Any tips/tricks on how to recover files from an external hard drive? - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

*Camaro_Corvette* · 02-20-2014, 08:51 AM

I refuse to believe that putting your hard drive in a freezer will do anything other than permenently #*$&!(* it up.

MLL67RSSS · 02-20-2014, 10:04 AM

I agree, but I've only been an EET for 34 years, so what do I know! Wife won't listen to me either!

EDIT OK sorry just read the freezer link. Sorry but that person has absolutely NO idea how the read/write head works on a hard drive. I helped develop a servo-track writer system that hard drive makers use to write the servo-track head positioning info on the bottom of the bottom disk before the drive is fully assembled. I had a little open drive/motor disc development set I'd 'fly" the head on at my bench for testing purposes (with a clean air sytem/hood). The head has a little ramp/lip on the trailing edge, as the disc spins under it the air spinning with the disc surface encounters the lip/ramp and the air pressure lifts the head to "fly" above the disc.

"By freezing the hard drive, you're hopefully shrinking the platters enough that they're no longer rubbing up against the head—temporarily, at least."

Wow that is almost laughable, VERY clueless!

Wiki to the rescue!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_read-and-write_head

In a hard drive, the heads 'fly' above the disk surface with clearance of as little as 3 nanometres. The "flying height" is constantly decreasing to enable higher areal density. The flying height of the head is controlled by the design of an air-bearing etched onto the disk-facing surface of the slider. The role of the air bearing is to maintain the flying height constant as the head moves over the surface of the disk. If the head hits the disk's surface, a catastrophic head crash can result.

OR if the tiniest piece of contaminate gets between the disc and head...

atma · 02-20-2014, 03:57 PM

well i certainly stand corrected. had heard of the trick long ago but never actually knew anyone that tried it. i sent the link with the caveat "this is a long shot" because i don't know enough about how an actual hard drive works to say whether or not the physics behind the theory even makes sense. glad you were able to step in before a bad situation got worse.

45thCamaro · 02-20-2014, 04:24 PM

By chance, was this knocked over or bumped while it was on? I've had it happen to me, I lost a ton of stuff.

punkindave · 02-20-2014, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROD_SS

It clicks constatly but no spinning. I have and no luck.

The freezer trick and the drop trick is to overcome stiction. Might work but I'd be more prone to suspect Mechanical damage.. Nothing short of a bench assembly will recover data.
Http://drivesavers.com

MLL67RSSS · 02-21-2014, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROD_SS

It clicks constatly but no spinning. I have and no luck.

Dohhh!!! Sorry O.P. and others, I totally missed the not spinning part...

Nevermind...

atma I suppose it is not beyond the realm of possibility that freezing the drive/head on a borderline failing head could increase conductivity a tiny bit, just enough to work a little longer. But might want to make that the LAST thing you try.

02-20-2014, 08:51 AM	#15
Camaro_Corvette 36.58625, -121.7568 Drives: Team 1LE Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Earth Posts: 23,709 View My Garage	I refuse to believe that putting your hard drive in a freezer will do anything other than permenently #$&!( it up. __________________ I am seriously never serious vv V vv Next order of business

02-20-2014, 10:04 AM	#16
MLL67RSSS Account Suspended Drives: car Join Date: May 2008 Location: location Posts: 1,574	I agree, but I've only been an EET for 34 years, so what do I know! Wife won't listen to me either! EDIT OK sorry just read the freezer link. Sorry but that person has absolutely NO idea how the read/write head works on a hard drive. I helped develop a servo-track writer system that hard drive makers use to write the servo-track head positioning info on the bottom of the bottom disk before the drive is fully assembled. I had a little open drive/motor disc development set I'd 'fly" the head on at my bench for testing purposes (with a clean air sytem/hood). The head has a little ramp/lip on the trailing edge, as the disc spins under it the air spinning with the disc surface encounters the lip/ramp and the air pressure lifts the head to "fly" above the disc. "By freezing the hard drive, you're hopefully shrinking the platters enough that they're no longer rubbing up against the head—temporarily, at least." Wow that is almost laughable, VERY clueless! Wiki to the rescue! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_read-and-write_head In a hard drive, the heads 'fly' above the disk surface with clearance of as little as 3 nanometres. The "flying height" is constantly decreasing to enable higher areal density. The flying height of the head is controlled by the design of an air-bearing etched onto the disk-facing surface of the slider. The role of the air bearing is to maintain the flying height constant as the head moves over the surface of the disk. If the head hits the disk's surface, a catastrophic head crash can result. OR if the tiniest piece of contaminate gets between the disc and head... Last edited by MLL67RSSS; 02-20-2014 at 10:47 AM.

02-20-2014, 03:57 PM	#17
atma disco kryptonite Drives: 2012 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Champaign Posts: 1,174 View My Garage	well i certainly stand corrected. had heard of the trick long ago but never actually knew anyone that tried it. i sent the link with the caveat "this is a long shot" because i don't know enough about how an actual hard drive works to say whether or not the physics behind the theory even makes sense. glad you were able to step in before a bad situation got worse. __________________

02-20-2014, 04:24 PM	#18
45thCamaro Drives: 2012 Camaro 45th Anniversary RS Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: New York Posts: 2,418	By chance, was this knocked over or bumped while it was on? I've had it happen to me, I lost a ton of stuff.