen to a disk is that the head crashed. If that's the case, it may overheat and stick, either to the platter or to some mechanical part of the drive, hence the clicking as the actuator tries to to free it.
If that's the case, freezing may help in that different materials expand/contract in different amounts, thus physically freeing the head, enabling you to possibly extract some data.
The same effect may be obtained by slamming the drive.
Again, these are desperate measures, and are a LAST RESORT.
/rich
bitdancers.com
One of the problems that can happen to a disk is that the head crashed. If that's the case, it may overheat and stick, either to the platter or to some mechanical part of the drive, hence the clicking as the actuator tries to to free it.
If that's the case, freezing may help in that different materials expand/contract in different amounts, thus physically freeing the head, enabling you to possibly extract some data.
The same effect may be obtained by slamming the drive.
Again, these are desperate measures, and are a LAST RESORT.
/rich
bitdancers.com
PcTek9
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and there's allllll ways my advice. before it gets to this point. when you buy a new hard drive... buy one of those really cheap aluminum dual fan things that attaches to the hard disk. It sounds like a huge waste of money... @ $5.00 average.
But my smart shows the temps going down from very very high even on defective drives ive had some running at 137 F, and attaching one these takes it down to 85 F. so... with that said...
reliability = add the fans.
But my smart shows the temps going down from very very high even on defective drives ive had some running at 137 F, and attaching one these takes it down to 85 F. so... with that said...
reliability = add the fans.
veedar
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Experiment
Okay so I had an old but working 20GB 5.25 IDE drive laying around to sacrifice in a freezer test.
I've used and recommended the freezer trick for some time now with maybe a 50% success rate. So I wanted to see if I could actually kill a working drive this way.
I placed the drive unwrapped in the freezer overnight PCB side up. I took it out of the freezer this morning and as I was attaching it to my system I could see frost developing on the PCB and then later on the frost turned to moisture and then later nothing as heat from the drive evaporated the moisture.
As soon as I hooked it up I began a sector by sector copy of the drive with no problems and the drive is still running fine hours later. It's just one data point but it supports the idea that freezing and the resulting moisture does not appear to damage a drive.
Okay so I had an old but working 20GB 5.25 IDE drive laying around to sacrifice in a freezer test.
I've used and recommended the freezer trick for some time now with maybe a 50% success rate. So I wanted to see if I could actually kill a working drive this way.
I placed the drive unwrapped in the freezer overnight PCB side up. I took it out of the freezer this morning and as I was attaching it to my system I could see frost developing on the PCB and then later on the frost turned to moisture and then later nothing as heat from the drive evaporated the moisture.
As soon as I hooked it up I began a sector by sector copy of the drive with no problems and the drive is still running fine hours later. It's just one data point but it supports the idea that freezing and the resulting moisture does not appear to damage a drive.
