Harddrive problems

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So I have this LaCie 320gb external harddrive thats seems to be giving up on me for good. I want to grab some files off the damn thing before its completely dead, but I cant seem to do it. I find all of the files and file structures, but when I try to copy the file, the thing makes these clicking sounds and seemingly can't copy the file.

So I've heard this insane thing... And that is to put it in the freezer for a while, take it out quickly and access the HD immediatly. For some reason the cold or whatever helps with the damaged stuff inside and makes it good for at least a couple of more runs so that you can backup your files.

Anyone tried it, with an external device? If so, how do I go about it? Do I remove the casing or can I leave that on? Should I put it in a plastic bag before freezing it or after? Im desperate for some of the files located on this HD so any help is greatly appreciated.

Re: Harddrive problems

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_Marcus_ wrote:So I have this LaCie 320gb external harddrive thats seems to be giving up on me for good. I want to grab some files off the damn thing before its completely dead, but I cant seem to do it. I find all of the files and file structures, but when I try to copy the file, the thing makes these clicking sounds and seemingly can't copy the file.

So I've heard this insane thing... And that is to put it in the freezer for a while, take it out quickly and access the HD immediatly. For some reason the cold or whatever helps with the damaged stuff inside and makes it good for at least a couple of more runs so that you can backup your files.

Anyone tried it, with an external device? If so, how do I go about it? Do I remove the casing or can I leave that on? Should I put it in a plastic bag before freezing it or after? Im desperate for some of the files located on this HD so any help is greatly appreciated.
wow man, i feel for you. i've had a few lacie drives over the years and ALL of them ended that exact way. they are terrible drives, and whenever possible shouldn't be used for anything important.

that being said, yes what you heard is true - i've actually had it work for me on more than one occasion in my life. what i did was wrap the drive in paper towels to absorb any condensation then put it in a ziplock bag. leave it in the freezer at least overnight, then try to fire it up. leave it intact.

i've also had some luck trying different positions for the HD - sideways, diagonal, upside-down (vertically), on edge, etc. try moving it around - sometimes a different weight point can help the drive engage. as a last-ditch effort, i've also had marginal luck whacking the side of the drive with the handle of a screwdriver at the point when it clicks - sort of trying to knock it into a place where it can be read. that only works briefly, so i'd start a copy first, then whack your way through it - you might get a file or two.

there are other ways to get files off of hard drives too. however, none of them work when the drive is physically damaged to the point where it won't even spin up (the "lacie click"). there are data recovery firms out there that specialize in this type of thing, where they take the spindle and transplant it to another drive, etc., and can usually get off 80% or so of the data, but they are tremendously expensive and should only be considered if this is life or death data, or if you have a lot of money to throw away.

good luck.

Re: Harddrive problems

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Thank you for answering!

So should I leave the entire external disk as it is, in the casing and all, wrap it up nicely and put the thing in the freezer... THEN plugging it in as usual and just copy from it in Windows?

I'll certainly try the flipping-thing. Heard that might work as well. The hitting-tip I'll guess I'll save for last :)

We have some firms that do recovery work here, but its might expensive and I dont know if family photos etc are worth THAT much. At least not right now.

Re: Harddrive problems

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sorry no, take the actual drive out of the lacie container before you put it in the freezer.

also worth noting, i've had luck with connecting the drive another way, whether it be directly to the mobo (internal) or with an IDE (or SATA) to USB adapter, etc. - sometimes the board in those lacie containers is what goes back which then causes I/O failures on the drive, then eventually drive failure. so you do have a few things you can try, but don't hold your breath.

Re: Harddrive problems

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TC wrote:newegg has deals all the time for drives. i'd stick with seagate or western digital, in that order.
Personally I go for the opposite order, but at least we agree that those are the only two worthwhile firms. ;-)

Re: Harddrive problems

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Draesk wrote:
TC wrote:newegg has deals all the time for drives. i'd stick with seagate or western digital, in that order.
Personally I go for the opposite order, but at least we agree that those are the only two worthwhile firms. ;-)
yeah, that's what i've always done in the past. however, i've replaced two WD drives recently to zero Seagate drives, so...

Re: Harddrive problems

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I've got a pair of Seagates in my desktop at home. Once crapped out and they replaced it under warranty. They gave me a 400 GB replacement for my 320 GB original.

I did some sound isolation work for a company that does data recovery. Apparently they listen to the drives and need very low background noise to do their work, so the fitness center next to them in the strip mall was (and still is) causing problems. They charge some outrageous prices too, starting at like $1000. Hope the freezer works for you!

Re: Harddrive problems

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_Marcus_ wrote:So the damn thing is frozen stiff right now, and Ive just hooked it up. Windows recognizes it as a USB-disk but it doesnt show up in My Computer. What to do?
check disk manager? might be giving it a letter that's already assigned...

Re: Harddrive problems

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Yeah, I hear the drive spin up. I now have it hooked up via a SATA to USB-adapter. After trying connecting and disconnecting the thing a couple of times, the comp finally found it as drive letter J: (the usual setup), but I still couldn't copy anything from it. I've put it back in the freezer since seven or eight hours back and will try it again. If it fails, would you say its done for good?

Re: Harddrive problems

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_Marcus_ wrote:Yeah, I hear the drive spin up. I now have it hooked up via a SATA to USB-adapter. After trying connecting and disconnecting the thing a couple of times, the comp finally found it as drive letter J: (the usual setup), but I still couldn't copy anything from it. I've put it back in the freezer since seven or eight hours back and will try it again. If it fails, would you say its done for good?
i'd say if it's still making the clicking sound, yeah probably. :|

Re: Harddrive problems

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FUCK YES! One of the ad-people from the newspaper I work at, hooked the thing up to his office-Mac and whaddyaknow, the damn thing works! Well, works as in I can access the files and very slowly copy them from the disk. But I finally got my stuff back... Phew.