Ask HN: Anyone know what to do with a failed external hard drive?
15 comments
but, inexplicably, they charge upwards of a thousand dollars for a seemingly basic service
If it were actually inexplicable, someone would have started a business to do it for much less. The fact that no one has (or has, but failed to stay in business) indicates that it's probably an expensive and high risk business.
What is the problem exactly? This makes a big difference in how you go about getting data off of it.
Does it not spin up? Maybe this will help: http://web.archive.org/web/20080207080550/http://www.deadhar...
Does it spin up but have lots of errors? Try mounting read only from a Linux live CD and use dd with the noerror option (this tells it to keep going even if there are errors) to mirror the contents to a new hard disk (same size or larger). I've used this technique many times over the years, and usually gotten most of the data restored.
Freezing is a method of nearly last resort, IMHO. After freezing comes "take the platters out and put them in a whole new, but otherwise identical, drive". This one is entirely last resort (and assumes you don't plan to use one of those expensive services, since this will be the last thing you ever do with this drive), and assumes your data is worth the cost of a hard disk to be thrown away at the end. I don't actually know if you can even get the platters out of modern disks, but I've done it in the olden days...maybe 10 years ago...and was able to recover some data, but nowhere near most. The disk gets eaten up with errors within a few hours of spinning up after using this technique.
The expensive services presumably have clean room conditions for performing the last technique without the resulting destruction of the drive. They also probably have variable speed enclosures to allow slow reads of data (I'm guessing, but if I were building tools to operate such a business, that's the kind of thing I would be working on).
And, of course, the best way to fix a broken hard disk is to replace it and restore from recent backups.
If it were actually inexplicable, someone would have started a business to do it for much less. The fact that no one has (or has, but failed to stay in business) indicates that it's probably an expensive and high risk business.
What is the problem exactly? This makes a big difference in how you go about getting data off of it.
Does it not spin up? Maybe this will help: http://web.archive.org/web/20080207080550/http://www.deadhar...
Does it spin up but have lots of errors? Try mounting read only from a Linux live CD and use dd with the noerror option (this tells it to keep going even if there are errors) to mirror the contents to a new hard disk (same size or larger). I've used this technique many times over the years, and usually gotten most of the data restored.
Freezing is a method of nearly last resort, IMHO. After freezing comes "take the platters out and put them in a whole new, but otherwise identical, drive". This one is entirely last resort (and assumes you don't plan to use one of those expensive services, since this will be the last thing you ever do with this drive), and assumes your data is worth the cost of a hard disk to be thrown away at the end. I don't actually know if you can even get the platters out of modern disks, but I've done it in the olden days...maybe 10 years ago...and was able to recover some data, but nowhere near most. The disk gets eaten up with errors within a few hours of spinning up after using this technique.
The expensive services presumably have clean room conditions for performing the last technique without the resulting destruction of the drive. They also probably have variable speed enclosures to allow slow reads of data (I'm guessing, but if I were building tools to operate such a business, that's the kind of thing I would be working on).
And, of course, the best way to fix a broken hard disk is to replace it and restore from recent backups.
To be honest, I don't know if it spins up or not. I'll tell you what it sounds like though. It sounds like a helicopter when the pilot turns on the engine and it starts revving up - for maybe half a second - then a loud Click! like a camera shutter - and then it starts to wind up again for another half second followed another Click!
Don't know if that's a good description really but it's the best I can do. I'm really not a hardware guy. My guess is that this description indicates it does not spin up but hopefully you can tell me?
You're probably right about it being an expensive business. Another reason I don't want to hand over my drive is: Who are these people? And how do I really know what they are going to do with my private data?
Did you say "recent backups"? Ha. That's funny.
Don't know if that's a good description really but it's the best I can do. I'm really not a hardware guy. My guess is that this description indicates it does not spin up but hopefully you can tell me?
You're probably right about it being an expensive business. Another reason I don't want to hand over my drive is: Who are these people? And how do I really know what they are going to do with my private data?
Did you say "recent backups"? Ha. That's funny.
To be honest, I don't know if it spins up or not. I'll tell you what it sounds like though. It sounds like a helicopter when the pilot turns on the engine and it starts revving up - for maybe half a second - then a loud Click!
Yeah, I've heard that sound. It's usually followed immediately by a "CLUNK" as I toss the disk in the trash.
If the disk shows up in the BIOS disk scan, or when Linux detects the disks, you might still be able to get some data off of it with dd. That'd be my first plan, if I were in your shoes.
If that doesn't work, you might have some luck with the logic assembly replacement idea. If it's the controller circuitry that's out of whack, it might be fixed by a new board. If the motor or head are actually sticking and unable to do their job, it's a more dramatic situation. And, I'm not sure what the mechanics of such things look like these days. This might be one of those situations where putting the platters in another identical drive is the only option.
Did you say "recent backups"? Ha. That's funny.
Yes. You'll learn. Someday. The cost of not learning is infrequent, but can be very, very, high.
Yeah, I've heard that sound. It's usually followed immediately by a "CLUNK" as I toss the disk in the trash.
If the disk shows up in the BIOS disk scan, or when Linux detects the disks, you might still be able to get some data off of it with dd. That'd be my first plan, if I were in your shoes.
If that doesn't work, you might have some luck with the logic assembly replacement idea. If it's the controller circuitry that's out of whack, it might be fixed by a new board. If the motor or head are actually sticking and unable to do their job, it's a more dramatic situation. And, I'm not sure what the mechanics of such things look like these days. This might be one of those situations where putting the platters in another identical drive is the only option.
Did you say "recent backups"? Ha. That's funny.
Yes. You'll learn. Someday. The cost of not learning is infrequent, but can be very, very, high.
Thanks for the tips. Yes, it does show up in the BIOS scan. Maybe there's hope for the software option. I'll save your hardware-related tips for later since I'm more or less incompetent when it comes to the non-virtual.
> Did you say "recent backups"? Ha. That's funny.
The easy way: Buy a duplicate hard drive, and use cron[1] and rsync[2] to schedule an automatic nightly backup. If you have stuff that cannot be backed up directly by file copying (such as live SQL databases), use their dump procedures, which are specifically for safe copying. When your hard drive dies, just switch to the other, and buy a replacement backup drive. It doesn't need to be local, either - rsync is quite bandwidth-efficient. Also: Test the backup now and then!
This has saved me from drive crashes twice, so far.
The easy way: Buy a duplicate hard drive, and use cron[1] and rsync[2] to schedule an automatic nightly backup. If you have stuff that cannot be backed up directly by file copying (such as live SQL databases), use their dump procedures, which are specifically for safe copying. When your hard drive dies, just switch to the other, and buy a replacement backup drive. It doesn't need to be local, either - rsync is quite bandwidth-efficient. Also: Test the backup now and then!
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron
[2]: http://www.samba.org/rsync/
This has saved me from drive crashes twice, so far.
Thanks. Yes I agree I need to start doing this.
The whir and clank is not encouraging. I'd leave it alone and take to an expert if the data is (are) that important.
At work, the IT guys have had to send drives out to be recovered (mostly from remote workers who don't have the best backup environment or discipline). I'm not sure which service they used and can't make a recommendation, but there are are few big names. At least one data recovery specialist sponsors public radio, I think its TechFusion.
At work, the IT guys have had to send drives out to be recovered (mostly from remote workers who don't have the best backup environment or discipline). I'm not sure which service they used and can't make a recommendation, but there are are few big names. At least one data recovery specialist sponsors public radio, I think its TechFusion.
Yeah, I didn't think that was a good sign. Thanks. I'll make a note of Techfusion. Looks like it may come to that.
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You could try taking it out of it's housing and using another housing. But that is only worth trying if it's a failure of the electronics, not of the drive itself.
Since you mention downthreaed that's it's making click+grind noises... It sounds like it's dead.
Freezing a drive of any vintage more recent than Y2k is less than useful. Older drives were built to looser tolerances and thermal shrink could actually move the drive head off the platter. More recent drives aren't going to be dealt w/ that way, and freezing the drive can cause condensation in places you don't want condensation.
Unless your data is worth considerably more than $10k, don't bother with drive recovery services since you will in all probability be wasting your money.
Since you mention downthreaed that's it's making click+grind noises... It sounds like it's dead.
Freezing a drive of any vintage more recent than Y2k is less than useful. Older drives were built to looser tolerances and thermal shrink could actually move the drive head off the platter. More recent drives aren't going to be dealt w/ that way, and freezing the drive can cause condensation in places you don't want condensation.
Unless your data is worth considerably more than $10k, don't bother with drive recovery services since you will in all probability be wasting your money.
That's an important possibility to know about. I assumed that if I was willing to spend enough, that there might be a solution. So it's good to know that that is not necessarily true. Much appreciated.
Oh, I really hope not.
if spinrite can't fix it, you'll probably have to spend a fortune to get the data off of it.
Thanks for the tip. I tried a piece of software last week - can't remember the name - but I just heard the disk clicking repeatedly while the software was trying to access the disk - it didn't get anywhere, so I didn't think a pure software solution would work. But I will take a look at Spinrite - I hadn't heard of it. Maybe it works better than the one I tried already, although I'm skeptical. I have a hunch that what I really need is some kind of hardware solution along the lines of whatever they use at these commercial services for copying a failed disk. But I'm expecting such a device to cost an arm and a leg.
Does anyone know if there's a kit that you can buy to fix it yourself?