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Dropped laptop, HDD recovery help

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NeoShocker
The Dark Space Initiative
Scary Wormhole People
#1 - 2012-09-21 00:47:26 UTC
Well, running chkdsk to see the extent of the damage.

Laptop was dropped and it did land on a hard surface. Laptop wasn't powered on at the time, so I assume I can most likely recover most (or hopefully some) of the files. Used one of the HDD dock (meant for 3.5") but fit the 2.5 one and it installed.

So I tried accessing it, no good, but I know there are programs that can help recover files from HDD. Anyone know any?
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#2 - 2012-09-21 01:00:19 UTC
I would start with LiveCD. It is OS on the cd, so you actually do not use hd for running your computer. The hd is then just a storage device, try and see if you can move stuff from hd to some other storage device like usb or external hd.

Technically speaking, since computer was off when it was dropped, chances are that hd is fine. Are you saying that you can not turn on the lappy? Or that you can not get into OS?

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
NeoShocker
The Dark Space Initiative
Scary Wormhole People
#3 - 2012-09-21 02:29:17 UTC  |  Edited by: NeoShocker
Caleidascope wrote:
I would start with LiveCD. It is OS on the cd, so you actually do not use hd for running your computer. The hd is then just a storage device, try and see if you can move stuff from hd to some other storage device like usb or external hd.

Technically speaking, since computer was off when it was dropped, chances are that hd is fine. Are you saying that you can not turn on the lappy? Or that you can not get into OS?


Could not get into the OS, even on safe mode. I just slapped a different HDD, and laptops is working fine. So its the HDD as expected,
Verone
Veto Corp
#4 - 2012-09-21 04:56:11 UTC  |  Edited by: Verone
NeoShocker wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
I would start with LiveCD. It is OS on the cd, so you actually do not use hd for running your computer. The hd is then just a storage device, try and see if you can move stuff from hd to some other storage device like usb or external hd.

Technically speaking, since computer was off when it was dropped, chances are that hd is fine. Are you saying that you can not turn on the lappy? Or that you can not get into OS?


Could not get into the OS, even on safe mode. I just slapped a different HDD, and laptops is working fine. So its the HDD as expected,


Hard disk is probably "jumped" (shock damaged). Typically this is due to the read/write head making contact with the surface of the platter.

Oldest trick in the book for this is to put the disk in a zip lock water resistant bag and push as much air out of it as possible before you seal it. Then drop it in the freezer for a while to chill it down.

The drop in temperature causes the platters to contract and shrink so that the head is no longer touching (we're talking fractions of a millimetre). Sometimes this lets the disk function until it heats up again and they expand again.

I've recovered data from hard disks this way before god knows how many times, works well usually.

Verone CEO & Executor Veto Corp WWW.VETO-CORP.COM
Brujo Loco
Brujeria Teologica
#5 - 2012-09-21 13:30:52 UTC
Verone wrote:
NeoShocker wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
I would start with LiveCD. It is OS on the cd, so you actually do not use hd for running your computer. The hd is then just a storage device, try and see if you can move stuff from hd to some other storage device like usb or external hd.

Technically speaking, since computer was off when it was dropped, chances are that hd is fine. Are you saying that you can not turn on the lappy? Or that you can not get into OS?


Could not get into the OS, even on safe mode. I just slapped a different HDD, and laptops is working fine. So its the HDD as expected,


Hard disk is probably "jumped" (shock damaged). Typically this is due to the read/write head making contact with the surface of the platter.

Oldest trick in the book for this is to put the disk in a zip lock water resistant bag and push as much air out of it as possible before you seal it. Then drop it in the freezer for a while to chill it down.

The drop in temperature causes the platters to contract and shrink so that the head is no longer touching (we're talking fractions of a millimetre). Sometimes this lets the disk function until it heats up again and they expand again.

I've recovered data from hard disks this way before god knows how many times, works well usually.


This, OMG this, never believed it until I had to do this from a recommendation I gleaned off the web when my boss external HD went kaput after a fall, since he was about to throw it away anyway decided to go with it. Verone speaks the truth.

Inner Sayings of BrujoLoco: http://eve-files.com/sig/brujoloco
NeoShocker
The Dark Space Initiative
Scary Wormhole People
#6 - 2012-09-21 20:19:45 UTC
Verone wrote:
NeoShocker wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
I would start with LiveCD. It is OS on the cd, so you actually do not use hd for running your computer. The hd is then just a storage device, try and see if you can move stuff from hd to some other storage device like usb or external hd.

Technically speaking, since computer was off when it was dropped, chances are that hd is fine. Are you saying that you can not turn on the lappy? Or that you can not get into OS?


Could not get into the OS, even on safe mode. I just slapped a different HDD, and laptops is working fine. So its the HDD as expected,


Hard disk is probably "jumped" (shock damaged). Typically this is due to the read/write head making contact with the surface of the platter.

Oldest trick in the book for this is to put the disk in a zip lock water resistant bag and push as much air out of it as possible before you seal it. Then drop it in the freezer for a while to chill it down.

The drop in temperature causes the platters to contract and shrink so that the head is no longer touching (we're talking fractions of a millimetre). Sometimes this lets the disk function until it heats up again and they expand again.

I've recovered data from hard disks this way before god knows how many times, works well usually.


will give it a shot!
Surfin's PlunderBunny
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#7 - 2012-09-21 21:15:03 UTC
I'd say drop it again to fix the problem Big smile

"Little ginger moron" ~David Hasselhoff 

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ISD TYPE40
Imperial Shipment
Amarr Empire
#8 - 2012-09-21 23:28:17 UTC
There is also the high likelihood that the platters are made of glass or ceramic. In which case a hard enough shock can fracture or even shatter the plates, making recovery of data impossible.

If the plates are made of Aluminium, then Verone's idea should work fairly well. If you have an external dock, you do what I did, which was to sit on my kitchen floor with the hard-drive dock sitting in my freezer.

[b]ISD Type40 Lt. Commander Community Communication Liaisons (CCLs) Interstellar Services Department[/b]
Agaetis Byrjun Endalaust
#9 - 2012-09-24 19:52:49 UTC
use a linux distro, open shell, mount the hd to be recovered in read-only, then "man dd" is the way. Good luck.

It won't work in case of phisical damage (like a broken plate or head) but I saved all my data from a defective hd before sending it to RMA. It took about 20 days to finish though, it reads, check and backup your hard drive bit per bit :)

__________________________ just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not after you