Unresponsive HDD Friend DESPERATELY needs file

[Artemis]

If the drive(s) spin up but aren't seen at all, the problem is in the controller.

That seems to be the problem here. I'll look into it. Gnu ground...

I did actually mention this as a solution earlier on, it is just that you mentioned the drive was visible (as a drive within the O/S) which led me to a different conclusion. The problem of course with using a donor drive is you first have to locate a drive with an identical model number to use as a donor drive. Once you have read the data off you can replace the controller onto the other drive, rather than continue using the faulty one.
A WD 500GB Black drive shouldn't be too hard to locate, and will probably be a reasonable price. The question is does your friend wish to put any further money into the project, especially since with the level of damage to the drive there is no guarantee of the data still being viable.

[megabyteme]

A WD 500GB Black drive shouldn't be too hard to locate, and will probably be a reasonable price. The question is does your friend wish to put any further money into the project, especially since with the level of damage to the drive there is no guarantee of the data still being viable.

The file is a customer list which is very specific to what he does. The value lies in being able to reach these specific customers without spending money on non-interested parties. This friend just strengthened up the underside of my deck (materials included) for no money. Granted, the work we just got him grossed $10k. Still, if he had been charging for this work I would have been out, say, another $3-4k. Like I mentioned, he's a GOOD friend. If I can find a controller within reason, I owe him the effort.

That said, the value of the file would not be worth sending off the drive for $1000+- especially since with the tools (including you guise and downloadable tools at our disposal ), there isn't a whole lot more than one of these centers (of varying qualities) can do.

And, I'll point out, our friendship is not one sided. I recently built his website (going live soon), consult on his business, and give him access to about $30k of tools. It works out nicely.

I will look into that controller. If there is a US-based source for these things (WD itself, maybe?), I'd appreciate the info...

[mitymek]

"If the drive(s) spin up but aren't seen at all, the problem is in the controller."
artenis- that lil tidbit is some cool info. and makes total sense too.
seems to me that there could be more possibles twixt the controller and the data on the platta (that arm thing or the reader eye thing for example), but the controller board sounds like a swap out part so with a donor drive it would be the next part to swap out with a known good piece under the spin but no detect issue.
i will have to try that out with mine. i dont have any data to save or anything, just for fun and knowledge.
thanks for the tip

[Artemis]

A WD 500GB Black drive shouldn't be too hard to locate, and will probably be a reasonable price. The question is does your friend wish to put any further money into the project, especially since with the level of damage to the drive there is no guarantee of the data still being viable.

The file is a customer list which is very specific to what he does. The value lies in being able to reach these specific customers without spending money on non-interested parties. This friend just strengthened up the underside of my deck (materials included) for no money. Granted, the work we just got him grossed $10k. Still, if he had been charging for this work I would have been out, say, another $3-4k. Like I mentioned, he's a GOOD friend. If I can find a controller within reason, I owe him the effort.

That said, the value of the file would not be worth sending off the drive for $1000+- especially since with the tools (including you guise and downloadable tools at our disposal ), there isn't a whole lot more than one of these centers (of varying qualities) can do.

And, I'll point out, our friendship is not one sided. I recently built his website (going live soon), consult on his business, and give him access to about $30k of tools. It works out nicely.

I will look into that controller. If there is a US-based source for these things (WD itself, maybe?), I'd appreciate the info...

Since I have no idea of the exact model number of the drive in question here is a random one from your state (although I don't remember which city you are nearest to and have no intention of being a stalker and going back through the posts): http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/sys/4355926792.html. You simply have to match the model numbers and at $65 (the price of that drive), or a bit more it's worth the punt...

In cases like this myself I usually go a local auction site that deals in second hand office equipment, the prices on components are phenomenally cheap. Since I don't know that many U.S. auction sites this is just to give you an idea of the types of places to go. Data retrieval is something I have had a lot of experience with in various jobs over the years, and by the time we get to this level of failure replacing the logic board will resolve about 40% of the problems (depending on the age of the drive).

"If the drive(s) spin up but aren't seen at all, the problem is in the controller."
artenis- that lil tidbit is some cool info. and makes total sense too.
seems to me that there could be more possibles twixt the controller and the data on the platta (that arm thing or the reader eye thing for example), but the controller board sounds like a swap out part so with a donor drive it would be the next part to swap out with a known good piece under the spin but no detect issue.
i will have to try that out with mine. i dont have any data to save or anything, just for fun and knowledge.
thanks for the tip

If the problem is in the actuator or there is a stiction problem with the read heads then there is usually an audible indication (the drive makes a funny noise). The point of using another controller is this in no way affects the drive, replacing the controller will either make the drive operate normally or not, so it is a safe option on the way down the diagnostic tree to resolve the issue. The only real problem is the cost when it is a gamble, but this must be weighed against the value of the data.

Most data retrieval companies classify this as a level 2 or hardware related problem, one where they have to start purchasing parts to resolve the issue and this is where the rubber hits the road in terms of cost if you have sent the drive for diagnosis and data retrieval. Above this is a level 3 (VERY expensive) repair, which involves dismantling the drive in a clean room to retrieve the platters and read the data off of them directly. As I said though the logic board itself can be easily replaced (I'd rather replace that than the digitiser on a smartphone).

[megabyteme]

You simply have to match the model numbers and at $65 (the price of that drive), or a bit more it's worth the punt...[...]I have had a lot of experience with in various jobs over the years, and by the time we get to this level of failure replacing the logic board will resolve about 40% of the problems (depending on the age of the drive).

I found some controllers for sale. The site mentioned copying over the BIOS. How is this done? I own an identical model HDD. I'm tempted to try the replacement, but am a bit worried about this step.