A kick in the balls.
I didn't actually know that my computer was on and I unplugged my external usb WD Mybook. The warning message came up but I've seen it before when I've accidentally done the same thing. Now, it doesn't show up on the dock. It will power up but all I hear is a faint clicking; not the disk spinning. My iTunes, dozens of home demos, etc. all gone or is there something I can do to recover them?
Failed Hard Drive?
2There are data recovery programs and businesses that can help you, but I don't know of any "at home" tricks for recovering data from a hard drive that's not even being recognized by the OS.
If it was just recovering data that had been accidentally deleted or something, it'd be one thing. But once mechanical failure becomes part of the situation, it becomes exponentially more difficult (or expensive) to fix.
If it was just recovering data that had been accidentally deleted or something, it'd be one thing. But once mechanical failure becomes part of the situation, it becomes exponentially more difficult (or expensive) to fix.
You had me at Sex Traction Aunts Getting Vodka-Rogered On Glass Furniture
Failed Hard Drive?
3On another thread, someone said that I would have cost them upto $2500 to recover the files lost. That's not quite worth it to me.
Hmm. Maybe I know someone who has one of these businesses....?
Thanks, Ty
Hmm. Maybe I know someone who has one of these businesses....?
Thanks, Ty
Failed Hard Drive?
4Go get a remote drive large enough to store the data you had on your hard drive.
Put the offending hard drive in your freezer (in a Ziplock with the air sucked out) for a few hours. Reinstall it. You should be able to boot it one last time to copy the data over to your remote drive.
If this doesn't work, you should probably keep the remote drive to regularly back up your data in the future anyway. *All* hard drives are mortal. Had you backed up your data up to this point, you wouldn't miss a beat, so if nothign else, this can be a lesson for next time.
Good luck!
Put the offending hard drive in your freezer (in a Ziplock with the air sucked out) for a few hours. Reinstall it. You should be able to boot it one last time to copy the data over to your remote drive.
If this doesn't work, you should probably keep the remote drive to regularly back up your data in the future anyway. *All* hard drives are mortal. Had you backed up your data up to this point, you wouldn't miss a beat, so if nothign else, this can be a lesson for next time.
Good luck!
Last edited by FuzzBob_Archive on Fri May 09, 2008 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
iembalm wrote:Can I just point out, Rick, that this rant is in a thread about a cartoon?
Failed Hard Drive?
5Food,
Are you sure it's the same problem. The disk won't spin; it only clicks. Anyone Ive asked (including two data recovery services) that that this is a mechanical failure. How would I be able to retrieve anything if the disk won't spin? Or, will the disk not spin b/c it won't mount?
Bob,
Someone told me that the freezer trick works well with older drives that have mostly solder connections.
Are you sure it's the same problem. The disk won't spin; it only clicks. Anyone Ive asked (including two data recovery services) that that this is a mechanical failure. How would I be able to retrieve anything if the disk won't spin? Or, will the disk not spin b/c it won't mount?
Bob,
Someone told me that the freezer trick works well with older drives that have mostly solder connections.
Failed Hard Drive?
6from http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
"What if the drive doesn't show up in Disk Utility?
If the drive is not recognized in Disk Utility, then Data Rescue II will not be able to see it either. The fact that the drive is not showing up in Disk Utility is most likely a sign that there may be some hardware issues with your drive. You may try to put the drive into a separate enclosure to see if that fixes the issue (that may allow the drive to be seen in Disk Utility)."
"What if the drive doesn't show up in Disk Utility?
If the drive is not recognized in Disk Utility, then Data Rescue II will not be able to see it either. The fact that the drive is not showing up in Disk Utility is most likely a sign that there may be some hardware issues with your drive. You may try to put the drive into a separate enclosure to see if that fixes the issue (that may allow the drive to be seen in Disk Utility)."
Failed Hard Drive?
7MrFood wrote:Well, you didn't drop it or damage it physically in any way did you? How could it be a mechanical problem?
No. It was tossed around by baggage handlers in a checked bag months ago and got a little cosmetic damage but worked well for months after. I just assumed that unplugging the usb cable might have caused some kind of short...?
MrFood wrote:My HD made weird clicking noises when it was ill. It could be the playhead frantically engaging and disengaging because it has no directory to work with.
It's a constant clicking, like 3 times every 2 seconds.
MrFood wrote:Give Data Rescue a shot before trying the freezer trick. Seriously, get uTorrent (if you're using a PC) or Transmission (if you're using a Mac) go to thepiratebay.org and you'll be able to get a whole shitload of data recovery software for free. Like I say, I've had luck with Data Rescue 2 and Disck Warrior.
If you're using a mac, you might even be able to see the HD on the bus. Go to Applications > Utilities > System Profiler. Click on the left side where it says something like 'USB Bus' (I don't remember exactly what it's called) but sometimes you can see faulty hardware there, even if it's not mounting.
I don't see it there.
I will try these programs. Thanks. Man, such a hassle. Lesson learned: back it up!
Failed Hard Drive?
8I just did the Data Rescue 2. No dice. It's not recognizing the drive.
Time for the ziplock.
Time for the ziplock.
Failed Hard Drive?
9givemenoughrope wrote:Food,
Are you sure it's the same problem. The disk won't spin; it only clicks. Anyone Ive asked (including two data recovery services) that that this is a mechanical failure. How would I be able to retrieve anything if the disk won't spin? Or, will the disk not spin b/c it won't mount?
I used to work for a data recovery company and mechincal failure always meant that an engineer needed to get his hands on it to take it apart and try to see if there was going to be any data recoverable. Usually less than 50%.
Failed Hard Drive?
10MrFood wrote:Well, you didn't drop it or damage it physically in any way did you? How could it be a mechanical problem?
Anything with moving parts is capable of developing mechanical problems.