Replacing 2.5 in notebook drive controller.
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From: Arno Wagner on 7 May 2008 13:29 Previously "Steve S \(another one\)" <somebody(a)some.where.net> wrote: > "Arno Wagner" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message > news:68dqajF2sd97fU1(a)mid.individual.net... >> Previously "Steve S \(another one\)" <somebody(a)some.where.net> wrote: >>> A friend's 6-month old notebook has failed. Needless to say, she has >>> irreplaceable files on the drive for which she has no backup. >> >> The usual comments about ignoring reality (disks fail) not changing >> reality apply. >> >>> The drive apparently won't spin up. She's had a estimated price for >>> data recovery, but this is totally outside her budget. >> >> If the files are irreplaceable, she will need to pay. Otherwise >> they will very likely turn out to have been replaceable after all. >> >>> It occurred to me that, assuming she wants the notebook working >>> again anyway, she could buy an identical replacement drive and try >>> swapping the controller boards over to see it the fault was on the >>> controller rather than the mech. Would this be a reasonable thing to >>> try? >> >> Yes, but the success rate is relatively low, and you need an exact >> match, which can be very hard to find. Also you may damage the drive >> further, by _any_ experimantation, which can increase the cost of >> recovery significantly. >> >>> Or do the controllers have stuff like calibration info in flash >>> that would render the idea non-feasible? >> >> That is why the success rate is relatively low. Depends also on >> the drive, I guess. The thing is that the "high" prices data >> recovery outfits ask are really quite reasonable, in relation to >> effort and expertise needed and the fact that they have to >> keep lot of spare parts in stock. Also the risk of a professional >> recovery outfit actually damaging your drive further, possibly >> beyond recovery, is pretty low. >> >> Still, there is a price range and there are cheaper and more >> expensive recovery outfits. There are also thos that will >> only charge for a successful recovery, but they may not even >> try more complicated cases or have to be more expensive in >> order to stay economically viable. >> > No argument from me about the pricing of the recovery services, > Arno, but just because the files are irreplaceable does not mean > that she can afford to recover them. The data in question has no > intrinsic value, it's photos. The photos cannot be replaced. She > and her husband both lost their jobs when the factory shut down last > month, so they are having to balance their priorities very carefully > right now. Very unpleasant situation, indeed. I would advise to store the drive safely (ESD bag, silica gel, sealed outer bag) and have it professionally recoverd when/if money becomes avaliable again. Attempting a board swap is probably a waste of money and a risk in addition. Arno
From: Arno Wagner on 7 May 2008 13:30 Previously "Steve S \(another one\)" <somebody(a)some.where.net> wrote: > "Squeeze" <rubberduck(a)duckies.au> wrote in message > news:4821ccb9$0$13870$8f2e0ebb(a)news.shared-secrets.com... >> The other Steve S is a troll too? >> >> Steve S (another one) wrote in >> news:8xgUj.21058$yD2.12825(a)text.news.virginmedia.com >>> A friend's 6-month old notebook has failed. Needless to say, she has >>> irreplaceable files on the drive for which she has no backup. The drive >>> apparently won't spin up. She's had a estimated price for data recovery, >>> but >>> this is totally outside her budget. It occurred to me that, assuming she >>> wants the notebook working again anyway, she could buy an identical >>> replacement drive and try swapping the controller boards over to see it >>> the >>> fault was on the controller rather than the mech. Would this be a >>> reasonable >>> thing to try? >> >>> Or do the controllers have stuff like calibration info in >>> flash that would render the idea non-feasible? >> >>> >>> >>> Steve S > What? Ignore this guy. Everubody else does. Arno
From: Steve S (another one) on 7 May 2008 13:36 "Arno Wagner" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote > > Very unpleasant situation, indeed. I would advise to store the > drive safely (ESD bag, silica gel, sealed outer bag) and have > it professionally recoverd when/if money becomes avaliable > again. Attempting a board swap is probably a waste of money > and a risk in addition. > I reckon you're right. I used to repair HP 7906 drives (10 megs fixed, 10 megs removable) down to component level occasionally. How times have changed. At least you don't get a hernia lifting the drive these days, though. Steve S (another one)
From: Rod Speed on 7 May 2008 14:14
Steve S (another one) <somebody(a)some.where.net> wrote: > A friend's 6-month old notebook has failed. Needless to say, she has irreplaceable files on the drive for which she > has no backup. The drive apparently won't spin up. She's had a estimated price for data recovery, but this is totally > outside her budget. It occurred to me that, assuming she wants the notebook working again anyway, she could buy an > identical replacement drive and try swapping the controller boards over to see it the fault was on the controller > rather than the mech. Would this be a reasonable thing to try? Yes, particularly if anything else is unaffordable. Worth checking cheaper recovery operations first tho like http://www.retrodata.co.uk/ The other obvious option is to keep the dead drive until the cheaper recovery is affordable and trying a controller swap does reduce the chance of success. > Or do the controllers have stuff like calibration info in flash that would render the idea non-feasible? A few do, most dont. It isnt calibration data, but it does stop board swapping. |