Hdd Failing, Data Recovery Options

[tictoc5150]

OK, I could have sworn that someone here (possibly Honda_Boy) started a thread regarding this topic...damned if I could find it though.

So, I thought I'd relay my newfound experience....And if you're wondering, Yes, I did break the first rule in computing....no backing up!!!!

The scenario:

Antec Sonata II case, 2 ATA HDDs (1 system,1 storage) in the bottom 2 bays, 2 SATAs (both storage, obviously) in the top 2 bays - probably less than a cm in space for airflow... (all drives coming up on about 4 years old, and run almost 24/7 for that long)....Everest and Speedfan have both always reported that the ATAs were normal but SATAs were running hot (temp range:125F-135F under load)...I did nothing!

Starting a couple months ago, one of the SATAs would go MIA from "my Computer" which would make windows have a conniption...I didn't consider the temps as a factor since it seems they've always run at that temp, I thought it could be something else....swapped out SATA cables for new ones and it seemed to solve it.

Yesterday, I see a little yellow triangle with a ! in the tray (hmmm, wtf is that?, never seen one of those before). I check the system event log and the whole log was nothing but "error detected on device blah blah blah..."

Checked "my computer" expecting to not see the drive there....but it was and I could still browse through all folders...However, I couldn't access a single file, windows would freeze, explorer.exe would crash then unfreeze...mounted the drive with linux to rule out a windows issue.... same result more or less.

Duh, should I try backing up the drive now?...

So, I pull the drive, throw it in a ziplock freezer bag and into the freezer it goes....14 hours later, I hook it back up (leaving it sitting outside the case) and windows won't boot (freeze at the boot screen), I keep trying...finally boots. I guess the drive was too cold to spin up...As soon as it got to a usable state, I started dragging and dropping like a madman....watching the temps on the drives the whole time...they went from 70F to about 135F over the course of about an hour.

The end result, 100% data recovery (over 200GB)....guess I need to get burning some dvds.

Both SATAs are still hooked up (1 installed, 1 outside the case) and running at about 111F ...While their life expectancy doesn't look great, I might install a front fan on the case to see just how long they'll last.

Sorry for the wall of text

[Besttechie]

Awesome t0c! Glad to know it worked.

Make sure you backup now - it'll save you the headache.

One of the reasons I love OSX is Time Machine which literally makes backup a no-brainer.

B

[hitest]

One of the reasons I love OSX is Time Machine which literally makes backup a no-brainer.

B

Yeah, I've been looking at that for my daughter's Macbook. That looks like a winner to me. So you just plug-in the Time Capsule to your wireless router and it automagically backs-up a Mac?

Very cool solution, t0c!!!

[Pete_C]

One mistake a lot of folks make is taking the drive out of the freezer bag.

This allows condensation if the air is not very very dry.

I prefer to connect a (PATA OR SATA TO ) USB adapter and run the USB cable out of a tiny hole in the bag and seal that hole with duct tape and / or silicon sealant.

In addition, you can pack a couple of those blue ice blocks used in your beer cooler in there too to keep the drive cool.

The idea here is that if the problem is caused by a worn bearing , or loosening tolerances; that cold shrinks the metal and tightens tolerances and thickens lubricants . This can at least briefly make things tight enough to work so you can rescue your most vital data.