Dead laptop harddrive?

Tange1Tange1
edited February 2007 in Hardware
I had a friend come to me last night with a storix brand 40 GB portable drive. A nice small USB powered portable. She was telling me its not working. I confirmed my suspicions. The drive gives Error Code 10, cannot start in device manager. When I tried another laptop drive on the USB adapter it works just fine so I'm 99% sure its the drive. The drive makes a pathetic sounding attempt at spinning up over and over till it throws the error 10 then it does nothing. I don't care about the drive but I do want to recover the data for her if I can. I've tried the freezing it trick with no luck. Anyone have any ideas?

Comments

  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    Tange1 wrote:
    I had a friend come to me last night with a storix brand 40 GB portable drive. A nice small USB powered portable. She was telling me its not working. I confirmed my suspicions. The drive gives Error Code 10, cannot start in device manager. When I tried another laptop drive on the USB adapter it works just fine so I'm 99% sure its the drive. The drive makes a pathetic sounding attempt at spinning up over and over till it throws the error 10 then it does nothing. I don't care about the drive but I do want to recover the data for her if I can. I've tried the freezing it trick with no luck. Anyone have any ideas?
    Unfortunately, your chances of recovering data on this drive are slim to none.

    It has failed mechanically. That pathetic sound you're hearing could be the heads scraping across the platter's surface. This surface is where the data actually physically resides in the form of very tiny magnetized and demagnetized spots (bits - 1's and 0's). If the surface is damaged, any data in those areas is damaged or destroyed as well.

    What is the sound?
    Is it a clicking or chattering sound?
    Is it screechings or scraping sound?

    I recommend you do not spin it up (turn it on) any more until you decide on a course of action for data recovery.
  • Tange1Tange1
    edited February 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    Unfortunately, your chances of recovering data on this drive are slim to none.

    It has failed mechanically. That pathetic sound you're hearing could be the heads scraping across the platter's surface. This surface is where the data actually physically resides in the form of very tiny magnetized and demagnetized spots (bits - 1's and 0's). If the surface is damaged, any data in those areas is damaged or destroyed as well.

    What is the sound?
    Is it a clicking or chattering sound?
    Is it screechings or scraping sound?

    I recommend you do not spin it up (turn it on) any more until you decide on a course of action for data recovery.


    No, I'm kind of aware of what the sounds of a dead drive sound like. The sound I'm hearing sounds more like its not spinning up to full speed. There's no real clicking or scraping sound. It's more like the drives motor is not spinning up. I don't think the head is scraping the platers.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    Tange1 wrote:
    No, I'm kind of aware of what the sounds of a dead drive sound like. The sound I'm hearing sounds more like its not spinning up to full speed. There's no real clicking or scraping sound. It's more like the drives motor is not spinning up. I don't think the head is scraping the platers.
    That's very good news. Still, the drive will may need to be repaired in order for the data to be recovered from it.

    What manufacturer and model no. is the drive? It'd be nice to be able to decipher that error code 10 you're getting. You may get a more definitive answer if you run the drive manufactuer's diagnostic on it.

    HERE are some temporary "fixes" you can try to get into the hard drive long enough to pull off the data.
  • Tange1Tange1
    edited February 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    That's very good news. Still, the drive will may need to be repaired in order for the data to be recovered from it.

    What manufacturer and model no. is the drive? It'd be nice to be able to decipher that error code 10 you're getting. You may get a more definitive answer if you run the drive manufactuer's diagnostic on it.

    HERE are some temporary "fixes" you can try to get into the hard drive long enough to pull off the data.

    TOSHIBA
    HDD2190


    It also reads: MK4025GAS
    under that it says: C ZE01

    S/N: Z3P60039A 456 EC .a

    40 Gigs

    A little searching shows there's no toshiba specific diagnostics. I wonder though, if any tool will help because I cant even get it to appear as a drive since it stops on the USB code 10 error. I need to find a harddrive diagnostic tool that supports USB drives. I'm presuming that means it might have to be a windows based diagnostic.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    Tange1 wrote:
    TOSHIBA
    HDD2190
    It also reads: MK4025GAS
    under that it says: C ZE01
    S/N: Z3P60039A 456 EC .a
    40 Gigs
    A little searching shows there's no toshiba specific diagnostics. I wonder though, if any tool will help because I cant even get it to appear as a drive since it stops on the USB code 10 error.
    Yes, it looks as though neither Toshiba nor Samsung provide their own HDD diagnostics. In that case, you can use another manufacturer's diagnostic (that works on HDDs other than their own - there are several that do, including Hitachi's DFT).

    You might have a better chance of getting a read off it by using a converter as mentioned in the link I gave you in the previous post. But, connected over USB or IDE, you need to get it spinning up. So, it's down to trying one of those tricks or another method of getting it to spin up.

    HERE's a link that will give you choices in HDD diagnostic utilities.
  • Tange1Tange1
    edited February 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    Yes, it looks as though neither Toshiba nor Samsung provide their own HDD diagnostics. In that case, you can use another manufacturer's diagnostic (that works on HDDs other than their own - there are several that do, including Hitachi's DFT).

    You might have a better chance of getting a read off it by using a converter as mentioned in the link I gave you in the previous post. But, connected over USB or IDE, you need to get it spinning up. So, it's down to trying one of those tricks or another method of getting it to spin up.

    HERE's a link that will give you choices in HDD diagnostic utilities.

    Thanks, I'm trying to track down a converter, I'm at a college, I should be able to find one. Your help thus far is much appreciated.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    Tange1 wrote:
    Thanks, I'm trying to track down a converter, I'm at a college, I should be able to find one. Your help thus far is much appreciated.
    HERE's one on Newegg.

    Read the reviews, though. One of the reviews said it didn't work w/ Toshiba drives.

    (There are others as well. You just have to try different searches.)
  • anneKanneK
    edited February 2007
    I too have a dead laptop. Toshiba Satellite A105-S4094. It started freezing more and more. Now only get the Toshiba screen and no further, just goes to blank screen. I tried all the suggestions above but no luck. Really need to get my sensitive data but cant put out the $$$$$$$ right now. Any help for me??

    Anne
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    anneK wrote:
    I too have a dead laptop. Toshiba Satellite A105-S4094. It started freezing more and more. Now only get the Toshiba screen and no further, just goes to blank screen. I tried all the suggestions above but no luck. Really need to get my sensitive data but cant put out the $$$$$$$ right now. Any help for me?? ...Anne
    Hello Anne. Welcome to Short Media!
    • Have you tried connecting it to a desktop computer?
    • Just so we're clear, exactly WHAT are you HDD's (hard disk drive's) symptoms?
    • EXACTLY what have you tried so far.
    The more information you can give us the better. We thrive on details around here. :smiles:

    EDIT://
    • If you haven't done so already, would you be comfortable w/ opening your laptop and removing the HDD. (We'd step you through it, of course)
    • Is your laptop still in warranty? (in which case, opening it may void the warranty)
      • I assume "not" since you're posting here rather than having the mfg. repair it, yes?
  • anneKanneK
    edited February 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    Hello Anne. Welcome to Short Media!
    • Have you tried connecting it to a desktop computer?
    • Just so we're clear, exactly WHAT are you HDD's (hard disk drive's) symptoms?
    • EXACTLY what have you tried so far.
    The more information you can give us the better. We thrive on details around here. :smiles:

    EDIT://
    • If you haven't done so already, would you be comfortable w/ opening your laptop and removing the HDD. (We'd step you through it, of course)
    • Is your laptop still in warranty? (in which case, opening it may void the warranty)
      • I assume "not" since you're posting here rather than having the mfg. repair it, yes?

    I purchased it last July, so could be under warranty but they said that to fix it would wipe out whatever data I have and then I was referred to a data retreival person who told me it could cost $250 to $2500 !!

    I tried the freezer trick and plopping it on my bed a couple of times.
    Tried opening in safe mode - nothing.

    I have not tried connecting to a desktop computer. How do I do that?
    I am using a pc right now so would be able to do so . . . I really appreciate your help. I would hate to lose my data, so many precious pics and logins/passwords etc.

    THANKS!!!
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited February 2007
    anneK wrote:
    I purchased it last July, so could be under warranty but they said that to fix it would wipe out whatever data I have and then I was referred to a data retrieval person who told me it could cost $250 to $2500 !!

    I tried the freezer trick and plopping it on my bed a couple of times.
    Tried opening in safe mode - nothing.

    I have not tried connecting to a desktop computer. How do I do that?
    I am using a PC right now so would be able to do so . . . I really appreciate your help. I would hate to lose my data, so many precious pics and logins/passwords etc.

    THANKS!!!
    Unfortunately, that's what data retrieval costs. And that's without a guarantee of recovery of all of your data, too. That why it's so important to backup. Unfortunately, a lot of people learn this lesson the hard way - just as you are so don't feel like the Lone Ranger.

    Can you feel the drive spinning when it's connected?
    Does it make any sound at all or is it totally bricked?

    Look at the links I gave Tange1 (post # 8) for 2.5" (laptop) HDD) connection to 3.5" (desktop PC) HDD connection converter. (That's just one example, BTW. There are others, too. Be sure to read the reviews b4 deciding on one.)

    That's one way you can get your HDD connected to your computer. The links I gave him/her are for IDE (ATA) drives. Is your HDD IDE or SATA?

    If you don't know, tell us the model no. of the HDD and we'll find out for you.
  • Tange1Tange1
    edited February 2007
    I'm still tracking down an adapter, I'll order one if I dont find one in the next few days. Worst case, can anyone recommend a place to do physical data recovery? Pictures is all that needs to be saved. The girl who's drive died is getting married this summer and I'm actually considering recovering her pictures as a wedding gift. Is that really odd?
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