dead HD..info retrieval

[zootedlooter]

is it possible to retrieve any information on a hd after it goes bad?....if so how....
it was not my boot drive.....and i do not need it repaired...i just need one file.....it is a maxtor 80gb..will give more info if needed

looter

[redwudz]

One trick that has worked for some people in the past is to put it in the freezer for a couple of hours, then take it out quickly and plug it in and try to transfer the file. You only have a few minutes.

You also didn't say how it failed. Makes a difference. There are different levels of 'dead'.

If it's a major mechanical failure, no help except professional and expensive recovery will do it.

If it's the driver board on the HD, sometimes they can be traded for a working one, though this is not all that likely to work and you could end up with two dead drives if you make a mistake.

[zootedlooter]

thanx for the reply red

i dont know what happenned to the drive...all i know is i prevents the master drive from booting when plugged in so i dont have acces to it through the computor

...i am now running a new system and have a sata drive running it....so i have a few old drives i am willing to sacrific in an attempt to trade the driverboards...

im gonna throw the hd into the freezer later today to try your first advice...then i ll try trading driver boards if someone can find me a link for a walkthrough...do i have to use a maxtor or are the driver boards interchangable with other brands?


looter

[zootedlooter]

whose a lucky bastard?

the drive was preventing me from booting but i pluged it in and started it up while everything was running....xp recognised it and i was able to pull out anything i needed....it still wont allow me to boot up with it installed but it can go in the can now for all i care....

i got everything back

zootedlater

[Xylob the Destroyer]

YOU are definitely a lucky bastard
connecting it while your machine was running is a ballsy move!

I know this may sound like a smart-ass reply, but it's not meant to be: Have you checked the jumper settings? Make sure it's set to Slave or that both drives on the same IDE channel are set to Cable Select.

[redwudz]

That's good news. It should also teach you to back up any thing you can't afford to lose.

EDIT: For you other questions and future reference; I think it would have to be the same controller board, maybe even same model and size of drive. I haven't seen any tutorial about doing this, just heard the idea mentioned on another board. May be one out there, though.

I believe the freezer idea is supposed to help when the bearings give out, maybe gives a little more clearance if parts are too tight.

[zootedlooter]

here are my closing statements for anyone else researching this in the future....it would be nice to see other people post thier resolutions so we can all see what to do and what not to do...open threads piss me off

i did a bunch of researching today and as far as i see switching em up has to be done with the same model and brand and doesnt seem to be a successful manuver for anyone....i believe i only came across one success from an advice giver

freezing seems to have the best results...as i counted at least 4 or 5 people claiming positive results...just make sure you use a sealable plastic bag to keep moisture out...

xykob
the drive was set for secondary and it was the only ide drive active...the only other drive was my master sata

thanx again for the heads up red

and good luck to anyone else in this shitty predicament
looter

[pfh]

YOU are definitely a lucky bastard
connecting it while your machine was running is a ballsy move!.

So true