How to get data back (hd crash)

[Ralf]

about 2-3 weeks ago, i had a very very strange hd crash and loose all my datas (160 gigs) while starting to burn all the stuff to dvd as backup. i started to create the first backup-dvd with nero. up to 30% (writing to dvd) all works fine, then nero showed that there may be a write error at the given drive (not system drive)! i wa really wondered, why is nero trying (message from nero) to write to the harddisc?? strange... nero and the whole system hangs on, so i had to reset the computer.

after restarting my system (2 hds) the second drive was unreadable (windows told me, the data drive is unformated) damn, strange

i tried to recover the drive with my full version of "GetDataBack for NTFS". The program really display some lost filenames. but most of the tracks and sectors are still undreadable and damaged i would be very very happy, if i can get only a few files back.

now you would think, where is the problem when having a program that find some of the lost files? its following very very strange problem i coudnt solve now

in fact of the strange LBA damage, the progress for scanning the full damaged drive would need about 2 compete days (as GetDataBack tells in the progressbar) - strange isnt it? i tried over 5 times the whole progress - everytime (:!: ) windows2000 (new installed with SP4 on the first hd), will display after hours while running GetDataBack, and over 1000 possible recovered files, that the damages harddrive was removed (system requester)

Why and how is this possible? I cant and dont want accecpt this. Sure, from this point GetDataBack cant continue to scan and repair the HD - so i dont have any file recovered ;-(

I dont know how to solve the "harddrive removed" shit.... i am sure, if GetDataBack would complete the full process a lot faster, i could solve and backup some recovered files!?

Someone an idea for this very very strange problem! please note, when restarting windows, the "so called removed hd" is still available but unreadable....

seems the hd is really strange damaged - manufractured december2003 and i dont want pay a lot of money for any recover company! (its still to expensive - on the other side, there are 160 gigs loose ;(

If someone can help me with tips or any other good program (like GetDataBack) please help me! many thanks for reading and helping!

[GPI]

First of all: You use Window2000? Do you know, that windows-2000 can't handle HDDs over 120GB without patch right (your HDD developer should give you a patch).

Second: When i understand right: Your System Found the HDD, then "lost" it, then "found" it? Try to install the HDD in an other Computer maybe the IDE-Controler on your MB is damage. If not: Your Controler on the HDD is damage.

I think: Your last change is, to send the HDD to a professional firm, but they want only for looking 500-600€ and for restoring x000€. Normaly the datas aren't so important...

[Ralf]

yes i used win2k but i formated the hd only to the limit as 2k accepted! the hd was full (99,9%) and all worked fine (all files readable) until the day i tried to backup all!

i connected to damgagd hd to my new computer and trying since days to get any access to the hd. so a damaged ide controller cant be! yes i taked a look to the prices for revocering all datas - still to expensive for me! sorry

to explain one crazy thing: the connected damaged drive is still available but unreadable... (until i turn off the computer after 24 or 48 hours)! but... when i use GetDataBack, and the program is in progress... it woks fine for some hours... (about 12 - 16 hours i think), then windows will display "drive removed" message! (when pressing ok, ist hidden and GetDataBack cant continue its work)

But when i restart the computer direct after this message, the drive is back (visible) and i can start GetDataBack again.... but then... you may know what happen.... after some hours, again "drive removed"

[Berikco]

The hd is failing when its getting hot, a problem that very often occuring.
I put such hd a nicht in the freezer, and about 50 percent of the time am able to restore the data after that, i quickly clone with ghost to another hd

Good luck

[blueznl]

well, i always use a hammer but my success rate has been rather low...



(euh, this is rather off-topic, wrong area!)

[Ralf]

@Berikco: many thanks, you could be right that the drive runs to hot and course the "drive removed" message! what do you think about to put the drive outside of the computer (still is) and adding an artic cooler on the drive? would this help to get the drive cold enough?

many thanks for all answers and help! many thanks! i will try to add a cooler for GetDataBack procedure and buy then a new harddisk

@blueznl:

[thefool]

you can get a hdd-cooler. Also some heat-leeds to put the heat elsewere..

Berico, you often put hardware in the fridge?

[Fangbeast]

thefool, it's an old trick that us old hardware engineers use to recover drives and surprisingly enough, it works a lot.

[PB]

> The hd is failing when its getting hot

What? Both my HDs are regularly hot... how hot do you mean?
Mine are too hot to touch. I keep my case open with a fan on them, but
they're fairly new (only 2-3 years old) with no read errors or any other
such problems so far. Are you saying they're on the way out? How can
I tell what temperature they're supposed to be? I'm very worried now.

[Fangbeast]

> The hd is failing when its getting hot

What? Both my HDs are regularly hot... how hot do you mean?
Mine are too hot to touch. I keep my case open with a fan on them, but
they're fairly new (only 2-3 years old) with no read errors or any other
such problems so far. Are you saying they're on the way out? How can
I tell what temperature they're supposed to be? I'm very worried now.

All hard disk drives have a manufacturer's temperature rating beyond which a hard disk can actually fail. If you purchased a hard drive in a box (retail) then there should be some paperwork with it that explains this. Failing that, go on to the manufacturer's site and look up the specifications of the hard drive.

There is plenty of software on the net that can monitor the temperature of the device (including other hardware). (Alex Van Kam's motherboard monitor for example. ALso have probes for hdd's and the like)

I had the drives overheat on Wednesday and go down but luckily, no permanent damage. 36 degree heat and no air conditioner.

[PB]

Hi Fangbeast,

I don't have the boxes anymore. But when I say they get hot, it's only
when the fan's not on them. Now I just keep the fan running whenever
the PC's on, because I do a lot of video capturing which taxes the HDs.
So, they're cool to touch when the fan's on, but hot when not (obviously).

One thing I've always wondered about is the fact that one is placed on
top of the other. This is the case design and there's no way to change
it. Are they making each other hot? Are my drives getting jiggy wit it?

Seriously, I'll download the app you mentioned and try to get a temp
reading and then post back. Hopefully they're in the right temp range,
when the fan's off. Maybe I just think they're hotter than they're meant
to be, and I'm panicking for nothing.

[blueznl]

i should make a picture of my current (modified) case... it's an old aopen case with some *slight* modifications

1. i added a whole in the front cover, nearby the base of the midi tower

2. and put a large (12 cm) fan behind it, that blows air into the machine, added a zalman fan control so i can change that fan speed

3. i made an aluminium brackat that contains one of the two harddisks, fixed that to the bottom of the machine, and the aforementioned fan blows the air directly over it

4. under the fdd (which typically sits in the middle of the case) are two more 3.5" brackets, as in most cases... here i mounted hdd no. 2 in the lowest position, thus it gets air from the front mounted fan as well

5. i added two holes (one on the left side, one on the right side) nearby the top of the case, so passive air can go out without having to go through the power supply

6. i closed all other holes, so there's a predictable airflow

i should replace the cpu fan (amd boxed) and the power supply with low noise types, but haven't done that... the above i've done last summer when outside temperatures were above 30's, and the temperature in my study got way beyound that... and the machine was getting way too hot

now, after these changes, with a surrounding air temp of 20 or so the hdd's move in the 20 to 30 range, the cpu 40 to 50, and the chipset 30 to 40, full load or not (it's an amd athlon xp2500 barton core)

with a surrounding air temp of 35 things heat up a little you can't cool things below the surrounding temperature, but i had the hdd's at 45, cpu at 65 to 70 and mainboard to 45 over extended periods of time with no problems at all

except for the NOISE

[PB]

An update on my drives: I downloaded this app:

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/hddthermometer.html

Now, I was wrong about the ages of my drives: one is 3 years old (13 GB)
and the other is roughly 12 months (80 GB). The newer one is the only one
with SMART technology and thus it's the only one that can report its temp
with the above app.

With the fan on, its temp is usually 25-27 degrees C. I left the fan off last
night as a test (from 10pm to 6am) and the temp was 51 degrees C. Is that
bad? What's an average HD temp meant to be? I turned the fan back on
and the temp dropped to 27 degrees C within 5 minutes or so.