SATA II broken drive

Arno wrote:
> Jem 2 <123@456.com> wrote:
>
>> "Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote in message
>> newsg3td5tln1fk7acuebakd6a572237fnfvg@4ax.com...
>>> On Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:59:27 +0100, "Jem 2" <123@456.com> put finger
>>> to keyboard and composed:
>>>
>>>> Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask this, but I need
>>>> help with my
>>>> broken 500GB drive. It is partitioned into 2 and the first
>>>> partition clicks.
>>>
>>> Is it a Seagate 7200.11 or 7200.12 drive?
>>>
>>>> When I did manage to access the drive using a Ubuntu memory stick
>>>> the second partition seemed to read perfectly without clicking,
>>>> etc. I thought I had copied the important bits to a new HDD, but
>>>> have just realised
>>>> I forgot to move my email as well.
>>>>
>>>> I have since tried to access the drive both by plugging it it
>>>> directly or via a SATA to USB bridge. The BIOS detects the drive
>>>> without problems but I
>>>> can't access anything. It has appeared in the device list, but
>>>> never gives
>>>> me any drive letters and doesn't seem to come up in the 'manage'
>>>> options either.
>>>>
>>>> Am I totally sunk? Is there anything that will enable me to
>>>> access the 2nd
>>>> (working?) partition?
>>>>
>>>> I would be grateful for any help you can offer.
>>>>
>>>> many thanks
>>>>
>>>> Jem
>>>
>>> Clone as much of the bad drive as you can to a new drive and then
>>> use a data recovery utility such as GetDataBack or Linux ddrescue.
>>>
>>> - Franc Zabkar
>>> --
>>> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
>
>> Thanks guys for all the responses. Doesn't sound good. I know it
>> is my fault. I don't think it is worth employing professional
>> recovery services, but I'm a bit miffed about my email. I thought I
>> had grabbed the important stuff.
>
> Well, it happens to everybody now and again.
>
>> It is a Samsung 7200 drive. I believe they offer a 3 year warranty.
>> It is safe to return a drive to them which may contain private data
>> (account numbers etc)? I admit that I am very tempted to try the
>> freezer trick, but will that mean that Samsung don't honour the
>> warranty?
>
> They cannot tell. If your data is not worth recovering professionally,
> then you can mess with the drive. At the current low cost of these,
> it is probably not even worthwhile to pay one-way shipping to get
> a replacement.
>
> As to the freezer trick, what it does is shift all operating
> parameters slighly in the other direction than warming it
> up (or just runnign it and let it self-heat) does. Sometimes
> this gives you a few extra minutes of operation or even more,
> especially it the problem is with start-up. But be quick,
> the drive warms fast and may then fail again.
>
> As to the confidential data, I would not send it back unerased.
> The price of the drive is too low and the potential damage is
> to great for it to be worthwhile IMO. That is one main reason to
> encrypt such information.

Corse you can always just change the PINs etc.

On 21-Oct-2009, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote:

> Beware of the trap
> > that some shiddy mfrs say that as it's an
> > OEM drive you have to return it via the system
> > vendor. (who doesn't want to know)
>
> They cant get away with that last in countrys with
> decent consumer law.

They just stall and give you the run around with
expesive national rate calls. I ended up having to
file a court action against a national retail chain
and a multi-national company. That changed their
tune. Their tame barrister gave me their latest
product, paid my costs to withdraw the action
and settle out of court, and an acceptable sum
for my time trouble and inconvenience.

Ato_Zee wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote

>> Beware of the trap that some shiddy mfrs say
>> that as it's an OEM drive you have to return it via
>> the system vendor. (who doesn't want to know)

>> They cant get away with that last in countrys with decent consumer law.

> They just stall and give you the run around with expesive national rate calls.

Anyone with even half a clue uses voip so that cant fly.

> I ended up having to file a court action against a national retail
> chain and a multi-national company. That changed their tune.

Yep, and even just threatening that is usually enough.

One operation was actually stupid enough to have the CEO's name
on their web site and I just rang him up and monstered him that way.

> Their tame barrister gave me their latest
> product, paid my costs to withdraw the action
> and settle out of court, and an acceptable
> sum for my time trouble and inconvenience.

Yeah, its easy enough if you know what you are doing.

I even did it with a pair of boots that were 30 years old, which I didnt get
around to wearing because the soles were too knobby and picked up mud.