HDD failure. What can be done to recover files?
 

My second HDD isn't recognized by BIOS and is making clicking noises. It was working a little just after the failure, but very slowly and after scandisk, it crashed completely.

While there are some essential files left, what can I do to access the data on this disk? The only crazy thought I have, is to put magnetic data container into a new HDD of the same model. That sounds possible but extremely risky.

What else could be done?
Once again, BIOS doesn't see it and it's making clicking sounds.

if the BIOS doesn't recognize it i don't think you much options...

have fun switching disks! any bit of invisible dust that lands on it will only add to ur problem, lol

do u know what the clicking noise is? it's the head hitting the disks. that damages the disks which destroys data. even if u did -- somehow -- switched out the disks they will still be damaged from the head hitting them.

doesn't sound good, your best bet is to take it to a professional firm dealing with data recovery...

Wow...that sounds bad...good luck and hope you find a solution:upsidedow

You can go to a company of HDD recovery and pay a big amount of $

like $500 with no promises.

Shit... $500 would be a dream. If it has to go to a class 100 clean room try a few 1000 minimum. From the sounds of it that's exactly where it would need to be heading for actual data recovery with the clicking noise of death.

That said if the data is really important to you try to get a free evaluation with a data recovery specialist if possible. They'll be able to address exactly what the problem is and hopefully it isn't as bad as it seems.

I had the exact same thing happen and used Restorer 2000 Pro Edition (restorer2000.com) to recover the data from my second hard drive. The program really worked great, and detected the files from the drive even when the bios was not finding the drive. I lost less than 1% of the files from a full 160 gig drive; all the rest were recovered in perfect condition. They have a free evaluation, so you can download that and make sure it is finding your files before you pay for the program. It worked great for me, and was way cheaper than trying the data recovery route. Best of luck with getting your stuff back.

Good advice by socalkey. There is also another program called r-studio that has worked for me in the past, high rate of recovery and in many cases can restore directory structure as well.

check these guys, not to expensive and the have a recovery rate of 99%
http://www.aurora.se/data-recovery.htm

yeah the professional data recovery is a solution for you and since there are so many data recovery firms the prices are not so high as before...

I've got a HD that stopped in 1999 that I'm going to recover someday. It will be a real trip.

try using BartPe its free and comes with disc utilities. it boots of a CD and runs XP. i have used it sucsessfuly a lot of times to recover dead HD's.

I used SpinRite on a hard drive that wasn't recognized by the BIOS and got everything back fine. It's a great tool. It took 24+ hours running but it solved the problem.

im pretty sure you can replace that pc board on the bottom of the disk and it'll spin again.. if its clicking, sounds like its not spinning properly.. also if it's a seagate drive you should look into seeing if you have that 5 year warranty they rock out.

If information is really valuable, you have to bring your HDD to some big dara recovery company (big = they have class 100 clean room and licences from all HDD manufacturers). If there is no such a company in your area and if you do not have time to send your HDD to data recovery company, you can try online service at http://binarybiz.com/hddrepair/index.html
It's unbelievable, but they can repair your HDD even if it cannot be detected by BIOS (and all other software just cannot see physical device on your system).

Clicking means that the platters are fucked and the arm can't operate.

You are pretty well fucked, so just bang it hard and try it after in a USB box ( just because it is faster that ide and reboot... Hit it again ...

I did that on a maxtor this week, got my data ; it started clicking again, so I returned it to maxtor...

drivesavers if you really want to recover the files

You might luck out if it's stiction. Take the drive out, hold it so that the drive is on its side -- like this:

.___.
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.___.

Grip it on the sides and give it a hard shake in one forward rolling motion. Do this a few times and put it back in and see if that solves the problem. This is a move that computer manufacturers NEVER talk about. It's saved my ass more than once in the past. If not, no harm no foul. Just don't drop the drive or strike it against anything while you're doing this, obviously.

Send it to DriveSavers

They are the industry leaders and should have no problem getting the data off.

from their page:
Warning: If your hard drive emits unusual noises (clicking, grinding or metal scraping), turn it off immediately! This symptom typically indicates a head crash that can destroy your data. Hard drives spin with extreme speed - from 7,200 to 15,000 revolutions per minute - therefore extensive damage can occur in a short period of time. Contact DriveSavers immediately, as this situation demands professional recovery in a Cleanroom environment.

The "click of death" is generally caused by the heads not being able to read the tracks correctly, attempting to reset themselves, and hitting the stop at their end-of-travel.

Don't even THINK of changing the logic board on the drive or opening the sealed assembly; the logic board (even from an identical drive) contains info in firmware that is unique to the individual drive and you will make matters worse. And opening the sealed assembly, except in a clean room, will pretty much destroy the drive.

There is one thing that you can try that has actually worked for me a few times. It sounds crazy, but putting the disk in the freezer (inside several plastic bags, to prevent moisture) and then trying to read it while still frozen may buy you a few minutes of read time. I'm not sure why this works -- one theory is the cold makes a minute difference in the head's relation to the platters -- but I've tried it on about 8 drives, and it's worked about half of the time. But if it does work, you will get maybe 5-15 minutes of good read time before it starts failing again, so get your most important stuff off first.

Generally speaking, no software will work on a drive with a click-of-death problem, and running a drive that is constantly clicking will cause further damage to the drive (either the platters or the heads) so if the freezing solution doesn't work, send it off somewhere for recovery.

Hope that helps!