DIY Data Recovery – A Lesson In What Not To Do
If the data on your hard drive has value then do-it-yourself data recovery is a really bad idea, because to put it bluntly, you don’t really know what you’re doing. Your well intentioned efforts will make the situation worse.
Data Clinic use advanced software and hardware techniques to recover data from all types of hard drive failure. Our success rates are exceptional and we offer a no-recovery no-fee service on almost all types of hard drive, and we will let you know how much the recovery will cost before we go ahead. Call our Freephone number 0800 151 2207 to discuss your broken hard drive.
This customer enquiry is a fine example of what not to do when you hard drive stops working…
Old hard drive will not work. Makes quick tick tack noise. Traded PCB with another, no change. Attempted to remove cover screws and when searching through sticker on hard drive the screwdriver went through and hit the platter. There is a scratch on the platter the size of the T8 screwdriver. What are the possibility of recovery and costs. Old Western Digital hard drive.
Let’s take a look at the enquiry in greater detail
“Traded PCB with another, no change” – No, there won’t be any change. This is because the components on the hard drive’s PCB are unique to the drive that they’re fitted to. Swapping hard drive controller boards doesn’t work and here’s why: https://www.dataclinic.co.uk/swapping-pcb-controller-boards-seagate-hard-disk-drives/
“Attempted to remove cover screws” – Why are you trying to remove the cover of your hard drive? Removing the cover will only make the job of recovering the drive’s data more difficult. The symptoms of your hard drive failure (‘tick tack noise’) are indicative that it has a head fault. This is a serious problem needing clean room attention in order to get the data from the drive. Read more about ticking hard drives, with a video example here: https://www.dataclinic.co.uk/protect-your-external-portable-hard-drive/
“…and when searching through sticker on hard drive the screwdriver went through and hit the platter. There is a scratch on the platter the size of the T8 screwdriver” – Oh dear, what’s happened to your hard drive is very similar to what happens when a hard drive has a head crash. Unfortunately there is no longer any chance of recovering your data.
Further Notes
The enquirer had a Western Digital hard drive, but performing the same actions as they did on any hard drive will have the same effect: you will lose your data and there will be no chance of recovery.
Before the owner tried to fix the hard drive it was making ticking noise. This is a common problem on old hard drives and we would have been able to recover the data had the owner not tinkered around with the hard drive.
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Take a look at our 3 page document on the causes of hard drive failure to get a better understanding of the types of hard drive fault that can lead to data loss.
