Anyone got any knowledge on recovering data from a busted desk top external hard drive... My little fella tried to bounce it like a ball off the hard wood floor!! PC no longer recognises it, and it makes a clicking noise for a short time when powering up. Have taken it to a computer shop who had no luck ( they were only capable of going to a certain level of recovery, they could send it elsewhere but it would be very expensive even if no data was recovered!
Anyone had success with similar harddrive symptoms or should I kiss it goodbye??
It's got all our family photos on it
PS lots of windsurfing pics to
Sounds like you will have to pay if you want to get the files off it. Clicks means there is a physical problem and so if data is to be retrieved then the drive will have to be taken apart. This all means serious money, usually beyond the finances of the average home user.
Unfortunately, the clicking is almost certainly the heads hitting the disk platters - which usually means they will be scored and *some* data not recoverable.
If you have lost many family memories then you need to spend the cash to get a Disk Doctor involved.
As above.
Personally I'd spend the money if there was any way you could afford it.
From word-of-mouth tales these specialist places seem to be quite good and be able to recover decent amounts of data.
But yeah, not cheap.
If you're strapped for cash I'd put it away somewhere carefully for a few years because you might have the cash to do it later.
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To anyone reading this and wants to avoid this fate... I'd have to recommend multiple automatic back ups. I have two separate onsite systems that constantly back up mine, and a third removable one that gets taken about once a month and taken off site. And I needed my backups on Friday when the disk on my main laptop keeled over and died.
For photos, just regularly upload them all to a web service like Flickr. Instant backup and enables easy private sharing with distant family. (Plus the occasional backup to a portable hard drive, of course).
I know a good place in Thailand which offered a full recovery for about 300 dollars.
Depends on how much you want the material back.
First thing I did was find the exact model drive if I needed to replace parts.
I will say, if your tech minded have a look at these.
What sort of dollars are we actually talking here? Knowing how pricey it is might motivate me to refresh my backups.
I've lost a few external drives over the years and have had a few successes but more failures when it comes to data recovery. I've had success with removing the drive from within the case and then plugging that drive into a hot swap cradle you can buy cheaply off eBay, But this has not worked every time. I also had one that made that clicking noise you mention, You normally hear this when the drive is about to fail so it's time to back-up before it dies. It would work every now and then but would mostly not be recognized, I got it to work a few more time by hitting it real hard
I now use SSD for storage, A bit more expensive but less likely to fail....Or go to the cloud. As all have said it is expensive to recover lost data and for the average Jo it's not worth it. House hold insurance may cover it??? It covers my electronic gear for anything??? Maybe data recovery falls under that? Maybe worth asking the question if you really want the stuff back. Anyways for the few bucks the "hot swap" cradle costs it might be worth a try, Good luck with it...I know what it's like to lose a heap of photos.
Lets all be honest here .......
Family photos pffft......
It's massive porn collections you are all trying to retrieve.
Try plugging it into the wall not just a usb outlet on your computer, The added power can overcome some problems and make it spin up and then you can quickly swap it to your PC. Put it in the freezer for two hours and try it again. Strange....google it?