Storage Solutions Dropped 750GB Drive!

Satan

Satan

Adept
I'm sure you've all heard this before.

I dropped my drive!!! and everthing on it is crucial.

STEP 1 - I took it to Raga Data Solutions in Bangalore. The guy kept it for a week and said there was no way to recover anything from it.

STEP 2 - I took the drive to Stellar Data Recovery (apparently the largent and the best in India)which is also in Bangalore. They say they can do it. The chances of recovery are about 60% but here is the catch.

While I was prepared to foot a bill of upto 15k, the estimate they have given me is something I could never be prepared for.

Rs. 65000.00!!!!!! (Sixty Five Thousand)

I've tried talking to them and the biggest discount I can expect is about Rs. 5k. There is no way in hell that I could spend that much for this.

Sufficed to say... I need HELP.
 
I hope you find a good solution.

Let this be a lesson to all that if we consider data so "crucial" and worth so much then we should take the effort to make backups in the first place...
 
Sixty Five Thousand !!!!!!!!!!!! :O

WTH are they going to do with the HDD

Now considering the data is totally unrecoverable, bear few things in Mind. Although you must be aware of them but still.

1. Take backup of your crucial data from time to time. Movies, Music can be again procured, not data.
2. Take backups on good optical media and keep store them properly.

PS: I used to take weekly backups of my Dad's tally folder so he does not loose any data of his work. I also take frequent backups of the personal pictures that i have in my PC. I cannot think of losing them.
Although chances of data retention is bleak, here we do have people who must have faced similar situation and have dealt with it. They will surely pitch in their thoughts.
 
This mite sound insane.. but u can surely try.

Wrap ur HDD in a polythene bag. Properly at that.

then put the wrapped HDD in a freezer. for abt 20-25 mins maybe.

Take it out n then out of the polythene as well and let the thing come at room temp.

Connect and try again.

Its been tried before and this whole process been effective as the contraction and expansion exercise on the HDD allowed the stuck part to budge.

Better than paying 60k .. its as good as dead for u (sorry to state the hard fact.)
 
^^ Bingo....

I knew of this method to revive certain things. Just did not click me

I also read somewhere that if we don't have charge in pencil cells, keeping them in freezer and then using them will extract some juice out of it.
 
Solution Here bro as long as its not physical damage

plug your hdd into a working comp with xp or vista(lets say your friends)

then download this program called Easeus data recovery wizard

then run it and install and bla bla....and then do a complete recovery......85% chance youll get your data back IF ITS NOT PHYSICAL hope this helps :)
 
even u can try .This is the process whAt stellar guys follows.Get the same model number hard disk.Try changing the PCB,MOTOR ...
where u stays in Bangalore ?
 
Professional data recovery is costly, especially if there is physical damage. They must have some option where you pay by the amount of data that is recovered and not the entire had disk. Ask them if there is any reduction in charges for partial recovery. Did they specify what kind of damage the HDD has? If you find out that, you can get quotes from various other data recovery professionals (there are a few here in Mumbai) and maybe use that to get a reduced quote locally. They might be overcharging if you act too desperate as there is no other option for you.

If your data is crucial, please do not do anything suggested here yourself. Let a professional handle it.
 
Well the drive surely has physical damage. Even I can't believe it, 25 years of using computers and I dropped the damn thing.

Shit happens I guess... and oh yeah... the backup element... can't stress on that enough. I'm just forgetful and I guess this is the flip side of that.
Yes, since it is important, I can't really afford to try out the home brewn solutions unless I really know what I am doing. Besides, rule of thumb when you drop a drive... NEVER EVER TRY TO TURN IT ON to see if it is still working. If the head is mis-aligned and as a result of that if the tracks get damaged, there is nothing you can do after that.

Well it's not a matter of acting deperate, Stellar unlike most "garage based data solution companies" is actually an ISO:9001 company and ofcourse they've been in the business from 1993, which is the reason they charge literally anything that they want.

Based on my conversation with them, they apparetnly "buy" 3 harddrives from the same batch and rip them apart to try and use the heads in them with my harddrive's platters. The reason they get 3, is beacuse even if it's from the same batch, the configurations might be different. This is something that i've heard from other recovery people as well, so i'm assuming there must be some truth to it.
 
And how wd u know that the fall was indeed fatal to the drive..?

Worse.. ppl mite end up paying that crazy sum of money for a drive which was working fine!

Only ppl with undercover ops wd wanna try Stellar after every tussle the drive goes thru.

Whatever happens.. best of luck with ur HDD.
 
Well it's a huge gamble... either you let your curiosity get the better of you and turn on the drive.... which like you said... could actually be working... or you could end up damaging the drive further.

Most people seem to think that Data Recovery is a simple matter... just use some software / replace the head / board etc. Companies like Stellar actually do a lot more than that. They can put the drive into what they call "manufacturer mode" where the platters do not rotate. They get an idea of the alignment of the head and other statistics. Based on that and other techniques, they proceed to give you an estimation regarding how much data can be recovered and how much the process might cost you.

It isn't like what you seem to believe. If I walked in there with a drive that works perfectly fine, they'll give it back to me saying... "It works" and not really try to play me for a fool and charge me for something that already works.

You asked me how I know whether it isn't working... 2 things

1) Common sense... considering the height that it fell from... I just knew there was no way it was going to be fine after that.
2) I had given the drive to another Data recovery company and they said... it can't be done.

I'm just looking for other professional options... cheaper ones that is.

Thank you for all the helpful tips and suggestions. I really do appreciate it.
 
Common sense can safely take a hike wen it comes to HDD taking a fall.
Be it internal or external. its purely ur luck wether the contraption will work again or not. Any Altitude can be as fatal.

And where luck comes into play.. i dont take too mch of pains.
Thumb rule is :
- Dont purchase monster capacity HDDs.
- Never put all ur eggs in one basket.
- TY and Verbs are not producing uber frisbees. Use em.
With the amount of data u got at stake, its obvious for u to take the approach u mention cuz u r in a bad situation.
My 3 lil observations been serving me well enuf. :)
 
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