Recovering data from a laptop hard disk
drive with -
- Faulty hard disk drive electronics
- ATA password set
- Corrupt filesystem
- ...and we also had to reprogram the drive too.
Date: November 2006
Media: A laptop hard disk drive
Service: Emergency data recovery
Background: Data Clinic were contacted regarding a
laptop computer that had been submerged in water for approximately 30
seconds. Once retrieved, the laptop would not power on and the data
had therefore become inaccessible. The laptop held the only copy of
the company’s accounts and with an annual return due, the successful
recovery of the inaccessible data became an urgent matter .To further
add to the complications, the hard disk was protected with an ATA password.
Unlike most passwords (such as those used to protect User Profiles etc),
ATA passwords prevent access to the data area of the hard disk and can
be extremely difficult to circumvent.
The client was anxious to have the data recovered the same day, a speciality
of the Data Clinic’s Emergency Service.
Data Recovery: We were able to successfully recover
the customer's data within the Emergency timeframe. This was not a straightforward
recovery however !
- Failed Controller – Submersing the computer
in water had shorted the controller board of the hard disk, which
was now no longer operational. From our large in-house range of hard
drive spare parts we were able to source a similar controller and
then reprogram it writing the unique hard drive data from the failed
hard drive to the new controller card using our Diskmaster data recovery
tool
- ATA Password - The ATA password on this particular
job was generated using a unique hexadecimal code based upon a password
provided by the user, and then combined with an additional code unique
to the particular laptop. Breaking through this password protection
without further damaging the drive or the data that it contained was
now of the utmost importance.
Password removal techniques vary for the hard disks of each manufacturer;
in some cases it is a simple process of using manufacturer’s
codes to access the disk in a mode where it will accept more commands
or allow access to the area of the disk storing the password, others
involve ‘tricking’ the drive in various ways using special
hardware techniques. Data Clinic have developed a method of controlling
what normally goes on internal to the drive, and it was by using
this technique that we were able to circumvent the ATA password.
- File System Corruption - When a hard disk suddenly
suffers a power loss (for example when it is submerged in water!)
the result is often a corrupted file system. This is due to the unexpected
interruption of normal housekeeping operations that are constantly
performed by the Operating System on a day to day basis. We were able
to examine the data on the hard disk and reconstruct the file system
correctly.
Once these three steps were completed successfully, the data on the
disk was once again accessible. The urgent accounts information was
identified and immediately transferred to optical media. The customer,
data in hand, could now relax.
Links
>> More about ATA
passwords
>> More about Diskmaster–
Data Clinic's hard disk repair and data recovery tool
>> More about File
System Corruptions - Chkdsk and Scandisk
>> Go to our main data
recovery page
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The
benefits of sending your damaged hard disks to 
Best-in-Class Data Recovery
Our advanced techniques and methodologies allow us to perform complex
hard drive recoveries, even on extremely damaged hard drives.
Recovery
Options
In-Lab or On-Site recovery services, plus a variety of turnaround times
to suit your requirements.
Success
Rate
Data Clinic's data recovery success rate is proven by a consistent track
record of recovering data after failed recovery attempts by other data
recovery companies.
Free
Advice and Consultation
Data Clinic Data Recovery provides free consultation to determine the
best course of action without requiring any further obligation or financial
commitment.
Fixed
Cost
Data Clinic will quote you an exact price for the recovery of your data
before you send your job to us. This will be the price we charge you.
There are no hidden extras.
Customer
Services
Data Clinic dedicated Customer Service team will keep you informed of
the progress of your job and are available 7 days a week.
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