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macmanmike6100 · 10-19-2005, 07:53 AM

I wanted to let everybody know of how I was able to get my data off the drive!

Prerequisites:
- My drive still spun-up when powered on. The mechanical problem was a repetitive "clicking" noise, which was likely caused by mis-aligned internals. If the drive is not spinning up at all, you might want to try the "drop on its side from 2-4 inches" method (seriously). Neither of these methods repair non-mechnical failures.

- My drive uses non-fluid bearings for the platters; the freezing solution may make the situation worse by freezing the fluid and disallowing any movement, possibly damaging the motors when they try to rotate something through a frozen fluid.

The Freezing Method
- This is widely published on the Internet, although it's all word-of-mouth. Haven't seen any "official" information on this. Results were anecdotal. However, desperate times call for desperate measures! Self-claimed experts online have also said that there's no chance that it would work, but it worked for me.
- Place the offending hard drive in a Ziploc bag with as little air as possible; this is to help keep moisture out of the bag, and thus provide less of it to condense on the parts of the drive.
- Leave the Ziploc-bagged drive in the freezer for about 2 hours. This is to get it down to very low temperatures and to ensure that it is completely cold, so that it takes longer to defrost once you start using it.
- After it's been in the freezer, you should be able to take it out and plug it into your computer...very carefully. Try your best to keep as little air in the bag as possible; just have the cables run into the bag. I was lucky to have an external drive; if this were an internal drive, I would suggest opening the case and just connecting the wires to the now-external internal drive. Doing this would prevent the dripping of any condensation onto the innards of your computer.
- I was able to run the drive in cycles of 2 hours freezing/30 minutes use. After that I started getting nervous, as the drive started feeling warm. This method also suggests keeping the drive surrounded by ice-packs (or their equivalent in bagged frozen chicken) during operation, to extend the usage time.

Good luck...don't let anybody tell you the freezing method is an urban legend...it worked for me! Plus, if the drive is dead, what've you got to lose?

10-19-2005, 07:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
macmanmike6100 High Honorary Junkie Location: Tri-state.	I wanted to let everybody know of how I was able to get my data off the drive! Prerequisites: - My drive still spun-up when powered on. The mechanical problem was a repetitive "clicking" noise, which was likely caused by mis-aligned internals. If the drive is not spinning up at all, you might want to try the "drop on its side from 2-4 inches" method (seriously). Neither of these methods repair non-mechnical failures. - My drive uses non-fluid bearings for the platters; the freezing solution may make the situation worse by freezing the fluid and disallowing any movement, possibly damaging the motors when they try to rotate something through a frozen fluid. The Freezing Method - This is widely published on the Internet, although it's all word-of-mouth. Haven't seen any "official" information on this. Results were anecdotal. However, desperate times call for desperate measures! Self-claimed experts online have also said that there's no chance that it would work, but it worked for me. - Place the offending hard drive in a Ziploc bag with as little air as possible; this is to help keep moisture out of the bag, and thus provide less of it to condense on the parts of the drive. - Leave the Ziploc-bagged drive in the freezer for about 2 hours. This is to get it down to very low temperatures and to ensure that it is completely cold, so that it takes longer to defrost once you start using it. - After it's been in the freezer, you should be able to take it out and plug it into your computer...very carefully. Try your best to keep as little air in the bag as possible; just have the cables run into the bag. I was lucky to have an external drive; if this were an internal drive, I would suggest opening the case and just connecting the wires to the now-external internal drive. Doing this would prevent the dripping of any condensation onto the innards of your computer. - I was able to run the drive in cycles of 2 hours freezing/30 minutes use. After that I started getting nervous, as the drive started feeling warm. This method also suggests keeping the drive surrounded by ice-packs (or their equivalent in bagged frozen chicken) during operation, to extend the usage time. Good luck...don't let anybody tell you the freezing method is an urban legend...it worked for me! Plus, if the drive is dead, what've you got to lose? Last edited by macmanmike6100; 10-19-2005 at 07:57 AM..