dead hard drive - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

applesauce · 06-28-2006, 09:04 PM

I was using my laptop the other day and the HD started making funny noises, kind of like a grinding sound. It did it for a minute or so and stopped, worked fine for another hour or two, started making the noise again, and froze up entirely (still making the noise). Turned it off, let it sit a minute, turned it back on. It was still making the noise, but it wouldn't boot all the way. Goes throught the Dell splash screen, and the WinXP logo appears like it's starting to load, but then the screen flashes and it starts rebooting all over again and says Windows didn't load properly on the previous attempt and do I want to boot normally, boot into safe mode, boot w/ last known good config, etc. No matter which option I pick, it does the same thing: the WinXP logo comes up for a minute then it starts rebooting again. I'm assuming part of the drive went bad, and it's a part of it where system files are located, since the computer recognizes the drive but it won't boot all the way. Tried using the Windows recovery disk that came with the computer, but it freezes up halfway through repairing it.

What are my options for getting any files that still exist off the HD? The computer itself is a Dell Inspirion 1000 (laptop), single HD, single CD drive (CDRW/DVD combo), and no floppy drive, so I would imagine that the easiest way would be to burn them to a CD somehow. It also has internet access, both wireless and through a home network, but none of the computers on the network are set up for file sharing. I have an external USB HD that I could use to put the files on as well, if I could get the drive into some OS that has USB support. As far as I know, it's not possible to put a laptop HD in a desktop, but if there's a way, I could put it in the computer I'm currently using and see if it recognizes the file system. I guess my question is, what exactly should I do and how exactly do I go about doing it? What software do I need? There's nothing on there that's irreplacable or that I would die without, but it'd be nice to have some of the files back.

Dilbert1234567 · 06-28-2006, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by applesauce

As far as I know, it's not possible to put a laptop HD in a desktop, but if there's a way, I could put it in the computer I'm currently using and see if it recognizes the file system.

well they do make converters
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812203012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812156015
i use it for data recovery on laptop drives. since it seems that the drive is booting, somewhat, (windows logo screen) some if not most of your files are still accessible, plug it into a computer and see what happens, dont forget the power. since the drive is dying, it may take a long time to copy files.

avernus · 06-29-2006, 12:29 AM

Not sure if this will be any help but a program called SpinRite by the GRC corp (www.grc.com) is very good at analysing and retreiving data from hard drives. The main guy at grc programed it in assembly, it bypasses all the normal OS protection and reads the drive bit by bit, anlysing the realiability as it goes. It comes on a bootable CD. I'd use that to retreive the data, then I'd use a live CD to boot and copy the recovered data to a USB external.

I just had to deal with my gfs busted HD and this prog was a life saver. Good luck.

Dilbert1234567 · 06-29-2006, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avernus

Not sure if this will be any help but a program called SpinRite by the GRC corp (www.grc.com) is very good at analysing and retreiving data from hard drives. The main guy at grc programed it in assembly, it bypasses all the normal OS protection and reads the drive bit by bit, anlysing the realiability as it goes. It comes on a bootable CD. I'd use that to retreive the data, then I'd use a live CD to boot and copy the recovered data to a USB external.

I just had to deal with my gfs busted HD and this prog was a life saver. Good luck.

I’ve heard great things about spinrite, I personally use GetData Back http://www.runtime.org/, but that requires an OS to be run under, no bootable CD. I do data recovery to pay the bills. The software is expensive, but most of the 'dead' drives I see are not really dead, but they are having difficulty reading to the point where windows can't load, but if you get them into a second system, you can still read all the files just fine, allot of the time I can just use Norton ghost to copy drive to drive to a new drive and stick the new drive in and it is as if nothing happened

Stug · 06-30-2006, 05:32 AM

Sometimes when a hard drive fails due to general wear and tear it's possible to briefly get it working again by freezing it. The reason they fail is because the drive heads get worn and begin to scrape on the disc platters (which can make a ticking noise as it spins). Freezing the drive in a zip lock (air-tight) bag for 2 or 3 hours can contract the metal enough so that the heads lift back off the disc platters and data can briefly be read again, maybe giving you enough time to pull off any vital data.

I would only suggest this as a final measure i.e. I've got nothing to lose by trying this out...

Let us know how you get on..?

Dilbert1234567 · 06-30-2006, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stug

Sometimes when a hard drive fails due to general wear and tear it's possible to briefly get it working again by freezing it. The reason they fail is because the drive heads get worn and begin to scrape on the disc platters (which can make a ticking noise as it spins). Freezing the drive in a zip lock (air-tight) bag for 2 or 3 hours can contract the metal enough so that the heads lift back off the disc platters and data can briefly be read again, maybe giving you enough time to pull off any vital data.

I would only suggest this as a final measure i.e. I've got nothing to lose by trying this out...

Let us know how you get on..?

its not quite that simple, if you are going to freeze it, you have to be VERY careful about condensation, the water in the air will condense on it after it leaves the freezer so be ready with paper towels so it wont puddle. but this wont work in this case, because the drive is still semi functional, it can still read some files, but not very well, meaning the heads are not stuck.

3Z3VH · 06-30-2006, 05:32 PM

The clicking noise is usually due to the magnet that drives the heads (Think of a needle on a record, and this magnet moves the needle back and forth) getting too weak, so when the head gets too close to the parking magnet (Another magnet that is there so when the drive is not in use, the 'needle' is parked in an un-used part of the disk, so it does not damage data if you drop it), the parking magnet will grab the head, pulling it away from where it should be on the platter to read it's data.

The best way to get data off of it is to slave that hard drive into a machine already running an OS, and copy the data off to another drive (as mentioned before). If that is not an option, and you simply NEED to boot that machine to Windows, about 7 times out of 10 you can get it into Windows for long enough to burn CDs of your data, or copy it off some other way such as through a network. The way you do this is you boot the machine off the Windows 2000 or Windows XP install CD, telling it to go to the Recovery Console (Not the Repair Wizard), and type chkdsk -r at the command prompt. It will go through the Partition Table, and repair any errors it finds, by copying damaged data to a non-damaged part of the hard drive, and by finding lost data where the partition table forgot it was. This will usually (like I said, 7 out of 10) get a failing hard drive up long enough for a backup.

The important part to note about this is; if it does get back into Windows and runs just fine after a Chkdsk, DON'T trust that the machine is fixed. Your drive WILL fail. This is only a temporary measure to get it booted, and the best option is to get your data off that drive.

Marvelous Marv · 07-02-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avernus

Not sure if this will be any help but a program called SpinRite by the GRC corp (www.grc.com) is very good at analysing and retreiving data from hard drives. The main guy at grc programed it in assembly, it bypasses all the normal OS protection and reads the drive bit by bit, anlysing the realiability as it goes. It comes on a bootable CD. I'd use that to retreive the data, then I'd use a live CD to boot and copy the recovered data to a USB external.

I just had to deal with my gfs busted HD and this prog was a life saver. Good luck.

That would be Steve Gibson, and Gibson Research Corp. He's been around a long time, and he's one smart guy.

cyrnel · 07-02-2006, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dilbert1234567

its not quite that simple, if you are going to freeze it, you have to be VERY careful about condensation, the water in the air will condense on it after it leaves the freezer so be ready with paper towels so it wont puddle. but this wont work...

Dilbert, best improv method I found was to attach cables to the drive and then enclose the works in a non-conductive bag before cooling. I'd take the whole thing out and use it still bagged so condensation formed on the bag exterior instead of the drive. Now I have a bench freezer where the drive stays during recovery.

06-28-2006, 09:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
applesauce Upright	dead hard drive I was using my laptop the other day and the HD started making funny noises, kind of like a grinding sound. It did it for a minute or so and stopped, worked fine for another hour or two, started making the noise again, and froze up entirely (still making the noise). Turned it off, let it sit a minute, turned it back on. It was still making the noise, but it wouldn't boot all the way. Goes throught the Dell splash screen, and the WinXP logo appears like it's starting to load, but then the screen flashes and it starts rebooting all over again and says Windows didn't load properly on the previous attempt and do I want to boot normally, boot into safe mode, boot w/ last known good config, etc. No matter which option I pick, it does the same thing: the WinXP logo comes up for a minute then it starts rebooting again. I'm assuming part of the drive went bad, and it's a part of it where system files are located, since the computer recognizes the drive but it won't boot all the way. Tried using the Windows recovery disk that came with the computer, but it freezes up halfway through repairing it. What are my options for getting any files that still exist off the HD? The computer itself is a Dell Inspirion 1000 (laptop), single HD, single CD drive (CDRW/DVD combo), and no floppy drive, so I would imagine that the easiest way would be to burn them to a CD somehow. It also has internet access, both wireless and through a home network, but none of the computers on the network are set up for file sharing. I have an external USB HD that I could use to put the files on as well, if I could get the drive into some OS that has USB support. As far as I know, it's not possible to put a laptop HD in a desktop, but if there's a way, I could put it in the computer I'm currently using and see if it recognizes the file system. I guess my question is, what exactly should I do and how exactly do I go about doing it? What software do I need? There's nothing on there that's irreplacable or that I would die without, but it'd be nice to have some of the files back.

06-29-2006, 12:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
avernus Crazy Location: Bath, UK	Not sure if this will be any help but a program called SpinRite by the GRC corp (www.grc.com) is very good at analysing and retreiving data from hard drives. The main guy at grc programed it in assembly, it bypasses all the normal OS protection and reads the drive bit by bit, anlysing the realiability as it goes. It comes on a bootable CD. I'd use that to retreive the data, then I'd use a live CD to boot and copy the recovered data to a USB external. I just had to deal with my gfs busted HD and this prog was a life saver. Good luck. __________________ I like to browse in occult bookshops if for no other reason than to refresh my commitment to science. -- Heinz Pagels, "The Dreams of Reason"

06-30-2006, 05:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
Stug Crazy Location: UK	Freeze it? Sometimes when a hard drive fails due to general wear and tear it's possible to briefly get it working again by freezing it. The reason they fail is because the drive heads get worn and begin to scrape on the disc platters (which can make a ticking noise as it spins). Freezing the drive in a zip lock (air-tight) bag for 2 or 3 hours can contract the metal enough so that the heads lift back off the disc platters and data can briefly be read again, maybe giving you enough time to pull off any vital data. I would only suggest this as a final measure i.e. I've got nothing to lose by trying this out... Let us know how you get on..? __________________ and so ends the thought process for another day...

06-30-2006, 05:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
3Z3VH Tilted	The clicking noise is usually due to the magnet that drives the heads (Think of a needle on a record, and this magnet moves the needle back and forth) getting too weak, so when the head gets too close to the parking magnet (Another magnet that is there so when the drive is not in use, the 'needle' is parked in an un-used part of the disk, so it does not damage data if you drop it), the parking magnet will grab the head, pulling it away from where it should be on the platter to read it's data. The best way to get data off of it is to slave that hard drive into a machine already running an OS, and copy the data off to another drive (as mentioned before). If that is not an option, and you simply NEED to boot that machine to Windows, about 7 times out of 10 you can get it into Windows for long enough to burn CDs of your data, or copy it off some other way such as through a network. The way you do this is you boot the machine off the Windows 2000 or Windows XP install CD, telling it to go to the Recovery Console (Not the Repair Wizard), and type chkdsk -r at the command prompt. It will go through the Partition Table, and repair any errors it finds, by copying damaged data to a non-damaged part of the hard drive, and by finding lost data where the partition table forgot it was. This will usually (like I said, 7 out of 10) get a failing hard drive up long enough for a backup. The important part to note about this is; if it does get back into Windows and runs just fine after a Chkdsk, DON'T trust that the machine is fixed. Your drive WILL fail. This is only a temporary measure to get it booted, and the best option is to get your data off that drive. Last edited by 3Z3VH; 06-30-2006 at 05:34 PM..