Oh The Horror!

[deejah]

well i did it

bashed up and mangled a seagate external hard drive

managed to get it looking good BUT

computer will not recognizable it

nor can i access the data

i do not mind buying a new one

but how possible is it to retrieve the old data, over 100gig and transfer it?

probably time consuming if at all possible

who where what when etc...

any and all details and helpful suggestions

thanks

[not5150]

I'm in Jomtien/Pattaya... couple questions.

1. By mangled, how exactly is it damaged?

2. Was it on when it was damaged?

3. When you turn it on/plug it in, what sounds do you hear? (clicking, whining, hard knock, etc)

By external, do you mean a small palm sized drive that plugs into USB or a larger unit that requires an extra power supply?

External drives usually are just enclosures that hold a regular desktop or laptop-sized drive inside. It's possible that the enclosure is the only thing damaged. In that case, you can carefully open the thing up and wrench out the drive.

Forgot to add, stop trying to plug the drive in until you find someone to repair/recover the data.

Edited January 27, 2012 by not5150

[Pdavies99]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

[Gone]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

But I have the same problem as the OP. I don't think his main concern is how the casing looks but he wants his data back. Taking the HD out and putting it in a new cover with change nothing but the looks.

I have a "WD" 1 terabyte that is fairly new and have about 300G on it. It fell of my bed onto the floor (about 20"s) and now have the same problem. When I plug it in you can feel it winding up and the light goes on but my Macbook won't recognize it.

I normally use "Pattaya One" in tukcom and will try going to them maybe tomorrow to see if they can save it to my macbook or even to another external if I buy one.

I will keep you posted and hope the OP will do the same and let us know how you make out?

PS: Mine has no external damage and was easy to remove the drive just to have a look. Can't find my receipt.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Gone

[pattayadingo]

Maybe the drive is not recognised BUT you can try Recuva ( a free download - google it ) that might be able to recover the files. i had an 800 GB drive that needed formatting to be read. I did a quick format and recovered all my data.

If the drive does have a read/write problem then I cannot see recuva working.

For free and a few minutes of your time it might be worth a try.

[raro]

buy a same size (or bigger) HDD and bring it with the damaged drive to com4you in Soi Yume, just opposite the Big C (ex Carrefour) exit. Ask for Alex.

[Spoonman]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

But I have the same problem as the OP. I don't think his main concern is how the casing looks but he wants his data back. Taking the HD out and putting it in a new cover with change nothing but the looks.

I have a "WD" 1 terabyte that is fairly new and have about 300G on it. It fell of my bed onto the floor (about 20"s) and now have the same problem. When I plug it in you can feel it winding up and the light goes on but my Macbook won't recognize it.

I normally use "Pattaya One" in tukcom and will try going to them maybe tomorrow to see if they can save it to my macbook or even to another external if I buy one.

I will keep you posted and hope the OP will do the same and let us know how you make out?

PS: Mine has no external damage and was easy to remove the drive just to have a look. Can't find my receipt.

The gist of what was said is that the circuitry of the actual HDD enclosure might be the issue (not the HDD itself), have seen this many times with "dead" external HDD's.

[4evermaat]

If the hard drive itself is not mechanically broken, data can be recovered ok. Once something internal to hdd fails, it requires a "white room" dust free to open it up and MAYBE you get lucky with repair enough to where data can be recovered.

In thailand, this may be cheaper. In usa, data recovery can run 500-3000 usd depending on size/type of hdd.

Bottom line: buy hdd in pairs and perform sync/backups to the second drive on a regular basis. All hard drives fail eventually....just a matter of time. Suggest ones with 3+ year warranty.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from ThaiVisa app.

[RakSamui]

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

this worked for me testdisk, darryl is your man, probably best to ask in computer forum. yes was slow and painfull but worked where as recuva disk did not.

[Pdavies99]

Sorry but you dont understand....inside the case is some micro-circuitry which the drive inside the case is fitted into inside the case....this circuitry packs up often...so when you buy a new case the new circuitry inside is replaced, when you refit the hard drive...hey presto

So do you understand, its not magic! I have fixed 100's this way

Best

Paul

Edited January 28, 2012 by Pdavies99

[Asianrider]

handy advice !

[tropo]

Maybe the drive is not recognised BUT you can try Recuva ( a free download - google it ) that might be able to recover the files. i had an 800 GB drive that needed formatting to be read. I did a quick format and recovered all my data.

If the drive does have a read/write problem then I cannot see recuva working.

For free and a few minutes of your time it might be worth a try.

How could you recover your data by formatting (erasing) it?

[pattayadingo]

Maybe the drive is not recognised BUT you can try Recuva ( a free download - google it ) that might be able to recover the files. i had an 800 GB drive that needed formatting to be read. I did a quick format and recovered all my data.

If the drive does have a read/write problem then I cannot see recuva working.

For free and a few minutes of your time it might be worth a try.

How could you recover your data by formatting (erasing) it?

Because when you erase or QUICK format a drive you are not deleting the data. You are deleting the header (title). So all the data is still on the drive. The data is wiped when you write over the data with new data or you use a shredder to overwrite the data. A prog like recuva simply recovers the files but with no original name.

Many people have been caught out by thinking they have deleted files when they have not. People discard hard drives full of personal data. Others like Gary Glitter, for example, think the data cannot be seen. And then they get into trouble.

Your bank data, personal photos and so much else is there. Destroy a hard drive before you dispose of it.

[Darrel]

Recuva is a somewhat basic tool that may or may not help depending on what the problem is.

Test Disk is a very different tool, as mentioned.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

It does all depend on what the problem is though.

[PattayaParent]

Sorry but you dont understand....inside the case is some micro-circuitry which the drive inside the case is fitted into inside the case....this circuitry packs up often...so when you buy a new case the new circuitry inside is replaced, when you refit the hard drive...hey presto

So do you understand, its not magic! I have fixed 100's this way

Best

Paul

Is there any way to determine whether or not it's the internal circuitry of the casing before you spend the 350 Baht and then find out it's not the problem after all?

[PattayaParent]

Maybe the drive is not recognised BUT you can try Recuva ( a free download - google it ) that might be able to recover the files. i had an 800 GB drive that needed formatting to be read. I did a quick format and recovered all my data.

If the drive does have a read/write problem then I cannot see recuva working.

For free and a few minutes of your time it might be worth a try.

How does Recuva work if the computer does not recognise the drive?

[Pdavies99]

Take it to DC Computers, 3rd floor on Tuk.com, ask them and they will take apart, apply some external connectors and show you the data is still okay, (if not the circuitry, they will assist you further) then you can ask them to get you a new case with (circuitry standard) and they will charge you cost of case (plus a tip if you are feeling pleased?) Time? 5 minutes.

I understand everyone has good ideas how to help you, but I believe this is an easy fix.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Pdavies99

[Darrel]

Is there any way to determine whether or not it's the internal circuitry of the casing before you spend the 350 Baht and then find out it's not the problem after all?

If TestDisk can read the drive then the case/caddy circuitry is certainly intact.

If TestDisk cannot read the drive at all then it may either be a case/caddy circuitry fault or a drive fault.

The only real way to test a case/caddy is it to try the drive in another case/caddy (or IDE/SATA<>USB dock), or try another drive that is known to be working in the first caddy.

How does Recuva work if the computer does not recognise the drive?

It makes an attempt to read the drive at a low level, but TestDisk does a far better job of this.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Darrel

[deejah]

I'm in Jomtien/Pattaya... couple questions.

1. By mangled, how exactly is it damaged?

2. Was it on when it was damaged?

3. When you turn it on/plug it in, what sounds do you hear? (clicking, whining, hard knock, etc)

By external, do you mean a small palm sized drive that plugs into USB or a larger unit that requires an extra power supply?

External drives usually are just enclosures that hold a regular desktop or laptop-sized drive inside. It's possible that the enclosure is the only thing damaged. In that case, you can carefully open the thing up and wrench out the drive.

Forgot to add, stop trying to plug the drive in until you find someone to repair/recover the data.

hello

1- i swung a plastic bag it was in and smashed it against a wood cabinet by accident

the corner of the hard drive was open i popped it back into place

2 - good question and thankfully no it was not on or plugged in at the time

3- when i plug it in, it actually lights up but it does not pulse like it used to and the computer does not see it, it doesn't sound like it used to, whirring, but it sounds like faint clicking, like it is trying at least

i can get back to you after i try again

it is the external you firstly described and has two usbs one for power only and one for power and data, no extra power involved

ok maybe i will not try again

but i thought i might try on a diff computer

guess i will wait

thanks much

looking forward to possibly getting my data back

[deejah]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

sounds hopeful

what does 'circuit is u/s' mean please?

thanks

[deejah]

Maybe the drive is not recognised BUT you can try Recuva ( a free download - google it ) that might be able to recover the files. i had an 800 GB drive that needed formatting to be read. I did a quick format and recovered all my data.

If the drive does have a read/write problem then I cannot see recuva working.

For free and a few minutes of your time it might be worth a try.

i thought format or reformat would wipe all data

but perhaps you are recommending an intermediate step with the software

do i have a clue?

thanks

actually i think this one already got answered

thanks all for the great replies

and will decide the next step

any more input is welcome

it would be awesome if it was a simple fix

oh the horror

Edited January 30, 2012 by deejah

[PattayaParent]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

sounds hopeful

what does 'circuit is u/s' mean please?

thanks

I guess he means 'useless'

Is it a Phillips drive you have?

Edited January 31, 2012 by PattayaParent

[deejah]

Very common problem...external hard drive circuit is u/s...take to tuk.com and ask them to remove internal hard drive unit and fit into a new case..cost 350 baht+- ...this usually fixes it..DC computers 3rd Floor or any competent shop can do this in 3 minutes.

Paul

sounds hopeful

what does 'circuit is u/s' mean please?

thanks

I guess he means 'useless'

Is it a Phillips drive you have?

seagate

[deejah]

I'm in Jomtien/Pattaya... couple questions.

1. By mangled, how exactly is it damaged?

2. Was it on when it was damaged?

3. When you turn it on/plug it in, what sounds do you hear? (clicking, whining, hard knock, etc)

By external, do you mean a small palm sized drive that plugs into USB or a larger unit that requires an extra power supply?

External drives usually are just enclosures that hold a regular desktop or laptop-sized drive inside. It's possible that the enclosure is the only thing damaged. In that case, you can carefully open the thing up and wrench out the drive.

Forgot to add, stop trying to plug the drive in until you find someone to repair/recover the data.

not had a great detailed response

would like to hear back from that poster

my bad for not getting back sooner

i was tied up

hope to hear back if you are still around

thanks

[raro]

I'm in Jomtien/Pattaya... couple questions.

1. By mangled, how exactly is it damaged?

2. Was it on when it was damaged?

3. When you turn it on/plug it in, what sounds do you hear? (clicking, whining, hard knock, etc)

By external, do you mean a small palm sized drive that plugs into USB or a larger unit that requires an extra power supply?

External drives usually are just enclosures that hold a regular desktop or laptop-sized drive inside. It's possible that the enclosure is the only thing damaged. In that case, you can carefully open the thing up and wrench out the drive.

Forgot to add, stop trying to plug the drive in until you find someone to repair/recover the data.

hello

1- i swung a plastic bag it was in and smashed it against a wood cabinet by accident

the corner of the hard drive was open i popped it back into place

2 - good question and thankfully no it was not on or plugged in at the time

3- when i plug it in, it actually lights up but it does not pulse like it used to and the computer does not see it, it doesn't sound like it used to, whirring, but it sounds like faint clicking, like it is trying at least

i can get back to you after i try again

it is the external you firstly described and has two usbs one for power only and one for power and data, no extra power involved

ok maybe i will not try again

but i thought i might try on a diff computer

guess i will wait

thanks much

looking forward to possibly getting my data back

This click-click sound tells you that the head has a problem, probably there is something physically broken.

sent from my Android phone