Dead IBM Hard Drive - what are my options?

rajatQ2 · 08-12-2007, 08:33 PM

Hey There,
my mom's IBM 40gb hard drive failed (ic35l020aver07). It is in her Dell 4300, and i've narrowed everything down to the hard drive. The Bios doesn't even recognize it as a hard drive anymore.

So, my question is, what are my options? Reasonably priced data recovery? Chuck it and hope my mom has a backup?

I am not sure if she has backed up her files. She is on vacation now, and prepared all of her coursework before leaving. She is a professor. Not sure how good she is at backing up, so i'd appreciate any and all suggestions. She'll be in deep sh** if her work is lost.

I've heard of some people stealing the circuitboard out of a functioning Deathstar hd, and plugging it into the bad one, and having everything work.

brainsmile · 08-12-2007, 09:12 PM

coaster?

rajatQ2 · 08-12-2007, 09:22 PM

thanks for thread crapping brainsmile. i really really appreciate it.

she did not back up anything. i just talked to her

GilbertsGrape · 08-12-2007, 09:30 PM

http://www.gillware.com/

If you call Hatchi and ask about data recovery this is who the recomend. Cheapest place i know of

also try puting the drive in another PC as a slave drive (disconect the CD rom and put the bad drive in it's place then dronload R studio I have used it several times and saved lots of ppl's stuff with. free to try and not too $ to buy if it finds your data.

also there is nothere one called Bad disk i think i have used it too

mechmike0034 · 08-12-2007, 10:13 PM

Put the drive in an external enclosure, or slave it into another machine and see if you can access the files.

You can also try this in reverse - if you have a USB external drive for backup, plug it into her machine and then boot the machine from one of the live Linux distros (Puppy Linux works great for this...) that has read/write access to NTFS. Mount the failing drive and try to copy the files you need off of it.

brainsmile · 08-12-2007, 10:24 PM

I'm not crapping... I know it sucks when this happens. I'm just saying that there isn't much success I've had with dead drives. You're the one that suggested one of the options was to chuck it. I'm just choosing one of your suggestions.

The only thing I can think about is if it is in NTFS there's a program that called
http://www.runtime.org/gdb.htm

Does the drive even spin?

johnnymk · 08-12-2007, 11:00 PM

What about putting the drive in a freezer first? I have read that this sometimes works.

Jeffbx · 08-13-2007, 05:54 AM

Does it make noise when it's powered up? If it clicks or grinds, you may as well just toss it in the garbage, or plan on shelling out anywhere from $500-2000 for data recovery - the noise means the heads have crashed or are no longer operational.

If it's quiet (totally dead) or sounds normal, you have a much better chance of recovery.

The method you mention about swapping circuit boards is a good one, assuming you can find an identical drive to swap it from (and assuming the heads have not crashed). If it's still spinning, you can also try the freezer trick that JMK mentioned - wrap it in a plastic bag, freeze it for a few hours & then try again. As with most electronics, it's more stable at lower temps & you may be able to get it up long enough to grab the most valuable files from it.

Here are a few more to try:

200 ways to revive a hard drive

DarkFury · 08-13-2007, 06:51 AM

It is scenarios like this that I'm an extreme advocate of having multiple drives in a PC plus actively using Ghost to backup my files.

Barring a complete catastrophe (i.e. the house burning down) your data is safe and sound.

Sorry to hear about your Mom's drive.. hopefully she won't be in too deep sh@t, considering that it wasn't her fault that the drive failed.

Paymaster · 08-13-2007, 11:35 AM

Another vote for the freezer trick if it is still spinning. I had a seagate drive die just a month ago. It started clicking, so I kicked off a ghost run to another drive. It failed, so I kicked it off again. It failed again, and wouldn't even boot.

Popped that puppy in the freezer for a couple of hours, and was able to run it for ~20 minutes as a slave drive to copy the data off.

A few more hours in the freezer gave me another 20 minutes. I then left in in the freezer overnight, and was able to keep it running for 1 hour. Some of the files had been damaged, but otherwise I fully recovered all my data!

Grest · 10-09-2007, 11:16 PM

Recovery of Data from physically crashed hard drive require data recovery services. For data recovery services you can consult SPAM REMOVED, they are capable of recovering data from virtually any kind of data loss situation, from logical media crashes caused primarily due to Accidental formatting of hard disk, Invalid Drive & disk specification, Accidental Deletion of Data even from Recycle bin / Sabotage, Data Lost due to a virus attack, Missing File/Directory Or Accidental re-partitioning to physical media crashes caused due to mal-function of Read/Write Head assemblies and PCB/Logic Board failures.

Welcome to the forums, Grest. In the future, please limit all spam posts to the appropriate forum. Thank you

- GAM

08-12-2007, 08:33 PM	#1
rajatQ2 Commander Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: boston, ma Posts: 1,020	Dead IBM Hard Drive - what are my options? Hey There, my mom's IBM 40gb hard drive failed (ic35l020aver07). It is in her Dell 4300, and i've narrowed everything down to the hard drive. The Bios doesn't even recognize it as a hard drive anymore. So, my question is, what are my options? Reasonably priced data recovery? Chuck it and hope my mom has a backup? I am not sure if she has backed up her files. She is on vacation now, and prepared all of her coursework before leaving. She is a professor. Not sure how good she is at backing up, so i'd appreciate any and all suggestions. She'll be in deep sh** if her work is lost. I've heard of some people stealing the circuitboard out of a functioning Deathstar hd, and plugging it into the bad one, and having everything work. __________________ Find some free Comcast or Verizon on-demand movies to watch at home tonight: www.movie-cat.tv

08-12-2007, 09:12 PM	#2
brainsmile Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: woah... why is welfareloser here with me so early in the morning and more importantly why am I wearing her clothes?!? Posts: 13,754	coaster? __________________ ********************************** DCM #1 (Founder) "Nobody beats Vitus Gerulaitis 18 times in a row." - Vitus Gerulaitis on beating Jimmy Connors after 17 failed attempts.

08-12-2007, 10:13 PM	#5
mechmike0034 aka the keg killer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ala-effin'-bama! Posts: 2,738	Put the drive in an external enclosure, or slave it into another machine and see if you can access the files. You can also try this in reverse - if you have a USB external drive for backup, plug it into her machine and then boot the machine from one of the live Linux distros (Puppy Linux works great for this...) that has read/write access to NTFS. Mount the failing drive and try to copy the files you need off of it. __________________ "The price of progress is trouble." (C. F. "Boss" Kettering) "50% of the American public has below-average intelligence. 70% of the American public now has regular access to the Internet. Do the math." (unknown)

08-12-2007, 10:24 PM	#6
brainsmile Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: woah... why is welfareloser here with me so early in the morning and more importantly why am I wearing her clothes?!? Posts: 13,754	I'm not crapping... I know it sucks when this happens. I'm just saying that there isn't much success I've had with dead drives. You're the one that suggested one of the options was to chuck it. I'm just choosing one of your suggestions. The only thing I can think about is if it is in NTFS there's a program that called http://www.runtime.org/gdb.htm Does the drive even spin? Last edited by brainsmile : 08-12-2007 at 10:27 PM.

08-13-2007, 06:51 AM	#9
DarkFury Secretary of the Navy Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood Posts: 34,997	It is scenarios like this that I'm an extreme advocate of having multiple drives in a PC plus actively using Ghost to backup my files. Barring a complete catastrophe (i.e. the house burning down) your data is safe and sound. Sorry to hear about your Mom's drive.. hopefully she won't be in too deep sh@t, considering that it wasn't her fault that the drive failed. __________________ DarkFury's Pimptopia - Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game! Home of the Original OG Pimp (accept NO imitations)

08-12-2007, 09:22 PM	#3
rajatQ2 Commander Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: boston, ma Posts: 1,020	thanks for thread crapping brainsmile. i really really appreciate it. she did not back up anything. i just talked to her

08-12-2007, 09:30 PM	#4
GilbertsGrape Captain Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: You can’t get there from here, USA Posts: 1,797	http://www.gillware.com/ If you call Hatchi and ask about data recovery this is who the recomend. Cheapest place i know of also try puting the drive in another PC as a slave drive (disconect the CD rom and put the bad drive in it's place then dronload R studio I have used it several times and saved lots of ppl's stuff with. free to try and not too $ to buy if it finds your data. also there is nothere one called Bad disk i think i have used it too

08-12-2007, 11:00 PM	#7
johnnymk Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2000 Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA Posts: 13,621	What about putting the drive in a freezer first? I have read that this sometimes works.

08-13-2007, 05:54 AM	#8
Jeffbx Fleet Admiral Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Michigan Posts: 9,390	Does it make noise when it's powered up? If it clicks or grinds, you may as well just toss it in the garbage, or plan on shelling out anywhere from $500-2000 for data recovery - the noise means the heads have crashed or are no longer operational. If it's quiet (totally dead) or sounds normal, you have a much better chance of recovery. The method you mention about swapping circuit boards is a good one, assuming you can find an identical drive to swap it from (and assuming the heads have not crashed). If it's still spinning, you can also try the freezer trick that JMK mentioned - wrap it in a plastic bag, freeze it for a few hours & then try again. As with most electronics, it's more stable at lower temps & you may be able to get it up long enough to grab the most valuable files from it. Here are a few more to try: 200 ways to revive a hard drive

08-13-2007, 11:35 AM	#10
Paymaster Commander Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Middle Earth Posts: 1,367	Another vote for the freezer trick if it is still spinning. I had a seagate drive die just a month ago. It started clicking, so I kicked off a ghost run to another drive. It failed, so I kicked it off again. It failed again, and wouldn't even boot. Popped that puppy in the freezer for a couple of hours, and was able to run it for ~20 minutes as a slave drive to copy the data off. A few more hours in the freezer gave me another 20 minutes. I then left in in the freezer overnight, and was able to keep it running for 1 hour. Some of the files had been damaged, but otherwise I fully recovered all my data! __________________ "eh, take your opinion and shove it... somewhere else other than this thread" ~ welfareloser

10-09-2007, 11:16 PM	#11
Grest Plebe Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1	Recovery of Data from physically crashed hard drive require data recovery services. For data recovery services you can consult SPAM REMOVED, they are capable of recovering data from virtually any kind of data loss situation, from logical media crashes caused primarily due to Accidental formatting of hard disk, Invalid Drive & disk specification, Accidental Deletion of Data even from Recycle bin / Sabotage, Data Lost due to a virus attack, Missing File/Directory Or Accidental re-partitioning to physical media crashes caused due to mal-function of Read/Write Head assemblies and PCB/Logic Board failures. Welcome to the forums, Grest. In the future, please limit all spam posts to the appropriate forum. Thank you - GAM Last edited by Got Apex Moderator : 10-10-2007 at 07:14 AM.

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