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OMG - How screwed are you when your HDD goes click click?!?!?

GasX

Lifer
It crashed and the OS HDD is clicking every second or so. I assume the drive is dead, but is ALL data lost or is there any way to retrieve a few key files?

It is quite possible that my fiance just lost her entire business plan she has been working on for two months... :Q:|:Q:|
 
You're probably very screwed. There's a chance you could retrieve it yourself...but odds are you'd have to go to a data recovery firm which naturally isn't cheap.
 
Try hooking it up as a slave on another system and give it a while before you actually power it up. It's happened to me and I've got it working long enough to pull data off of it. Unless we're talking like no power on whatsoever and just strictly clicking, there's a possible chance.

-silver
 
There's some sort of Freezer trick, and don't quote me on this, go out and find it or wait till someone posts it here.

But I think if you stick it in the freezer for a few, it'll put a little life back in it or something, just long enough for data recovery. I THINK. Wait till someone comes in here, and tells me to shut the hell up and that I have no idea what I'm talking about.





KeyserSoze
 
How should I go about retriving files? I can set-up another box and access it via network, but I don't know what is stored in shared directories. I can also use a win98 boot disk...

Any other options?
 
Originally posted by: Mwilding
It crashed and the OS HDD is clicking every second or so. I assume the drive is dead, but is ALL data lost or is there any way to retrieve a few key files?

It is quite possible that my fiance just lost her entire business plan she has been working on for two months... :Q:|:Q:|

Umm, I lost 114GB on a dead 120GB..If anyone should be crying it is me...


I lost 4-6+ yrs of duments..e.ven my resume.
 
Originally posted by: KeyserSoze
There's some sort of Freezer trick, and don't quote me on this, go out and find it or wait till someone posts it here.

But I think if you stick it in the freezer for a few, it'll put a little life back in it or something, just long enough for data recovery. I THINK. Wait till someone comes in here, and tells me to shut the hell up and that I have no idea what I'm talking about.





KeyserSoze

Yeah, pop it in the freezer and then try to recover stuff from it qucikly...very quickly.
 
Twice I have managed to get data off of failing hard drives. One just degraded slowly over time, clicking more and more and getting slower and slower. The other had sudden physical failures in the system area. Both times I just got lucky and got them running normally long enough to copy important files.

Good luck. You need that the most, I think. 🙁
 
Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
yep, just pop that sucker in the freezer (prolly overnight should do), and then see if you can get your stuff out of it.
Should be about as cold as it's going to get after an hour, maybe two if your freezer is teh suck. Maybe 3 for good measure. 😉
 
Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
yep, just pop that sucker in the freezer (prolly overnight should do), and then see if you can get your stuff out of it.

Dont forget the zip lock bag.
 
Well, so far I have rescued the most important directory, but there are still some vital files to be rescued.

The drive was being detected and one time I got access to it via my Win98 boot disk. I copied all the files I could onto a usb zip drive with the only issue being truncated file names.

The fvcker is now chilling in the freezer and hopefully it will work,even for just a few minutes, in the morning.

fingers crossed...
 
Originally posted by: Mwilding
Well, so far I have rescued the most important directory, but there are still some vital files to be rescued.

The drive was being detected and one time I got access to it via my Win98 boot disk. I copied all the files I could onto a usb zip drive with the only issue being truncated file names.

The fvcker is now chilling in the freezer and hopefully it will work,even for just a few minutes, in the morning.

fingers crossed...
You're in a bind trying to remove data from a drive quickly and you're using a boot disk and a zip drive? Ugg...don't you have another drive/system you can boot with the failing drive as slave?

What is it, an ibm deathstar?

 
Originally posted by: KK
What is the freezer method supposed to do?

KK
It's supposed to temporarily alleviate some stress on the drive mechanics (ie motor bearings, head-arm bearings, heads).

It's supposed to temporarily alleviate some stress on the drive mechanics (ie motor bearings, head-arm bearings, heads).

It's supposed to temporarily alleviate some stress on the drive mechanics (ie motor bearings, head-arm bearings, heads).
 
Originally posted by: ThisIsMattYou're in a bind trying to remove data from a drive quickly and you're using a boot disk and a zip drive? Ugg...don't you have another drive/system you can boot with the failing drive as slave?

What is it, an ibm deathstar?
Western Digital 300BB 30GB 7200rpm

I made a trip to my apartment (problem is with my PC at my fiance's place). I could try making the bad HDD a slave on this box...

How long after I take it out of the freezer can I start trying it?

 
Originally posted by: Mwilding
Originally posted by: ThisIsMattYou're in a bind trying to remove data from a drive quickly and you're using a boot disk and a zip drive? Ugg...don't you have another drive/system you can boot with the failing drive as slave?

What is it, an ibm deathstar?
Western Digital 300BB 30GB 7200rpm

I made a trip to my apartment (problem is with my PC at my fiance's place). I could try making the bad HDD a slave on this box...

How long after I take it out of the freezer can I start trying it?
Immediately. Freezer --> PC.

 
Had my hard drive do that a while back..got a new bigger hard drive about week after, everything was still good to transfer over, and I'm left with a bigger hard drive 🙂
 
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