Options for recovering data

[Craig234]

I have a mostly full 3TB HD that went bad (after only 1 year use). The PC won't boot while it's plugged in.

I'm wondering what options I have for data racovery to a new 5TB drive I have.

I can't see a simple one since I can't plug the drive in, and would rather avoid an expensive service.

Any other ideas? And what should I do about all the programs the OS thinks are installed on the HD now? (Windows 10).

 

[VirtualLarry]

If the system hangs with the drive connected, and/or the BIOS won't detect it properly, then really your only option is to send it off for recovery, or try the "Freezer trick" (only if you're NOT going to send it off for recovery).

If the system detects it still, and accessing it doesn't hang the OS, then you can use DD_RESCUE in Linux to back it up. Look it up.

A third option, would be warranty recovery service. If this was one of the "problematic 3TB Seagate DM drives", I think that Seagate was at one point offering free data-recovery through them, under warranty. That's kind of a long shot, though, and I may be mis-remembering, that might have been for their 1.5TB drives in the past, that had the Identify Drive / Log error issue. (There's a way to fix that, with a USB serial cable, and some modding / soldering, and a low-level program.)

 

[Craig234]

Problem is I bought the drive a while before using it, so I expect the warranty is gone.

Assuming I just trash the drive, how should I deal with all the programs the OS thinks are installed on the now gone HD?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Assuming I just trash the drive, how should I deal with all the programs the OS thinks are installed on the now gone HD?

Well, you could re-install Windows on your boot drive, or just ... I dunno, delete the shortcuts out of your desktop and Start Menu point to those programs, and go into the registry and start "cleaning up the crumbs". But seriously, I recommend a re-install. Either that, or take EACH of those programs, and re-install them "overtop" of the old install, but pointed to another drive or the OS drive, thus updating the shortcuts in the registry and on the start menu to the new location. (This may or may not be feasible, depending on their installer was written.)

Another option, would be to use Revo Un-installer (Pro), to remove the "leftovers" from those programs. (Pro version is a paid option.)

Edit: If this is just a bunch of Steam games, then just install a new HDD, and install Steam, if it won't run, and then just re-download and install all of your games. (May take a while.)

 

[Craig234]

Well, you could re-install Windows on your boot drive, or just ... I dunno, delete the shortcuts out of your desktop and Start Menu point to those programs, and go into the registry and start "cleaning up the crumbs". But seriously, I recommend a re-install. Either that, or take EACH of those programs, and re-install them "overtop" of the old install, but pointed to another drive or the OS drive, thus updating the shortcuts in the registry and on the start menu to the new location. (This may or may not be feasible, depending on their installer was written.)

Another option, would be to use Revo Un-installer (Pro), to remove the "leftovers" from those programs. (Pro version is a paid option.)

Edit: If this is just a bunch of Steam games, then just install a new HDD, and install Steam, if it won't run, and then just re-download and install all of your games. (May take a while.)

There's a bunch of Steam games mostly, and since Steam won't run (probably installed on the HD) I'll re-install it. I'm checking more important files, and some are fine, but one text file says it's 80 bytes long but is empty when opened. Hm. Now off to some important tax files needed... are they lost?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Now off to some important tax files needed... are they lost?

I hate to needle you about this, but ... things like "tax documents" should probably be "backed-up" in multiple places. They do make (inexpensive) Portable External HDDs, around $50-60 for 1TB, $60-80 for 2TB.

Maybe for the future, at least. I've witnessed too many people lose the "only" copy of important files, sometimes to sudden drive failure or power glitch that kills their PC or storage or SSD, and sometimes even due to lifespan issues on their HDD, that is failing, and they continued to use it, and never backed up.

Hopefully you have another copy squirreled away somewhere, and if not, I hope that you will do so in the future. It took me losing an entire HDD of downloaded, but mostly-irreplacable stuff, to learn to backup. I still don't do it enough, but at least I have a few, both "online", and "cold".

Buy one of these:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822107170&ignorebbr=1
And two of these:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149697&ignorebbr=1

That should be enough to set up a nice little 4TB NAS unit with RAID mirroring, so if one drive dies, you won't lose your data. Note that, this is still NOT A BACKUP, unless you have SECOND COPY somewhere, either on your primary machine, or also on a portable external HDD, and HOPEFULLY A THIRD COPY somewhere.

But it will give you a sort of "repository" for your important documents (though, probably not your Steam games), that will store them away from your main machine, and optionally, it has Cloud options, etc.

Or, you can manually make a "cold" backup to portable external HDD.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149706&ignorebbr=1

$57 or so shipped, for a 2TB Portable External. Good insurance. Can be put in a safe-deposit box. (Although, I recommend using encryption, or at least, an encrypted ZIP or RAR file.

Edit: To get REALLY serious, about backup, get TWO of those NAS units, FOUR of the HDDs, and setup TWO IDENTICAL units, and store them in DIFFERENT locations, and set them up to REPLICATE between them.

 

[cmdrdredd]

There's a bunch of Steam games mostly, and since Steam won't run (probably installed on the HD) I'll re-install it. I'm checking more important files, and some are fine, but one text file says it's 80 bytes long but is empty when opened. Hm. Now off to some important tax files needed... are they lost?

I may sound like a dinosaur or caveman but I feel that all tax documents should have a paper copy in a file box or drawer with other important documents. Paperless is good to a point with me.

 

[UsandThem]

I may sound like a dinosaur or caveman but I feel that all tax documents should have a paper copy in a file box or drawer with other important documents. Paperless is good to a point with me.

I generally do the same thing for now, but I'll probably soon go paperless on those as well. I keep local two backups of my music/videos/pictures/documents, and once I decide on an off-site data storage "cloud" company to go with, I will be confident enough that at least one of them work if ever needed it to.

That's about the only downside to my current backup plan is if there was a fire or something like a tornado hit my house, it could destroy my paper copies, my PC, and both of my backups and I would be screwed.

 

[Craig234]

Just had an idea - hard drive repair. Wonder what that would cost and how to do it (manufacturer?)

 

[VirtualLarry]

That's not really a viable option, most of the time.

 

[Craig234]

That's not really a viable option, most of the time.

https://outsourcedatarecovery.com/hard-drive-repair

 

[VirtualLarry]

For $60, we will repair or replace your faulty PCB, patch minor firmware issues, and/or correct PUIS errors that disable the drive from spinning. This service does not include fixes for mechanical issues or other cases where full data recovery is neededFor $60, we will repair or replace your faulty PCB, patch minor firmware issues, and/or correct PUIS errors that disable the drive from spinning. This service does not include fixes for mechanical issues or other cases where full data recovery is needed

Worth a shot, I suppose, if you don't think that the drive has any sort of mechanical failure.

 

[Craig234]

Worth a shot, I suppose, if you don't think that the drive has any sort of mechanical failure.

Hard to say; I think it was going bad and then just prevented the PC from booting, but after only a year's use. Who knows the specific problem. Just thinking maybe it can be repaired.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hate to tell you, but a progressive "going bad" sounds like a mechanical / wear issue, which that "HDD repair service" for $60 doesn't cover.

It would cover things like a fried PCB, or a firmware issue (the SMART logging issue with Seagate drives, causing them to apparently fail, even though the HDD is mechanically OK and your data is still there). Those would be sudden, spontaneous failures, not progressive failures.

Did the drive ever make any louder sounds, scratching sounds, or anything out of the ordinary, on it's way out, or when it finally "died"?

 

[cmdrdredd]

There were times when I got an advance RMA and swapped the pcb myself to recover a drive.

 

[Craig234]

Hate to tell you, but a progressive "going bad" sounds like a mechanical / wear issue, which that "HDD repair service" for $60 doesn't cover.

It would cover things like a fried PCB, or a firmware issue (the SMART logging issue with Seagate drives, causing them to apparently fail, even though the HDD is mechanically OK and your data is still there). Those would be sudden, spontaneous failures, not progressive failures.

Did the drive ever make any louder sounds, scratching sounds, or anything out of the ordinary, on it's way out, or when it finally "died"?

It's been months so I don't recall much, but there were no 'noises' but I think there were other symptoms indicating difficulty accessing the disk. But the 'no boot' was sudden and not gradual.

 

[Craig234]

Not too impressed with Seagate. Drive purchased 5 years ago, opened March 2017, out of warranty of course, broke after one year, Seagate has no repair service, only data recovery and that is priced at $700.

 

[rsutoratosu]

hate to tell you, none of the 3-4 big hd manufacture has any repair service. buying mechanical or solid state drive is a crap shoot.. any drive can die at any moment in time..

Nearly every company has a limited liability clause. you literally are on your own. No company wants to be responsible for your data. you have option to back up to cloud too.. they have similar limited liability on your backups also

This limited warranty does not cover data loss – back-up the contents of your drive to a separate storage medium on a regular basis. Also, consequential damages; incidental damages; and costs related to data recovery, removal, and installation are not recoverable under this warranty

every company has failure, there is no 100% 'no failure ' brand
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-2017/

 

[Craig234]

hate to tell you, none of the 3-4 big hd manufacture has any repair service. buying mechanical or solid state drive is a crap shoot.. any drive can die at any moment in time..

Nearly every company has a limited liability clause. you literally are on your own. No company wants to be responsible for your data. you have option to back up to cloud too.. they have similar limited liability on your backups also

This limited warranty does not cover data loss – back-up the contents of your drive to a separate storage medium on a regular basis. Also, consequential damages; incidental damages; and costs related to data recovery, removal, and installation are not recoverable under this warranty

every company has failure, there is no 100% 'no failure ' brand
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-2017/

Of course there's no brand without failure.

That doesn't change that the speed of failure matters, and that repairing their product would be a sensible service.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That doesn't change that the speed of failure matters, and that repairing their product would be a sensible service.

Knowing how things work... that's kind of pie-in-the-sky wishing, don't you think?

 

[Craig234]

Knowing how things work... that's kind of pie-in-the-sky wishing, don't you think?

Not really. Why is it a third party can offer a repair for $600 and the manufacturer can't offer one at all, for more repairable problems?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I thought that you said $60, and that was for firmware and small issues, and board-swaps. Not mechanical issues, which probably makes up a good portion of HDD failures.

I mean, why can't someone just offer a service, to reverse aging in humans?

That's basically what you're asking, but for Hard Drives.

Do you see why it's a pie in the sky idea? If you don't, then think harder.

Edit: And, on the contrary, if you can figure out a service to reverse aging in hard drives, you could be a Billionaire. Good luck!

 

[XavierMace]

Not really. Why is it a third party can offer a repair for $600 and the manufacturer can't offer one at all, for more repairable problems?

When's the last time you sent your car back to the manufacturer for repair?

 

[Craig234]

I thought that you said $60, and that was for firmware and small issues, and board-swaps. Not mechanical issues, which probably makes up a good portion of HDD failures.

I mean, why can't someone just offer a service, to reverse aging in humans?

That's basically what you're asking, but for Hard Drives.

Do you see why it's a pie in the sky idea? If you don't, then think harder.

Edit: And, on the contrary, if you can figure out a service to reverse aging in hard drives, you could be a Billionaire. Good luck!

That's ridiculous and has nothing to do with the topic. Your comment is like saying replacing old spark plugs in a car is not possible and the car should just be trashed.

Some common issues in hard drives can be repaired. If you don't think so, look harder. This isn't about AGING hard drives that are 1 year old. Reading comprehension.

 

[Craig234]

When's the last time you sent your car back to the manufacturer for repair?

People do it all the time. It's called the dealership.