Recovering Data on a Failing Hard Drive
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From: Mike Easter on 31 Mar 2008 01:40 Matt wrote: > Hey guys. I've got a real problem on my hands. Read some pages and listen to some podcasts and see if you believe whether or not you should spend $90 on SpinRite http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm industry's #1 hard drive data recovery software -- To learn about SpinRite's history and much of its technology and capabilities, please see our existing, extensive, SpinRite web area and documentation. -- Mike Easter
From: Odie Ferrous on 31 Mar 2008 01:54 Matt wrote: > > Hey guys. I've got a real problem on my hands. Basically all my work > for the last 4 years at University, along with countless amounts of > data I've accumulated over the years stored on my hard drive might be > lost. The drive suddenly stopped working properly 2 nights ago, and > I've spent the weekend since trying ot recover what data I can. > > The first thing I should address is the issue of backups. Any > meaningful backup has simply not been possible due to the high volume > of data, and the very finite budget I live on as a student > constraining me to only having one hard drive. A conveneient place to > store around 9GB of data just doesn't exist for me. I guess hindsight > is a wonderful thing, but at the moment I'm stuck without my data. > > Anyway, recovery of my work is of course a top priority, so I could do > with some advice on how I should proceed from here? Firstly, I'll > explain the situation in more detail: > > Causes for Concern: > ------------------------------ > > - I get a "Disk Read Error" whenever I try to boot up the hard drive > as a Master. > > - When I boot it up as a Slave, I can boot into XP from the other hard > drive, but it takes a very long time to boot up and load XP. Once in > XP, I cannot read the contents of the drive (which I can verify as > I've just given it one last try) and I get a message telling me to > format the drive. > > Causes for Optimism: > -------------------------------- > > - On occassion the drive has been more co-operative and I have been > able to copy over a small fraction of my work with the drive as a > slave either in XP or in DOS. However, very quickly the operating > system comes up against a file it cannot read, and eventually gives up > the copying. > > - The drive is always detected by the BIOS > > - There are no clicking noises or other strange noises coming from the > hard drive, which suggests to me the fault may not be mechanical. > > Going Forward > ---------------------- > > A friend of mine who has more experience with PC repair ran a program > called Restorer2000, but the drive contents couldn't be read by > Windows, so the program didn't have much success either. However, it > was able to read a few files from my Windows partition, but my work > partition was completly unavailable. A number of read errors were > quoted in locations. These locations were given as a string of > numbers, either about 7-8 digits long, and 11 digits long. The exact > values I can't recall. > > My next step has been to look for some companies that specialise in > data recovery and see if they will have more luck by perhaps taking > the drive apart and extracting data from the platters themseleves. > > Anyway, the main point of this post is to gain some a better idea of > what has happened to my hard drive, based upon the above symptoms. > From there I can see if paying ~�500 to recover a 40GB partition is > likely to be successful. > > The drive is a Western Digital WD800JB 80GB ATA hard drive. > > Kind Regards, > > Matthew Boulton Matt, The more you play around with that drive (which has bad sectors and possibly failing read/write heads) the WORSE you are going to make it. Those "strings of numbers" you see are the sector location where bad media has been located. Switch the drive off, keep it powered off, and get it to someone who knows what they are doing. Spinrite and its ilk are fine if you have a _purely_ logical problem; for all other causes of failure, you'd best be buying some snake oil. I see countless drives come in for recovery that have been obliterated due to the owner taking advice from another who has absolutely no real knowlegde of data recovery. Switch that drive off immediately, and it it done professionally. Duncan -- Retrodata www.retrodata.co.uk Globally Local Data Recovery Experts
From: Tony on 31 Mar 2008 03:49 I was going to suggest that but hopefully he'll buy a seagate hard drive instead of a western digital one when he repeats those 4 years. Duende wrote: > On 30 Mar 2008 Odie Ferrous wrote in 24hoursupport.helpdesk > > > Matt wrote: > >> > >> Hey guys. I've got a real problem on my hands. Basically all my work > >> for the last 4 years at University, along with countless amounts of > >> data I've accumulated over the years stored on my hard drive might be > >> lost. The drive suddenly stopped working properly 2 nights ago, and > >> I've spent the weekend since trying ot recover what data I can. > >> > >> The first thing I should address is the issue of backups. Any > >> meaningful backup has simply not been possible due to the high volume > >> of data, and the very finite budget I live on as a student > >> constraining me to only having one hard drive. A conveneient place to > >> store around 9GB of data just doesn't exist for me. I guess hindsight > >> is a wonderful thing, but at the moment I'm stuck without my data. > >> > >> Anyway, recovery of my work is of course a top priority, so I could do > >> with some advice on how I should proceed from here? Firstly, I'll > >> explain the situation in more detail: > >> > >> Causes for Concern: > >> ------------------------------ > >> > >> - I get a "Disk Read Error" whenever I try to boot up the hard drive > >> as a Master. > >> > >> - When I boot it up as a Slave, I can boot into XP from the other hard > >> drive, but it takes a very long time to boot up and load XP. Once in > >> XP, I cannot read the contents of the drive (which I can verify as > >> I've just given it one last try) and I get a message telling me to > >> format the drive. > >> > >> Causes for Optimism: > >> -------------------------------- > >> > >> - On occassion the drive has been more co-operative and I have been > >> able to copy over a small fraction of my work with the drive as a > >> slave either in XP or in DOS. However, very quickly the operating > >> system comes up against a file it cannot read, and eventually gives up > >> the copying. > >> > >> - The drive is always detected by the BIOS > >> > >> - There are no clicking noises or other strange noises coming from the > >> hard drive, which suggests to me the fault may not be mechanical. > >> > >> Going Forward > >> ---------------------- > >> > >> A friend of mine who has more experience with PC repair ran a program > >> called Restorer2000, but the drive contents couldn't be read by > >> Windows, so the program didn't have much success either. However, it > >> was able to read a few files from my Windows partition, but my work > >> partition was completly unavailable. A number of read errors were > >> quoted in locations. These locations were given as a string of > >> numbers, either about 7-8 digits long, and 11 digits long. The exact > >> values I can't recall. > >> > >> My next step has been to look for some companies that specialise in > >> data recovery and see if they will have more luck by perhaps taking > >> the drive apart and extracting data from the platters themseleves. > >> > >> Anyway, the main point of this post is to gain some a better idea of > >> what has happened to my hard drive, based upon the above symptoms. > >> From there I can see if paying ~�500 to recover a 40GB partition is > >> likely to be successful. > >> > >> The drive is a Western Digital WD800JB 80GB ATA hard drive. > >> > >> Kind Regards, > >> > >> Matthew Boulton > > > > Matt, > > > > The more you play around with that drive (which has bad sectors and > > possibly failing read/write heads) the WORSE you are going to make it. > > > > Those "strings of numbers" you see are the sector location where bad > > media has been located. > > > > Switch the drive off, keep it powered off, and get it to someone who > > knows what they are doing. > > > > Spinrite and its ilk are fine if you have a _purely_ logical problem; > > for all other causes of failure, you'd best be buying some snake oil. > > > > I see countless drives come in for recovery that have been obliterated > > due to the owner taking advice from another who has absolutely no real > > knowlegde of data recovery. > > > > Switch that drive off immediately, and it it done professionally. > > > > > > Duncan > > You could just redo your last 4 years at University. > > -- > D? -- Regards Tony... Making usenet better for everyone everyday
From: PeeCee on 31 Mar 2008 03:10 "Matt" <mattb95(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message news:5674c845-7de9-47b0-9eb4-3e2dd1c0bfed(a)c26g2000prf.googlegroups.com... Hey guys. I've got a real problem on my hands. Basically all my work for the last 4 years at University, along with countless amounts of data I've accumulated over the years stored on my hard drive might be lost. The drive suddenly stopped working properly 2 nights ago, and I've spent the weekend since trying ot recover what data I can. The first thing I should address is the issue of backups. Any meaningful backup has simply not been possible due to the high volume of data, and the very finite budget I live on as a student constraining me to only having one hard drive. A conveneient place to store around 9GB of data just doesn't exist for me. I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing, but at the moment I'm stuck without my data. Anyway, recovery of my work is of course a top priority, so I could do with some advice on how I should proceed from here? Firstly, I'll explain the situation in more detail: Causes for Concern: ------------------------------ - I get a "Disk Read Error" whenever I try to boot up the hard drive as a Master. - When I boot it up as a Slave, I can boot into XP from the other hard drive, but it takes a very long time to boot up and load XP. Once in XP, I cannot read the contents of the drive (which I can verify as I've just given it one last try) and I get a message telling me to format the drive. Causes for Optimism: -------------------------------- - On occassion the drive has been more co-operative and I have been able to copy over a small fraction of my work with the drive as a slave either in XP or in DOS. However, very quickly the operating system comes up against a file it cannot read, and eventually gives up the copying. - The drive is always detected by the BIOS - There are no clicking noises or other strange noises coming from the hard drive, which suggests to me the fault may not be mechanical. Going Forward ---------------------- A friend of mine who has more experience with PC repair ran a program called Restorer2000, but the drive contents couldn't be read by Windows, so the program didn't have much success either. However, it was able to read a few files from my Windows partition, but my work partition was completly unavailable. A number of read errors were quoted in locations. These locations were given as a string of numbers, either about 7-8 digits long, and 11 digits long. The exact values I can't recall. My next step has been to look for some companies that specialise in data recovery and see if they will have more luck by perhaps taking the drive apart and extracting data from the platters themseleves. Anyway, the main point of this post is to gain some a better idea of what has happened to my hard drive, based upon the above symptoms. From there I can see if paying ~�500 to recover a 40GB partition is likely to be successful. The drive is a Western Digital WD800JB 80GB ATA hard drive. Kind Regards, Matthew Boulton ********************************************************************* Matt Please please please don't stuff around, unplug the drive and get it to a professional data recovery specialist 'now' The more you stuff around trying to recover it yourself the sicker the drive is going to get. And as for the cost, may I ask how much you have invested in your University degree? Tens of thousands of �'s no doubt if not more. As a portion of that investment the recovery fee is going to be cheap. Got a Stereo, TV, iPod ? sell them. Especially if the loss of the data means another year at Uni or no Masters. Then when you've got it all back on stream make some money by learning how to backup and selling that knowledge to other students as a 'leave it to me I'll set it up for a fee' service. Best Paul.
From: Gotde T Shirt on 31 Mar 2008 05:18
On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:54:05 -0700 (PDT), Matt wrote: > I agree with your earlier comments that the drive should be left well > alone now before I hand it over to a professional firm, and I wish I > had done so earlier. But the prospect of being able to recover my > data, given I had no idea how severe this was, so I could make a > backup to my parents hard drive made sense at the time. Paying �500 > isn't something I can do without a second thought. > > Do you recommend any firms that have done good work for you in the > past? > As you appear to be in the UK, suggest you try: www.retrodata.co.uk They've done a couple of recovery jobs for me, successfully and for relatively affordable fees. Duncan (aka Odie Ferrous) is associated with Retrodata. [I have no business interest in Retrodata, other than as an occasional trade customer] BTW: Don't be upset by Rod's rants, he's from Australia. |