Hard Drive Repair Services

[sitalchauhan]

Hi, has anybody used a hard drive repair service before that they can recommend, and what price did you pay?

I turned on my pc this morning and it took 3minutes to POST (was stuck at detecting hard drives for quite a while).
One of my HD's was not appearing in my computer (or device manager) and I could hear the hard drive making strange noises.

I tried placing the hard drive in an external USB enclosure but the exact same is happening.

The hard drive has never given any other warnings (error messages, strange noises, etc) that it may fail.
I last backed it up about 6 months ago .I have all my photos backed up to date though thankfully. But I have lost some of my Uni documents (although they are not that important to be honest).


The hard drive is a Western Digital 500gb Blue WD5000AAKS.

I tried knocking the hard drive quite firmly with my hand (while HD is off) in case the head is stuck or something but it made no difference.
I have an identical WD5000AAKS that I bought at the same time as this HD, which has identical part numbers etc, so I tried switching the PCB's between them but the HD is still making the noises and not working.
I also tried wrapping it in kitchen roll and then 3 air tight ziplock bags and placing it in the freezer for 3 hours, but it didnt make a difference.


Here is a video of what noises the hard drive is making:


I am contemplating using a hard drive repair/data recovery service and am looking for any recommendations?
Ideally a company that offers a free inspection and quote.

Thanks

[SnowDefault]

Maybe try and find some sort of service on the bay?
I haven't heard of HDD repair service before tbh though, but good luck. Sorry to hear you've lost so much uni work on the drive.

[Galant]

Before trying any sort of repair service I'd make sure it's definitely the HDD. Have you tried putting a replacement drive in the system and checking it works?

I've seen what appeared to be HDD problems turn out to be RAM problems and other such things - causing even the BIOS to misdiagnose a HDD error!

So see if you can borrow a HDD, if you don't have any spare, and see if the system runs properly with the new drive. If you do have to borrow one, it might help to promise you wont bang it firmly or freeze it.

Also - did you make any changes before this started happening?

Do you have any external devices plugged in?

If you can't test with any other drives: can you see where on the post screen it is hanging? - then share it with us.

If you can access the BIOS (you should be able to) - try running a HDD test.

Try removing one stick of RAM (if you have more than one) and then try with the other.

[sitalchauhan]

I searched ebay but they are more aimed towards data recovery after formatting/accidentally deleting a file. Rather than physically repairing a hard drive. I believe repairing this hard drive is going to cost above £200.

I have got 4 other hard drives and they all work perfectly. The hard drive that has failed was not my primary OS hard drive, it was a secondary drive. That is why the PC still booted but the drive was not appearing in My Computer. This hard drive has the same symptoms in the external USB caddy as it does when plugged in internally via SATA. So I'm pretty certain it is a physical hardware fault due to the noises it is making.

I have found two companies that are local enough for me to drop the hard drive to, I might go see them in person and see what they think:
http://www.dataclinic.co.uk/data-rec...birmingham.htm
and
http://www.disklabs.co.uk/contact-us.html

I am hoping that because I have an identical HD I bought at the same time (same model numbers, same part numbers, exact same manufacture dates, etc everything is identical apart from serial number) they may be able to do it for cheaper. I dont care if the othe hard drive is destroyed in the process as long as I get my data back


I would be interested in hearing if anybody has used either of these companies, or if anybody has used a different company that acceps hard drives sent through the post?

Thanks

[Spank]

When did you get it?, it might still be in warranty period (2 years)

[DDY]

Do you want your HDD repaired (replaced) or the data recovered? Pick one, only.

If the latter option, it's unlikely you're going to get your HDD back, let alone in a working state if you send it to a data recovery specialist.

As far as I know there are no HDD repair services where HDD data is retained, even if you send your HDD back to the manufacturer under warranty, they stress that your data will be destroyed. I say replaced because what the mfr will do is replace your drive with another which they've repaired and reconditioned earlier.

[peterb]

Be VERY wary about some of these data recovery services.

You might want to read this

http://www.datarecoverycompanies.co....ints-i506.html

page first. I have never used these services, however the guy that was assaulted was a member here, and as far as I can tell, was genuine. That link came as a surprise to me while I was researching your question.

If your drive is mechanically damaged within the platter enclosure, there is still a chance of data recovery, but it will be expensive, and will involve dismantling the disk in a clean room. There will only be one opportunity, so choose your company with care, if necessary going and inspect the facilities first.. Don't just take a company's word for it.

Good luck

[Kumagoro]

I would swap the logic board over seeing as you have an identical one. It should be simple enough just a few small security screw and it easily unplug s

[1stRaven]

http://www.cbldatarecovery.co.uk/

We have used them a number of times through my work however they are not cheap. I think rough costs were around £500 however I do know that one, they just replaced the pcb on the drive and that cost was around £200 so it does depend on the fault.

You data will arrive either on a new hard drive or DVDs, depending on the amount.

[watercooled]

I would swap the logic board over seeing as you have an identical one. It should be simple enough just a few small security screw and it easily unplug s

I agree this may be worth a go, delaying POST suggests it may be an electronic problem. Just check it's exactly the same. It's likely to be compatible if it was purchased at the same time i.e. from the same batch but if possible, use something like CrystalDiskInfo to check the firmware version is also identical. Also, take a look at SMART data while you're there.

If it works, grab what you need from the drive ASAP, important stuff first, as there's no guarantee it will remain functional.

Also, bear in mind this method isn't without risks; it's possible it could make the problem worse and/or make professional recovery harder/more expensive.

Of course, going with a reputable recovery service is the safer option but could be extremely expensive.

[sitalchauhan]

Thanks for all the responses. Sorry for the delay, I have got Uni exams at the moment so been a bit busy with revision. The hard drive is over 5 years old so no longer under warranty.

I have swapped the PCB's between the two hard drives and it made no difference, the hard drive still had the exact same symptoms (same noises and delaying POST and not appearing in the BIOS or Windows). The working hard drive with the PCB from the non working HD seemed to spin up fine like normal, but it was not appearing in my computer, I have a feeling that the Western Digital PCBs are somehow paired to the specific hard drives. I have swapped the PCB's back now and the working hard drive still works fine.

I think I am lucky that I have another identical hard drive (all bar codes and manufacture dates etc on the stickers of both hard drives are identical - only the serial numbers differ). SO this should work in my favour.

I have read on forums of people doing a "platter swap" themselves at home which has worked for them to retrieve all data from their failed drive. This works if there was a mechanical failure in which the platter is still undamaged. All my reading shows that people have a very good success rate at doing this themselves at home, but of course if it goes wrong then you have most likely lost your data forever or have made it even harder for specialist data recovery companies to recover any data they can.

After my exams have finished (in a couple weeks) I think I am going to visit a few data recovery companies around my area and speak to them in person, and hopefully get to see their labs in person for my peace of mind (as mentioned above and by searching google, there seem to be a lot of con artists within the data recovery field). Hopefully if I provide them with my faulty hard drive, my working donor hard drive, and another spare 640gb hard drive I have for them to recover the data to. If I ask them to just attempt a platter swap and recover of the data to the 640gb hard drive, they will be able to do this for a reasonable price.

Platter swap seems to only be an hour of man labour (then if successful another 3 hours of copying the 500gb of data to the 640gb hard drive I will provide them with). So I have a price in mind that I am willing to pay considering this should be fairly straight forward procedure for these kind of specialist companies.

If they are still trying to charge me extortionate prices, I may just attempt the platter swap myself. There are even videos on youtube showing the procedure. A person from another forum has said that he has done two platter swaps himself before at his house, and both worked for him, so I may contact him and ask if he would be willing to attempt it for me for a price.

If the platter swap doesn't work, then I will probably just accept that I have lost the data. There is data on there that I would love to get back, but nothing essential that is worth me paying hundreds to recover. I can always keep both the faulty and identical hard drives in storage just in case I do ever realise there was very important data on there.

Thank you to all the people who have posted.

1stRaven: thanks for posting your own experience with CBL Data Recovery. I will phone them and ask for a quote for a straight platter swap.

Has anybody else had first hand experience with a data recovery company that they would recommend?

[Agent]

I have read on forums of people doing a "platter swap" themselves at home which has worked for them to retrieve all data from their failed drive. This works if there was a mechanical failure in which the platter is still undamaged. All my reading shows that people have a very good success rate at doing this themselves at home, but of course if it goes wrong then you have most likely lost your data forever or have made it even harder for specialist data recovery companies to recover any data they can.

I've done it - you should be able to find my posts on it on these forums with a bit of a search

The sad truth is that if the platters have been damaged, the chances of recovery, even from the professionals is extremely small. Once the disk surface becomes damaged, the ability for it to hold a magnetic field fails, which means data loss

edit - http://forums.hexus.net/storage/2519...-recovery.html

If it's the bearings, the freezer trick is well worth the try. If it's a platter issue....well, you seem to know the deal already.

[watercooled]

Swapping platters is certainly risky, only do it if you've already accepted you've lost everything + any recovery is a bonus. Dust is a major concern as even a few specks on the platters risk damaging them, and the risk increases with newer drives. It's more likely you'll get away with it if you only have a few MB to recover as I wouldn't expect a contaminated drive to last all that long afterwards. Correct torquing is important for some drives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAn22TiVV0

[Agent]

Dust is a major concern as even a few specks on the platters risk damaging them, and the risk increases with newer drives.

The platters are actually pretty resilient to be fair. Issues occur when particles end up between the head and the spinning disk, which can cause scratches on the surface (= bad ).

As long as you're sensible, I don't think the risk is as high as people think short term. Maybe I've just been lucky though with my success rate doing it, but as I said in my linked post - accept that both drives are dead when you do this and anything else is a bonus

[g8ina]

http://www.retrodata.co.uk/

Run by Duncan Clarke, aka Odie Ferrious, and old matey of mine from alt newsgroup days. Trustworthy IMHO.

[Andy Butler]

Be VERY wary about some of these data recovery services.

You might want to read this

Removed URL - Low post cost

page first. I have never used these services, however the guy that was assaulted was a member here, and as far as I can tell, was genuine. That link came as a surprise to me while I was researching your question.

If your drive is mechanically damaged within the platter enclosure, there is still a chance of data recovery, but it will be expensive, and will involve dismantling the disk in a clean room. There will only be one opportunity, so choose your company with care, if necessary going and inspect the facilities first.. Don't just take a company's word for it.

Good luck

Hi Peter

I'm still alive ! Just like the work we do on damaged hard drives the doctors and pain management therapists have helped me recover from the worst of the symptoms, although I am now a big convert to acupuncture.

The high court injunction wrongly served on me and several others was discontinued a year ago and Fields Group paid out £70,000 to one of their victims.

At the same time I was served the injunction and assaulted by their hired goon, I was also defending a claim by Fields which started out at £250,000 plus £25,000/day . Despite being unable to speak properly on the day of the court case, and getting marked down in the court records as an awkward witness the judge mulcted Fields and awarded me more damages than they had attempted to sue me for.

Despite this the drain of a high court injunction on my energy led to a catastophic situation which resulted in abc Data Recovery Ltd being liquidated. My new company R3 Data Recovery Ltd has been assigned the rights of abc Data Recovery Ltd and has appointed leading counsel in respect of a number of claims.

What was most shocking was how much money commen make from data recovery and how many lives they affect.

I have managed my own disaster recovery whilst managing dozens of disasters every month for my clients. Hexus members who have need of my help can look me up on the net or PM me