WaGuns.org

Dang drive crapped out. Got lots of photos that didn't yet get backed up.

Any good recovery options that don't break the bank?

SporkBoy wrote:Dang drive crapped out. Got lots of photos that didn't yet get backed up.

Any good recovery options that don't break the bank?

Depends what is wrong with it.

SSD or Spindle?
Is it an external drive, or internal drive?

If it's external, and the enclosure is dead, then it's easy to get the data.

If it's a logical problem, there is software that can fix partitions, recover deleted files etc.

If the drive itself is having physical problems, there are only 2 options I know of:
1. Pay a pro. Costs at least $500
2. Stick in a freezer, freeze it solid, hope it works long enough for you to copy the files off.

snozzberries wrote:2. Stick in a freezer, freeze it solid, hope it works long enough for you to copy the files off.

IF you do this, put it in a freezer bag and try to get as much air out of it as possible. Any condensation can kill it as well.

Bag doesn't matter.
Freezing hasn't worked in years.
Even with a large desiccant pack it will still get condensation or even ice on the platter from the water vapor inside the drive running you from $500 to a recovery that costs beyond what most government agencies or law firms would pay unless it was a big case.
https://acsdata.com/hard-drive-freezer-trick/

Works in less than 1% of cases these days, only for when there is a failure after warm up due to heat sensitive electronic component on the PCB.
Hit it with a can of freeze spray, or upside down can of duster. You'll know pretty quick.

Internal 750 GB SATA Seagate. Sounds like torn heads.

Prolly gonna take a spindle swap.

Multiple head failure is a preamp or wet drive.
Single head failure can be corrected using Deep Spar or another utility with direct access to the drive that can disable that head and do a partial recovery.
Once you start talking about opening the drive and replacing internal components, may be cheaper to just go on another vacation and take new pics.

SporkBoy wrote:Internal 750 GB SATA Seagate. Sounds like torn heads.

Prolly gonna take a spindle swap.

If you're going with swapping the spindle I would suggest no more than 3 inches...the headers will drag on speed bumps.

If you don't want to spend the cash to recover the data, then try it yourself. Find an identical working drive on ebay. Pay $10 for it.

Take both drives apart. Mix and match the drives to make a single working drive that has your platters in it.

It probably won't work, but $10 is cheap enough to try.

If you want to practice first, I think I have a couple 500gb SATA drives we can sacrifice for a fun experiment.

Get a damn clean room though, probably put on some latex gloves. You really should have a clean room, but for $10 whatever.