External HD 500 GB Lost Data

[phosphor]

Hey guys,

I am seeking for help on how to recover about 500 GB worth of Data I recently screwed up by leaving my External HD on top of my Cable box. I am assuming the heat of the cable box caused this disaster. I took out the HD out of the plastic cover as it is an External drive and I've try booting a mac on Safe Mode a PC, and nothing works. The light of the HD blinks and blinks but there is no sound. I've looked at a lot of suggestions on recovery programs, although the light goes on the PC nor Mac recognizes the device. I know of the putting it in the fridge trick and I am honestly waiting to try every other possibility as this is a 50/50 chance of it working I don't want to mess it up in case there's something else. Please Help I am in desperate need of help. Thank you.

[BicycleMafioso]

If you ever would consider putting it in a freezer, make sure to enclose it in a sealed plastic bag first.

[Biernot]

If the hard drive does not spin up, you are pretty much screwed...
The only thing besides the freezer trick you could try: Get another HDD of the exact same model and swap the pcb. If that does not work, then your motor is probably dead and the only thing that can help you is a professional data recovery (which costs hundreds of $)

[NehwalSaina]

If the hard drive is not spinning then you have to visit some data recovery experts who recovers data manually else if it is spinning and detected in your system then using data recovery software you can recover data by yourself, for Mac you can use Kernel for Macintosh data recovery software.

[pc-lover]

It could be a dozen of reasons why your HD is not being recognized. First of all, we all agree is a physical error since apparently, you HD doesn't spin which should the reason why it is not detected. Now, trying to plugin it again is not the answer since it will degrade more. It's really hard to assess something without looking at it, but if you try to replace any part, make sure you get another drive with same the exact model number, country and within 3 months of manufacture. Btw, usually any part replacement are made in a clean room which only data recovery companies have.

I know that Ontrack and DriveSavers (the biggest data recovery companies in the world) may charge you around $700 to $2700 to work on your drive. There are other companies like Datalab in South Florida that charges from $400 to $1200. Data recovery is a very very very expensive service and in my opinion, it should be use if your data is really worth that much. If you don't have experience just keep your HD in a safe place until you can afford a professional service or you'r ready to perform parts replacement in your drive.

Good luck

[Deleted]

I know its great saying this with 20/20 hind site, but do you not keep backups of data that is too valuable to loose ?
speaking from experience I know its a PIA to loose a lot of data, and as such I keep valuable data such as photographs, 3D models, word, excel documents etc on thumb drives, Blue ray disks, and on the net.

as for fixes theres 3 methods I know of

1 - Switch the PCB for one off the same make and model (will only work if PCB is damaged)
2 - Freeze it in a bag (temp solution)
3 - Drop it (absolute last resort)

[phosphor]

thanks, appreciate it.

---------- Post added 2012-10-12 at 02:53 PM ----------

I know its great saying this with 20/20 hind site, but do you not keep backups of data that is too valuable to loose ?
speaking from experience I know its a PIA to loose a lot of data, and as such I keep valuable data such as photographs, 3D models, word, excel documents etc on thumb drives, Blue ray disks, and on the net.

as for fixes theres 3 methods I know of

1 - Switch the PCB for one off the same make and model (will only work if PCB is damaged)
2 - Freeze it in a bag (temp solution)
3 - Drop it (absolute last resort)

What do you mean by Drop it? or were you being sarcastic? none the less thank you for you time.

[Deleted]

What do you mean by Drop it? or were you being sarcastic? none the less thank you for you time.

No I am quite serious, if the drive is dead and nothing else works, then there is no harm in trying the extreme (assuming that data recovery costs are not an issue)
I had a similar indecent where a family members 80g WD drive had the "click of death" a would not be recognized by the BIOS, I tried just about everything to recover any of the data off the drive. After unsuccessfully freezing and plugging in hot, I was ready to give up on it when a friend told me to drop it 6-8 inches onto a hard surface on the edge of the drive. Since I had nothing to loose I gave it a try, and it actually worked. No more clicking.

Lasted about an hour before the clicking was back, but was enough time for me to get some of the data off the drive.


Again, this is a Last ditched attempt if everything else fails and data-recovery services are not an option. I under no circumstance advocate that you should drop a working drive.

[cricxus]

So sad... i think you will never recover it again due to your external hard disk...

[chazus]

So sad... i think you will never recover it again due to your external hard disk...

Not sure why you bother posted, since it's not very helpful.

A few notes, from someone who does data recovery.

-If you try the freezer trick, double bag the drive with as little air as possible. Maybe even toss in some rice separate from the drive (fold the baggie in half) to soak up excess moisture
-While the PCB swap MIGHT work, I honestly wouldn't bother with it. You need not only the same drive model, but the same PCB model (which is not listed unless you see the physical PCB) AND the same BIOS model. If you've had the drive for more than 6-12 months, the chances of getting a similar PCB are slim, as it likely isn't even manufactured anymore.
-I do not recommend the dropping trick, period. It might have worked for one person, however you risk damaging the drive permanently, as in even data recovery people cannot recover it.

That said, if it's important enough to send to professional recovery people, Drive Savers will usually give you a quote before they go to town. They also have a stupidly high recovery rate, which is close enough to be called guaranteed. But again, they are expensive. Expect to pay $600 bare minimum, and more likely in the 1500 range. You get what you pay for, though.

[robert123]

Before few days, i had faced same problem then my friend suggest to me to use mac data recovery software. I used software to data recovery and i got again my files, folders, videos and images etc so i think you try user-friendly data recovery software and recover all data. I recommend Kernel Recovery For Macintosh software.