Have a trouble with randomally disconected HD

[CrazyDoctor]

Hi All,

I have 1.5 tera of seagate (7200.11)

The problem with the drive is that every short and randomally time, the drive disconect it'self and even the bios does not see it.

I have to shut down the system completly, wait few minutes and than turning on the system. The HD is recognize again for few minutes and disconect again.

It is a defective HD (100%).

Seatools report that the drive is over 70 degree but it does not feel like that when I tuch it.

I have to buckup all the data from it. How do I do that?

How can I prevant from the drive to disconect or to expand the time before it does?

Best Regards,

[allen2]

I would be very cautious and use it in an usb enclosure (to avoid the reboot). Also as the drive report a high temperature, i would use some system to cool the drive even if the temp isn't reported correctly.

[dencorso]

If I were you, I'd RMA it instead of keeping defective hardware.

[CrazyDoctor]

If I were you, I'd RMA it instead of keeping defective hardware.

very good idea, after I take out the files out of it

Any suggestions?

[jaclaz]

The usual ones.

Image it OFFLINE (USB enclosure or "slave" or "second disk", NOT "booted from").

Use a proper tool.

This should help, as you can make partial images easily enough with it:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7783&hl=

jaclaz

[VideoRipper]

Like allan2 said: keep it cool, even if it isn't really at the temperature reported.

Probably the temperature-sensor is defective, forcing the drive to shut off.

By cooling it down pretty low (maybe you want to use a table fan pointing at it) you

might be able to retrieve the data by using the tips suggested by jaclaz. B)

[CrazyDoctor]

Like allan2 said: keep it cool, even if it isn't really at the temperature reported.

Probably the temperature-sensor is defective, forcing the drive to shut off.

By cooling it down pretty low (maybe you want to use a table fan pointing at it) you

might be able to retrieve the data by using the tips suggested by jaclaz. B)

Is there any way to bypass the temperature-sensor?

Any creative cooling methods? I don't think that table fan is effective for that case, isn't it?

Mmm... what about put the hard drive in the freezer for some hours?

I heared that it is the old trick but it ruin the hard drive (still far this method worked for me only one time with clicking hard drive, which mine does not clicking)

The new symptom from the hard drive is that: when I connect it with usb adaptor to my computer, I get from windows a pop message that I have to format the drive.

I think that sector 0 is corrupt or something.

I tried to retrieve the data with recovery data softwares such as "Getdata back for ntfs" and "Rstudio" with out any success.

Is that the case of BSY stat?

What about this product? can it help solve me problem?

http://www.itrends.co.il/uid_40299/EVERCOOL-SONIC-HARD-DISK-COOLER-HD-SC.htm

It cost 10$

Is it worth the money and the supply time?

Or this one

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16835199002&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Which I didn't find the price of it.

Edited May 28, 2010 by CrazyDoctor

[John305]

Hi just to try take a normal freezer pack like you would use as a ice pack or a heat pack for your knee or what ever and set it on top of the hard drive see if that helps if not no cooling will.

[jaclaz]

FORGET about ice packs, freezers, etc. are a LAST resort trick ONLY for particular symptoms (clicking/misalignment).

FORGET what windows says about the hard disk needing formatting.

This is binary, Yes/No, ON/OFF:

Can windows "see" the drive as \\.\PhysicalDrive?

If YES, you should just IMAGE it, until it lasts.

If it warms too much, and it stops responding, disconnect it, let it cool down, and re-try with another chunk of sectors.

ANY fan will contribute to keep it at a reasonable temperature for a bit more time.

ANY other means of cooling it (NOT freezing it) will contribute to keep it at a reasonable temperature for a bit more time.

NEVER use anything that can create humidity, condensation or the like.

If you want to spend some good $ for a nice toy, here is one, based on Maxwell's Demon :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_tube

If you are cheap, you can also build one in a DIY, but the "real" thing is usually more efficient:

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Vortex%20Tubes/Pages/A%20Phenomenon%20of%20Physics.aspx

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Vortex%20Tubes/Pages/Selecting%20the%20Right%20Vortex%20Tube.aspx

Sure, it's not el-cheapo, around 300 bucks, but about 50 times more useful in a laboratory than that lame smallish fan you found for ten.

Hint: get a fan from a blown out PSU you have lying around, it will be uglier but cool just as well as those you found.

jaclaz

[puntoMX]

CrazyDoctor,

What you need is the logic and knowledge jaclaz has.

---

You also know that useful knowledge here on the forum must come from both sides, so, all we ask is to give something back to the community, that before you fix someone else his/her harddrive for, or without, profit of any kind.

---

[jaclaz]

What you need is the logic and knowledge jaclaz has.

Well, knowledge can be learned and, up to a certain extent, logic too I have a not-so-slight advantage, due to my heritage.

jaclaz

[CrazyDoctor]

FORGET about ice packs, freezers, etc. are a LAST resort trick ONLY for particular symptoms (clicking/misalignment).

FORGET what windows says about the hard disk needing formatting.

This is binary, Yes/No, ON/OFF:

Can windows "see" the drive as \\.\PhysicalDrive?

If YES, you should just IMAGE it, until it lasts.

If it warms too much, and it stops responding, disconnect it, let it cool down, and re-try with another chunk of sectors.

ANY fan will contribute to keep it at a reasonable temperature for a bit more time.

ANY other means of cooling it (NOT freezing it) will contribute to keep it at a reasonable temperature for a bit more time.

NEVER use anything that can create humidity, condensation or the like.

If you want to spend some good $ for a nice toy, here is one, based on Maxwell's Demon :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_tube

If you are cheap, you can also build one in a DIY, but the "real" thing is usually more efficient:

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Vortex%20Tubes/Pages/A%20Phenomenon%20of%20Physics.aspx

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Vortex%20Tubes/Pages/Selecting%20the%20Right%20Vortex%20Tube.aspx

Sure, it's not el-cheapo, around 300 bucks, but about 50 times more useful in a laboratory than that lame smallish fan you found for ten.

Hint: get a fan from a blown out PSU you have lying around, it will be uglier but cool just as well as those you found.

jaclaz

jaclaz, many thanks for the helpful answer!

Few things, the windows recognize the hard drive but say that it must be format first.

Any bootable and windows environment images software like norton gohst and others, loose the hard drive at the start. (I gut-feeling that it somehow relate to the sector 0). When I get into the bios before I try to scan the drive in any way,the drive fully recognize and I can see it for a long time and for any further restrat, till I scan it or try to image it.

At the first beggining I fixed some sectors with HDD Regenarator. But now every time I got againg to the HDD Regenarator, it loose the drive.

I don't feel the drive geting hot when I touch it (It spin and every thing but not geting hot beyond the normal), so it probably relate to the sector 0 or to a defective temperature-sensor that cause the drive to be shuting down.

Where the temperature-sensor locate on the drive?

What will happan if I will clear the MBR with MHDD?

Do you think that it somehow relate to the sector 0?

By the way, something here might be help?

Vortex Tubes

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=vortex+tubes&_sacat=See-All-Categories

http://cgi.ebay.com/VORTEX-TUBE-SPOT-COOLING-TOOL-250-PSIG-MAX-/370388424506?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Pneumatic_Hydraulic_Valves_Parts&hash=item563cded73a

HDD Coolers

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=hdd+cooling

It seems the beyond the tube I need a compressor too, don't I?

Best Regards and many Thanks!

CrazyDoctor.

Edited May 29, 2010 by CrazyDoctor

[jaclaz]

jaclaz, many thanks for the helpful answer!

You are welcome , though if you actually started following the suggestions it would be more gratifying.

FORGET about sector 0.

FORGET about HDD Regenerator.

FORGET about ANYTHING else but the tool I suggested:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7783&hl=

http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/v3/drdd.htm

What happens if you try to use it?

Aren't you EXACTLY in this situation?:

http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/v3/drdd.htm

A typical use example

A 40GB hard drive suffers of physically bad sectors in the system area that cause the drive to lock up when the damaged area is hit by a conventional disk duplication program or a data recovery program. DrDD is first used to attempt an image of the drive. DrDD locks up as well, the error is completely irrecoverable. The system is reset. Through the last log, the problematic area seems to be sector 1.000.000. DrDD is used to first create an image of the hard drive up to sector 999.999. Knowing that hardware errors are often contiguous, a second image is created, backwards, from the end of the drive (for example 40000MBs) back to sector 1.000.001. The backward copy proceeds and finally locks up at sector 1.004.000. If the data hasn't been saved, a new forward copy starting at sector 1.004.001 and going up to the end of the drive is done. The user now has saved most of the raw content of its hard drive and has saved the multiple trial and error read attempts he would have gone through if he had restarted the copy forward at sector 1.000.001 - with most of the data in a safe place, the user is now able to try as many data-recovery utilities as he wishes, for example our own PhotoRescue application.

Aren't you continuing to ignore this:

Data Recovery can be very tricky. In some cases, merely reading a hard drive or a memory card "just one more time" may completely crash the device, for example because it overheats or debris are dragged around by the hard drive heads. The purpose of DrDD is to minimize that number of reads and to allow safe recovery attempts from image files, but DrDD is not immune to the crash risk.

and insisting on fiddling with that hard disk with "wrong" tools and methods, thus possibly lessening the chances of recovering anything?

It seems the beyond the tube I need a compressor too, don't I?

Not necessarily, if you have good lungs.....

Of course you need a compressor, or a biggish filled compressed air tank (otherwise you will need the compressor to fill the tank... ).

jaclaz

Edited May 29, 2010 by jaclaz

[CrazyDoctor]

Thank you jaclaz, I will follow all the steps you suggested.

In addition I want to buy one of those:

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=hdd+cooling

In order to keep cool the hard drive.

What do you recommend to buy?

[jaclaz]

What do you recommend to buy?

As said, this one :

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-ECO-desktop-fan-from-old-computer-pa/

jaclaz