5 day old hard drive isn't recognized! Need to revive enough to get data off!

Yes... I've been trying to get this discussion back to this one thread. I only put posts out in a couple other trheads to try to get more attention to the problem and more answers.

As for a partition manager.... given my problem, a partition manager does absolutely NO good. The problem is that the drive won't make an appearance but for a couple seconds at a time every few minutes. Most of the time the controller doesn't even see it. If the drive isn't recognized, partition software does no good. And... if the drive would stay in contact, then repartitioning would not be needed since I could read from the drive.

BTW - have still never been able to boot to windows even in those rare times when I can get the drive to appear to the contoller. I get a blue screen; appently from NT or 2000 not being able to access the drive!

I'm ready to try replacing the circuit board (already took the old one off and tried cleaning the contacts) but the revision on the new drive is a little different. May cause trouble...

 

Here's an update!

Looks like I've narrowed it down to likely being the controller board.

Since the board on the new drive was obviously different, I tried the old board in the new drive to see if it would drive it. It apparently did not because some clicking sounds came from the new drive.

HOWEVER - the drive would STILL not be recognized by the controller!!! If the board was doing its thing, then I should have gotten an error from the drive as opposed to a lack of recognition.

If I could get the EXACT same contoller board, then I would stand a chance of reviving the drive and getting my data.

Another question is - is there any way to help correct the contoller board that I have? I would have more confidence in using the same controller board *IF* I could get it to work for a while. Any ideas? Does this intermittent contact sound like a bad solder connection somwhere or more like a chip which has failed?

 

Hi Stelliger,

One last thought ... WD tech support was very helpful to me early this year. I think that, if you called them, explained the problem, and asked them to send you a drive with the same series# circuit board (it follows the "-" after the model#, as in WD1000JB-00CRA1), they might cooperate.

Normally, you're expected to ship your HD to them before they'll ship a replacement but, if you supply credit card info, they'll "advance-ship" you a HD (2 day FedEx). Then, you have about two weeks to ship your faulty drive back to them. If you don't, they charge your card. They'll tell you, when they take your card info, what the charge will be ... in my case, it was about $78.

I replaced two HDs that way, and bought a third ... far and away the least expensive way (at the time) to obtain a spare drive. I haven't needed it yet but, when I do, it's right here.

 

More news...

While is was a logical assumption before that it was the board (same board also caused no recognition on new drive), now that I've gotten another same-series drive, it's now without question NOT the circuit board.

If you call the original drive "A" and the new similar drive "B ", then A's board would successfully run drive B but B's board did EXACTLY the same thing (mostly not recognized) when put in A.

So it's the drive itself somehow. Yet the mechanics haven't been making noise. I can FEEL the drive access when the controller tries to initialize it (feel a slight vibration at the moment when the OTHER drive shows up).

I've tried three different controllers now without luck (two add-on, one onboard).

Cold DOES seem to help the drive be recognized but not for long enough to actually DO anything. I can get the drive to be recognized more often for about 2-3 minutes after coming out of the fridge.

Just ONCE, when I didn't get it fully to freezing, I actually managed to boot it into NT!!! I could SEE the drives and files! The only problem is that when I tried to copy a couple files I got about 1mb worth accomplished when it froze up on me and I could get no response from the drive again.

So... there's very very VAGUE hope. But I don't know what I could even try at this point unless I had a unit to blow freezing air on the drive continually (it would help if I lived back up in MI, ironically)!

Oh, well ... any people with ideas I'd love to hear them!

As for backups... yes, yes, I know. It's the first thing I plan to do once I get this situation resolved. I just let it get away from me. Now I'm pulling my hair out.

 

Hi stelliger.

Get a chest freezer. Run it down to -10F. Take the cdrom and the floppy out of the computer. Be sure there's a second hard drive in the computer. Take the sides or case cover off. Put the whole computer in the freezer. Run the monitor, mouse, and keyboard cables out and sit them on top. Tape up the slits in the cover left when you ran the cables out (although a chest freezer should stay cold).

Let it cool down, boot up and copy everything off.

Done

I forgot. When you're done, let the computer sit for about a day so the moisture can evaporate away. Might even put a fan on it.

Another way is to just put the hdd in a bowl surrounded by ice bags (after you take the hdd out of a freezer) and try it that way. The cables and power cord should be long enough if you sit everything on a couple of stacks of books. The goal is to cool down the printed circuit board. The rest of the hdd is probably ok. If the printed circuit board is attached to the drive via a ribbon cable you can probably remove the screws holding the board to the case and fold it out. Then you can sandwich it between ice bags. Be careful of the ribbon cable. No strain on it. Watch condensation.

Use zip bags for the ice and keep the tops up so if they leak they won't do any damage.

Giles

 

Hi stellinger.

Just some follow-up info.

JSS3rd was right on the nose. Feels like you have a chip heating up on that hdd printed circuit board. When you cranked it up after cooling it down it worked for awhile till it heated up again. If you can ice it with some ice bags you probably can get all the data off. Just sit it on some books or something about half way up the side of the case, beside the case. The power cord from the power supply and the ide cable will reach that far. I do it all the time. Keeping it cool should give you time to get the info and then you can return it.

We used to use a can of cool spray and spray the chips til something worked again and just replaced the chip. With the surface mounts it isn't as easy as it used to be. Cool it down and keep it cooled and it outta work.

Giles

 

Thanks for the added comments.

One important note: I said somewhere back there (I know it's a long thread) that I've eliminated the printed circuit board as the problem. I know this because I got a similar drive and swapped out the printed circuit boards; both drives behaved exactly the same no matter which printed circuit board I used.

OK... as for keeping the drive cool. The chest freezer is not such an easy thing to come by. Eventually it's possible to get access to one for a while but I'm not sure.

I've tried bags of ice; doesn't seemt to help at all. I tried making a scoop for a fan and putting it in the window when it was 40 degrees at night but it still didn't seem to make a bit of difference despite the whole drive feeling markedly cool. Apparently it's the innards of the drive which need to be cooled, and a LOT, to make a difference.

What did you mean about using books? Are you talking about putting them in the freezer, too, so as to be heat sinks of sorts?

I'm thinking the only thing, now, which MIGHT work as for cooling it would be dry ice - and even then I'm not so sure since it's INSIDE the drive and not the board which needs to be cooled.

I am getting desperate and the whole ordeal is taking more time than is healthy. It's also incredibly emotionally draining. So the universe is trying to teach me a lesson about not falling behind in backups. OK, OK - lesson learned!!! I just want my files!!!