How much does it typically cost to recover data from a HD?

[MotionMan]

A friend of mines 30GB notebook hard drive died. Of course, she has never made a backup of anything. I have tried all I can to get the data off the HD, including the Freezer Trick.

The only thing I can think of is to send it to one of those data recovery companies. Unfortunately, they require you to jump through some hoops before you can get some idea of the cost of the procedure.

I know every case is somewhat unique, but, assuming it is not that complicated of a procedure, what is the range of how much it should cost to recover data from a 30GB 2.5" notebook HD?

Thanks.

MotionMan

 

[RebateMonger]

Without knowing what's wrong with the drive, it's pretty tough to guess.

Replace bad circuit board = $500
Replace bad motor = $750 - $1000
Repair damaged head and platters = $1000 to $2000.

Maybe. This are, to a degree, guesses on my part. I could be a bit on the high side. But not by more than 50%.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Without knowing what's wrong with the drive, it's pretty tough to guess.

Bad circuit board = $500
Bad motor = $750 - $1000
Damaged head and platters = $1000 to $2000.

Maybe.

Ouch!

I assumed they took the platters out of the casing and put them in another compatible casing. From your response, it sounds like they find compatible replacement parts (after figuring out what the problem is and assuming it is not the platters) and rebuild the existing HD. Is that right?

MotionMan

 

[RebateMonger]

They aren't going to move the platters unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Re-aligning platters is a BIG deal. Yeah. They'd just replace any failed components (PC Board, motor, or head) with suitable parts.

You can find links to several hours of educational videos on hard drive repair at http://myharddrivedied.com/presentations Scott Moulton also explains why putting the hard drive in the freezer isn't the best idea in the world if the data is really important.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
They aren't going to move the platters unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Re-aligning platters is a BIG deal.

You can find links to several hours of educational videos on hard drive repair at http://myharddrivedied.com/presentations

Thanks, but LOL, she is not good enough of a friend for me to learn how to repair HDs then try to fix hers.

MotionMan

 

[MadAmos]

You could also try Dave here he was able to recover a 20 gig hard drive for me last year that nothing would recognize. YMMV

Amos

 

[Shawn]

I was able to recover data from a hard drive that had a bad circuit board. All I did was buy an identical drive off ebay and switch the boards. It's usually not that easy though.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Shawn
I was able to recover data from a hard drive that had a bad circuit board. All I did was buy an identical drive off ebay and switch the boards. It's usually not that easy though.

Coming from a laptop will likely make it tougher to find a suitable replacement, too. Unfortunately. It probably makes it harder to work on, too.

A couple of folks have mentioned "Dave", always favorably, in these Forums. His prices seem to be a bit lower than the bigger companies.

 

[porcorosso]

Well, before you go the expensive route -- you didn't specifically say that you had tried slaving the drive on another system. If you haven't tried that, I'd give it a shot before going to a data recovery company. But freezer tricks and attempts to reboot the drive as a system drive are not really good ideas in that they can make recovery of the data harder to accomplish.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: porcorosso
Well, before you go the expensive route -- you didn't specifically say that you had tried slaving the drive on another system. If you haven't tried that, I'd give it a shot before going to a data recovery company. But freezer tricks and attempts to reboot the drive as a system drive are not really good ideas in that they can make recovery of the data harder to accomplish.

I am specifically saying that I tried slaving the drive on another system.
I am also specifically saying that I tried slaving the drive on another system as part of the Freezer Trick.
I am also specifically saying that I tried the above only once each to try to avoid causing any further damages.



MotionMan

 

[KB]

I have heard that this tool can sometimes fix a HD if it isn't an actuator arm/platter problem: http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm

 

[porcorosso]

I am specifically saying that you have specifically overcome any specific doubts I may have had.

Ya, it sounds like a job for OnTrack or someone similar. But you really have to want the data back to do that.

Hey, did you get to give your friend the "Thou shalt always back up thy data!" sermon? I love giving people that sermon. If you work it right you can sound sincerely sympathetic whilst tweaking them for being dumb. It's about the only guilty passive-aggressive behavior I allow myself!

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: porcorosso
I am specifically saying that you have specifically overcome any specific doubts I may have had.

Ya, it sounds like a job for OnTrack or someone similar. But you really have to want the data back to do that.

Hey, did you get to give your friend the "Thou shalt always back up thy data!" sermon? I love giving people that sermon. If you work it right you can sound sincerely sympathetic whilst tweaking them for being dumb. It's about the only guilty passive-aggressive behavior I allow myself!

She has decided that, rather than buy a new HD, she is going to get a new notebook (this one is about 5-6 years old - only 30GB HD). She asked me for recommendations. I told her some things to look for and then added:

"You have to absolutely make sure it has a CD/DVD writer!!!" (Which, BTW, her current one does.)
"Why?", she asks.
"That way you can make backups and not lose five years of data again."
"Shut up."

(I need to make a back tonite. I feel like the Backup Gods are watching me.)

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: KB
I have heard that this tool can sometimes fix a HD if it isn't an actuator arm/platter problem: http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm

I have not been able to confirm that the HD is even spinning up. I doubt it.

I think it is really, really, dead.

MotionMan

 

[RebateMonger]

Be forewarned that DVDs are not exactly the safest way to do backups. Most folks are too lazy to do them, and you can't really guarantee that a particular DVD will be readable if you need the data.

Get a portable USB hard drive. They are dirt cheap nowadays. The commercial ones usually include a "one-touch-backup" solution. Just be sure she understands WHAT data is being backed up, though. If it only backs up "My Documents", and she saves her files elsewhere, it'd be good to know that.

 

[porcorosso]

Another opinion on backup methods.

I've been an avid backer-upper ever since it had to be done with floppies. Hard drives are good for certain types of backup purposes, but there's a place for "permanent" backups, too. I've been using optical discs since they first became available -- the old cartridge type discs, then writeable and rewriteable CDs and DVDs. I haven't had any of them fail on me short actual damage happening to the disc.

However, I do all of my data backups to optical disc as DAO -- none of that drag and drop crap that hoses the ToC and leaves you with an unrecoverable muddle instead of a genuine backup. And I only use the rewriteable discs for rotating backups in parallel with permanent writes to write-once discs. I always do verified writes, and then check them using a folder / file comparison utility every few weeks. I've found optical discs to be a lot more reliable than anything but the most expensive tape systems.

The external hard drive is a nice, easy, quick way to do a backup. But it's certainly not adequate for all purposes. And I've seen that most people who use this method tend to leave the drives attached to their systems and not stored in a safe place. So what happens to the system happens to the attached hard drive. A friend actually lost both her primary office system and the 500 gig "backup drive" her brother set up for her during an electric storm. No other backup == no backup at all, in that case.

 

[pdqcarrera]

Not to argue with ya porcorosso, but as someone who has a household with 3 notebooks and knows that (for the vast majority of people) if it's not really easy it doesn't get done ... well, I agree with RebateMonger & recommend the USB to external drive route with automated backup utility. We plug 'em in at bedtime and let 'em do their thing. From my own personal experience it's proven a whole lot easier, faster and actually more reliable than CDR. Of course YMMV, IMHO, etc., etc... ;-)

-- AND --

Always get your AC power from a regulated power supply preferably an uninterruptable power supply. They are very cheap insurance. This includes notebooks (when plugged in of course ;-).

Cheers!

 

[porcorosso]

Heh. For at least some people a serious data loss will help them achieve the motivation needed to be sure that the backups to external media do get done. I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who get kicked in the left grape and offer the right one.



Now, insofar as where you get your power from -- depending upon the strike, the very best regulated power supply still may not provide the needed protection. In the case of data loss I mentioned earlier the lightning strike took out a 7 by 2 foot long section of wall of my friend's office and incinerated the system. Only remote storage of the backup will save your data in a situation like that, or in the much more likely scenario of fire or flood. My physical backups go to a safety deposit box on the other side of a ridge every weekend. And I back up some extremely important stuff (a couple of gigs) to remote servers.

But, yeah, I'm paranoid. On the other hand, we'd pretty much have to suffer a big asteroid hit or a nuclear war in order for me to lose my most important data.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: porcorosso
And I've seen that most people who use this method tend to leave the drives attached to their systems and not stored in a safe place.

That's why my "best practices" recommendation is two use at least two USB drives and keep one as far away and as safe as possible. For businesses, I recommend a minimum of three hard drives, with at leasst two drives being stored offsite at all times.

 

[Rhoxed]

Data loss is something any computer user will experience. Whether it be important docs or just useless files that you didnt have a back-up of. Recently i lost over 1TB of data over 4HD's during a Florida thunderstorm. Of course i have back-up dvd's but not even close to 1TB worth. I have important files, pics, progs, and music on disc, but lost over 130 High Definition video files due to lack of space and time to back it all up (each file ranging from 4GB to 22GB)

 

[porcorosso]

I guess I'm just partially stuck back in the "time bomb" mentality. Was anyone here, besides me, affected by Ashton-Tate and the DB III+ memo field fiasco? With issues like that one you were safest having a complete backup for at least each week, if not each day, over the history of the database. (You didn't learn about the corruption until several generations of data backups had been saved.) Folks using rotating backups lost years' worth of data. Many of the people I knew who got bitten were grad students who simply lost their ability to complete their theses. I realize the scenario is not likely to ever be repeated, but...

Because of the type of systems analysis I do I need to preserve, for quite a long time, snapshots (for want of a better term) of the data set and software accumulation at various points in time. A long series of permanent (also, for lack of a better term; after all, what the heck is "permanent"?) backups is the only practical solution for me.

But I can see that, for folks who use their systems as attics and basements, which is how I'm sure most people use computers, rotating backups on external drives are a good idea -- provided they take the precautions you recommend.

 

[MotionMan]

Call the thread police, my thread has been hijacked!!!



MotionMan

 

[porcorosso]

Sew sari!

<snark>

But our discussion was tangentially related to helping your friend avoid future embarrassments.

.
.
.

I'll shut up now.

 

[pdqcarrera]

ROTFLMBO ... Yeah the tangent thingy happened, but only cuz we care.
While I can't help cure what's already happened, I'll be happy to offer prophylactic advice to prevent a reoccurrence.

OK - to answer your question - back on topic now - Google "hard drive data recovery" adding your local area (assuming you want it local and quick) and see what comes up.
I paid a ~$350 flat rate about 4 years ago for data recovery off a laptop drive, but I'm in SoCal and there's a ton of competition here for this business.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: pdqcarrera
ROTFLMBO ... Yeah the tangent thingy happened, but only cuz we care.
While I can't help cure what's already happened, I'll be happy to offer prophylactic advice to prevent a reoccurrence.

OK - to answer your question - back on topic now - Google "hard drive data recovery" adding your local area (assuming you want it local and quick) and see what comes up.
I paid a ~$350 flat rate about 4 years ago for data recovery off a laptop drive, but I'm in SoCal and there's a ton of competition here for this business.

I am in So. Cal. and have not been able to find anyplace for less than $500.



MotionMan