I think my HDD is broken.

It's a 2.5inch 20gb laptop HD in an external USB2 enclosure, I use it for storage of files/music mainly.

I lend it to a mate who put some maps on there for me, and when it came back it doesn't boot up (The USB controller does, but the HD doesnt).

It just makes a very quiet "tick tick tick". Any idea if this can be repaired? Just after the data from it really....

I've a feeling it was vibration/impact damage that may have fooked it.

Any ideas folks?

Cheers

 

have you put it back in the same USB port on your pc?

Those drives are quite power hungry and some USB ports dont supply enough power (especially front case mounted ones)

Give another port a try and if you have any power supply options give that a try too.

 

Yeah...have tried both front & back USB ports...and a selection if USB cables - including the double header one for extra current draw it came with....no joy though!

 

sounds like its been dropped.

you could try it in another device like a 2nd bay on a laptop or another USB case.

Or last resort is to stick it in a sandwich bag and seal it tight. Then pop in the freezer for a few hours (or ideally over nite). then give it another go from cold. somtimes that will get it going again for long enough to get data off - but make this your LAST RESORT!

 

Well, I've decided to give it an autopsy (and possibly resuscitate it )

I found this arm loose in the case, looks like it was dropped aye....time for re assembly!

 

If it's ticking, generally, it's fooked. 30 - 40 mins in a well sealed bag in the freezer. Plug it in and perhaps recover your data

 

youll get fook all of it now its been opened.. smallest speck of dust will stop the heads reading

 

Well, yeah, there is the above point which will in actual fact, render my post useless

 

act of a desperate man when you take the cover off a HD!

now get a pen and smash up those plates! they crack like glass its quite satisfying when things go wrong.

 

I figured it'd probably not work again

Here's some pics anyhow





Good shit aint they

 

looks broken to me

 

It's all back together now and in the freezer.....my mate confessed he dropped it from about 3ft onto a concrete floor....twat!

 

whats the freezer trick do then?

 

Sounds like a bomb!! Careful now, slowly, stand well back!!!!
... oh, you've opened it up and it's not a bomb.

Let see some pics of creative destruction of the device!

steve

 

MOst hard drive failures are due to heat. The head's spinning constantly can often cause faiure. Often, if you have a drive "ticking" as said above, slap it in a sandwhich bag, in the freezer for a good time, put it in the pc and 9 times out of 10 if will be readable for small portion of time. Could be 5 mins, maybe 10. Generally enough time to get the data off and onto another drive.

 

well well welll

 

Did you know that HDDs have a 3 year warranty as standard?

 

Probably not against miss use such as dropping it 3ft on concrete.

Those little portable drives do get a rough ride!

 

I've returned quite a few HDDs in my time and haven't had any issues with getting an exchange - even when damage has been due to shock!

I would have gone the warranty route (having tried to recover data first) before taking the thing apart - bit late now though!

Andy

 

yep .. it is

 

 

lmfao...glad to see you have had that little uni work to do you've managed to make a picture post about your broken bloody hard drive...fucks sake...students