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Dave Hardenbrook
Guest
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 Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:09 am Post subject: HDD Data Recovery |
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This is a follow up to my previous posting about a PC whose hard drive
got zapped by a power surge. I have been looking into data recovery
services, and $800-$900 seems the norm, which is WAY beyond the scope of
my client, who is a low-income senior living in a mobile home.
So, setting aside a bake sale to raise money to recover the data (I *am*
seriously considering a fundraiser of some kind), do I have any other
options at this point? The behavior of the drive doesn't suggest
crashed heads. At power-on the drive seems to spin up normally, but the
POST displays the error "Primary Master Fail" and the system halts.
Also, even though the drive make and model shows up in the CMOS and in
diagnostic programs, the S/N field shows up as a blank. Does this point
to a firmware or circuit board problem?
Say I were to buy an identical drive and swap circuit boards -- Could
that possibly solve the problem? I'm not even sure if this can be done
without disturbing the drives innards, which I know must be protected
from the contaminants of the open air.
I know I'm proabably grasping at straws at this point -- I'm just
wondering if there's anything I might try before I proceed with trying
to raise that several hundred bucks. Why is data recovery so expensive
anyway? Is it purely the cost of maintaining the clean-rooms? Or am I
not unreasonably cynical in thinking that there's some price-massaging
going on, because they know how desperate it is to lose critical data
that's not backed up...?
--
Dave |
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smackedass
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:48 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Did you, attempt to install the hard drive in question as a secondary hard
drive within another machine?
You have not mentioned that, it's usually the first thing that I try, and if
it works (usually), great, if not, it's on to the $8-900 option.
sa |
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Shade
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:19 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Never know but might be worth a try...
This is the story of how I ressurrected my hard drive.
http://www.deadharddrive.com/
Also I have had limited success with this product.
1 GetDataBack for NTFS US$ 79
http://www.runtime.org/gdb.htm |
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Mister
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:23 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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The main question is...
Are the contents of the hard drive that important to spend that kind
of money?
If you are talking about a 100 or so photos and some music files,
chalk it up to a lesson to backup the system. If it contains files
that will revolutionize the world as we know it, then it would be
worth having a bake sale and a car wash to raise the funds.
I went through this with a business that never kept a backup of their
system. The hard drive failed and the cost to recover the drive's
contents was more then the cost to recreate the contents by "hand".
The computer is now running mirrored drives so this will not happened
again, unless both drives fail at the same time or somebody steals the
computer.
On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:48:34 GMT, "smackedass"
<kemanospamcomputer@verizon.net> wrote:
| Quote: |
Did you, attempt to install the hard drive in question as a secondary hard
drive within another machine?
You have not mentioned that, it's usually the first thing that I try, and if
it works (usually), great, if not, it's on to the $8-900 option.
sa
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Glenn
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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You haven't told us how the hard drive is failing. Data error, system
can't see it, won't boot. What? Why is his data so important?
Dave Hardenbrook wrote:
| Quote: | This is a follow up to my previous posting about a PC whose hard drive
got zapped by a power surge. I have been looking into data recovery
services, and $800-$900 seems the norm, which is WAY beyond the scope of
my client, who is a low-income senior living in a mobile home.
So, setting aside a bake sale to raise money to recover the data (I *am*
seriously considering a fundraiser of some kind), do I have any other
options at this point? The behavior of the drive doesn't suggest
crashed heads. At power-on the drive seems to spin up normally, but the
POST displays the error "Primary Master Fail" and the system halts.
Also, even though the drive make and model shows up in the CMOS and in
diagnostic programs, the S/N field shows up as a blank. Does this point
to a firmware or circuit board problem?
Say I were to buy an identical drive and swap circuit boards -- Could
that possibly solve the problem? I'm not even sure if this can be done
without disturbing the drives innards, which I know must be protected
from the contaminants of the open air.
I know I'm proabably grasping at straws at this point -- I'm just
wondering if there's anything I might try before I proceed with trying
to raise that several hundred bucks. Why is data recovery so expensive
anyway? Is it purely the cost of maintaining the clean-rooms? Or am I
not unreasonably cynical in thinking that there's some price-massaging
going on, because they know how desperate it is to lose critical data
that's not backed up...?
--
Dave |
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Homer S.
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:56 pm Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:09:45 GMT, Dave Hardenbrook
<daveh47@mindspring.com> wrote:
| Quote: | This is a follow up to my previous posting about a PC whose hard drive
got zapped by a power surge. I have been looking into data recovery
services, and $800-$900 seems the norm, which is WAY beyond the scope of
my client, who is a low-income senior living in a mobile home.
So, setting aside a bake sale to raise money to recover the data (I *am*
seriously considering a fundraiser of some kind), do I have any other
options at this point? The behavior of the drive doesn't suggest
crashed heads. At power-on the drive seems to spin up normally, but the
POST displays the error "Primary Master Fail" and the system halts.
Also, even though the drive make and model shows up in the CMOS and in
diagnostic programs, the S/N field shows up as a blank. Does this point
to a firmware or circuit board problem?
Say I were to buy an identical drive and swap circuit boards -- Could
that possibly solve the problem? I'm not even sure if this can be done
without disturbing the drives innards, which I know must be protected
from the contaminants of the open air.
|
Yes, I have done it before, mainly with WD drives but it should work
with any brand. And, you won't disturb the drive's 'innards'. The
controller board is simply mounted to the drive housing, usually with
Hex, Torx or Safety Torx screws. Just be sure the replacement board
matches the bad one perfectly.
| Quote: | I know I'm proabably grasping at straws at this point -- I'm just
wondering if there's anything I might try before I proceed with trying
to raise that several hundred bucks. Why is data recovery so expensive
anyway? Is it purely the cost of maintaining the clean-rooms? Or am I
not unreasonably cynical in thinking that there's some price-massaging
going on, because they know how desperate it is to lose critical data
that's not backed up...?
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Typical minimum cost to build a level-100 Clean Room - $500k
Maintenance cost per year - $30k
HJS |
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Glenn
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:39 pm Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Most manufactors have diagnostics specific to their drives. Have you
gone to the manufactor's web site to see what they suggest. I would just
go ahead and trash it. Unless he is a presidental advisor, his data may
be important to him, but it's loss won't really hurt anything. Lesson
learned about backing-up or mirroring.
Dave Hardenbrook wrote:
| Quote: | This is a follow up to my previous posting about a PC whose hard drive
got zapped by a power surge. I have been looking into data recovery
services, and $800-$900 seems the norm, which is WAY beyond the scope of
my client, who is a low-income senior living in a mobile home.
So, setting aside a bake sale to raise money to recover the data (I *am*
seriously considering a fundraiser of some kind), do I have any other
options at this point? The behavior of the drive doesn't suggest
crashed heads. At power-on the drive seems to spin up normally, but the
POST displays the error "Primary Master Fail" and the system halts.
Also, even though the drive make and model shows up in the CMOS and in
diagnostic programs, the S/N field shows up as a blank. Does this point
to a firmware or circuit board problem?
Say I were to buy an identical drive and swap circuit boards -- Could
that possibly solve the problem? I'm not even sure if this can be done
without disturbing the drives innards, which I know must be protected
from the contaminants of the open air.
I know I'm proabably grasping at straws at this point -- I'm just
wondering if there's anything I might try before I proceed with trying
to raise that several hundred bucks. Why is data recovery so expensive
anyway? Is it purely the cost of maintaining the clean-rooms? Or am I
not unreasonably cynical in thinking that there's some price-massaging
going on, because they know how desperate it is to lose critical data
that's not backed up...?
--
Dave |
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smackedass
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Ahem...
Maybe I missed something in the exchange, but...
Did you try what I mentioned: installing the sick drive as a secondary drive
in another machine?
All of the other suggestions notwithstanding, I believe that this may be a
path of minimal resistance. That is, if it works...no guarantees, but it'd
be the FIRST thing that I'd try. Have done this on dozens of occasions.
smackedass |
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Dave Hardenbrook
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:27 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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smackedass wrote:
| Quote: | Did you try what I mentioned: installing the sick drive as a secondary drive
in another machine?
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I tried installing the drive as the *Primary* in another system. Might
installing as a Secondary really make a difference?
--
Dave |
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Mister
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:32 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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I keep an IDE to USB connector with an external power supply handy for
these occasions. $15 on eBay.
On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 18:41:41 GMT, "smackedass"
<kemanospamcomputer@verizon.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Ahem...
Maybe I missed something in the exchange, but...
Did you try what I mentioned: installing the sick drive as a secondary drive
in another machine?
All of the other suggestions notwithstanding, I believe that this may be a
path of minimal resistance. That is, if it works...no guarantees, but it'd
be the FIRST thing that I'd try. Have done this on dozens of occasions.
smackedass
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Dave Hardenbrook
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:45 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Glenn wrote:
| Quote: | You haven't told us how the hard drive is failing. Data error, system
can't see it, won't boot. What?
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At POST, the IDE listing shows the drive correctly (so it's detecting
it), but then when it attempts to access the MBR it displays the message
"Primary Master Fail" and the system halts. It is a Maxtor drive and
running basic tests using MaxBlast displays the message "BIOS Extension
Test..FAILED", which made me wonder if it was only the logic board at
fault... |
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Mister
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:52 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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How old is the system this drive was installed in and how large is the
drive?
It sounds like the Maxtor has a BIOS extension installed on the MBR to
overcome the system's BIOS inability to read a large hard drive.
I never had any luck reinstalling the BIOS extension, because it
usually wants to erase the drive.
If this BIOS extension is what I think it is, you may not even be able
to read the drive as a secondary drive in another system.
On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:45:13 GMT, Dave Hardenbrook
<daveh47@mindspring.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Glenn wrote:
You haven't told us how the hard drive is failing. Data error, system
can't see it, won't boot. What?
At POST, the IDE listing shows the drive correctly (so it's detecting
it), but then when it attempts to access the MBR it displays the message
"Primary Master Fail" and the system halts. It is a Maxtor drive and
running basic tests using MaxBlast displays the message "BIOS Extension
Test..FAILED", which made me wonder if it was only the logic board at
fault...
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John P. Dearing
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:49 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Dave Hardenbrook wrote:
| Quote: | smackedass wrote:
Did you try what I mentioned: installing the sick drive as a secondary
drive in another machine?
I tried installing the drive as the *Primary* in another system. Might
installing as a Secondary really make a difference?
|
Absolutely!
It would now be a secondary "data" drive in the other system. You would
still boot from the other systems normal drive, but access the failing
drive to try and recover the data.
You can install the drive internally (after rejumpering as slave) or
temporarily install the drive in one of those external USB drive
enclosures. It's an easy way to see if the drive has any hopes of being
"easily" recovered. You'll probably never trust it again for booting or
storing data, but at least you can get the data off of the drive.
Let us know how you make out
John
--
John Dearing
A+, Network+, Server+
To reply, just drop "YOURPANTS" from my addy |
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smackedass
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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"Mister" <not_a_chance@this_email_address.com> wrote in message
news:6ij9f25du9fgmil9c3g2tgr3g6681u5d33@4ax.com...
| Quote: | I keep an IDE to USB connector with an external power supply handy for
these occasions. $15 on eBay.
|
Yes, I've got one also, mine has 3 adapters, one for a laptop (not always
compatible, but often is), one for a standard IDE, and one for a SATA. Mine
cost me $30, from MacSales, don't let the name confuse you, it's every bit
MS compatible. A bargain at any price, almost.
However, this is not absolutely necessary to have this gadget in hand, to
attempt to accomplish what Mr. H. needs to. A working XP box, an IDE cable
with 3 connectors (one for the board), the documentation necessary to set
Primary/Secondary or Master/Slave or Cable Select/Cable Select, are all he
needs.
smackedass |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:29 am Post subject: Re: HDD Data Recovery |
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Why don`t you try booting with a Linux CD Called Knoppix? I have use
it to recover some information of windows XP NTFS drives. Read this
article.
read this article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=3214
Let us know how it goes.
Regards.
SBFan2000 wrote:
| Quote: | I had that same thing on a drive not to long ago. Windows couldn't see the
drive, but Bios could. I finally got windows to see it but it reported it
with no partitions of any kind. I used DataGetBack for ntfs and recovered
about 50% of the contents!
"Dave Hardenbrook" <daveh47NOSPAM@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1f626e8ecd965e9e989682@news.west.earthlink.net...
In article <zu6Jg.7637$4O4.5749@trnddc02>,
John.Dearing@VerYOURPANTSizon.net says...
You can install the drive internally (after rejumpering as slave) or
temporarily install the drive in one of those external USB drive
enclosures. It's an easy way to see if the drive has any hopes of being
"easily" recovered. You'll probably never trust it again for booting or
storing data, but at least you can get the data off of the drive.
Let us know how you make out
Well, I tried installing the drive as a secondary data drive, and when I
booted up (under Win 2000), before reaching the splash screen, I got
STOP error 0x0007F -- UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP. When I disconnected
the drive the STOP error went away and Windows booted normally.
Deciding to have one last go, I reconnected the drive and booted again.
This time Windows booted normally, but the drive did not show up in My
Computer (not surprising). I then tried to run DiskProbe, but it only
detected the good drive as "PhysicalDrive1". It couldn't see the bad
drive at all. Then I tried booting to Safe Mode, but it hung at the
"Windows is Starting Up" message, just before the login window (even the
power button wouldn't respond).
Finally, I booted using the DOS version of Partition Magic. Lo and
behold, PM *could* see the drive, but reported that there were no
partition tables. (As did Maxtor's own diagnostics.)
So that's where I am -- PM is the only thing I can get to detect the
drive, but I can guess that if I try to do anything with *it*, I'll
really screw things up.
So is this the end of the line? My client reports that much (but not
all) of the vital documents on the drive are in hard copy. So maybe is
it not worth going on?
--
Dave |
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