Hitachi Z7K320-320 dropped dead

[apollon13]

Afternoon everyone,

Since you have probably read quite a few success and fails, here gows mine:

Model: Z7K320-320
P/N: H2T3201672S7
HTS723232A7A364
P/N: 0J13263
MLC: DA4240
DOB: 12JUN11

was (may it rest in peace) inadequately placed withing an external casing used as an external drive. Had recently been used to backup data. Guess what, before i get the chance to return the data to the freshly formated location it came from, it literally dropped half a meter dead, from the top of the case tower.
Now like everyone , or quite a few before me, searched for pricings on having it fixed. Got my first slap, and then moved on researching on maybe, and i underline it, maybe if there is a chance of me making it work.
Played around with it, on and off, and there it was from the sound of a stuck head, it started reading. So, i didn't breath, one hand the hd, the other on windows explorer, slowly right clicking on the top folder in qustion, copy, paste, start deleting everything else from the destination drive so that it would fit the data in... but then it went dead again after 5 gigs being copied.
Darn, there i go again on, off, on, off, SPARK OMG!! dead. So as if it wasn't enough, i killed the board as well.
So, a bit more research, munching on my sandwich, a sip of coffee, (plug it in... still dead) a bit more reading, quite a few laughs, (tried once again, still dead).
I killed the board, lets look for the board, and so i did, and found it, havent seen the chip code yet, so i haven't ordrered it in yet. And then i saw the donor solutions

I realized how difficult it was so i left it asside until i read that the HD in question is a single platter one. So, if i do manage to get my time in a 5μ clean room (or workbench), and maybe work on some tools that will help me with the transfer, what are my chances..?

Hopefully i made it enjoyable to read, and maybe I'll get some interesting feedback.

[hddguy]

... the HD in question is a single platter one. So, if i do manage to get my time in a 5μ clean room (or workbench), and maybe work on some tools that will help me with the transfer, what are my chances..?

You need to correctly identify the problems, both mechanical and electrical. Parts sourced need to be totally compatible, following any repairs you would need to attempt recovery / image of your data in an environment that will help keep stability - Windows alone is not enough. I expect there will be many surface errors also which again would require a specific environment for the recovery (i.e PC3000 / Deepspar etc). In addition to the costs for equipment and parts, you also need a clean environment like a laminar flow bench. Even after all this, chances of you getting this back with no experience or relevant knowledge.

in my opinion, its an expensive venture with very little chance of success. If its important to you you should contact a professional local to you.

try Northwind - member9788.html

[Eleg]

...before i get the chance to return the data to the freshly formated location it came from, it literally dropped half a meter dead...

If the former home of your data was formatted using quick format, and other data has not been written to it, you will most likely be able to recover with R-Studio or similar tool. But If you used full format, did install an OS on that disk, or have written other data, chances are dwindling.

Edit: rereading the OP's post, I understand some time has passed. Probably voiding the chances for such an approach.

[sathyan]

If you want your data , take the advice of hddguy, and contact Northwind

This is not DIY. Media and PCB faults to be solved, need pro help in this case if you need data.

[poehere]

I would go with Northwind on this one. If you wan this data he is the best and can get it done right. Buying parts and playing around is only going to get you into more problems than you already have.

[pcimage]

I would go with Northwind on this one. If you wan this data he is the best and can get it done right. Buying parts and playing around is only going to get you into more problems than you already have.

+2 Northwind

[apollon13]

First of all, thank you all for your replies. I appreciate your time spent in reading as well as getting a thought back to me. I didn't get back to you earlier because it took about 4 hours to to get my post online, and after a lot of refreshing it did cross my mind that it wouldn't go online at all, but nevertheless, its up along with the info.

You need to correctly identify the problems...

Problem Solving one on one, know what is you want to fix before you fix it.

...there i go again on, off, on, off, SPARK OMG!! dead. So as if it wasn't enough, i killed the board as well...

Well i know that much, i definetely need to replace the pcb. If this allone will be enough, i doubdt it, but lets say its a starting point.

...Parts sourced need to be totally compatible...

...I killed the board, lets look for the board, and so i did, and found it, havent seen the chip code yet, so i haven't ordrered it in yet...

Through my reading especially on the donor drive subject, they did mention that if you do undergo that path, you should definetely look for a drive that is the exact same p/n, as well as something close to 2 weeks -+ of the production date.

So based on the above i found the following that match my pcb:

sticker code: OA75655
# on board: OA90269
chip #: 88i9105-TLA2

In case that i do undergo that path, it seems to me that I'm gettin somewhere closer, even if in the end i do endup giving this to an expert company, at least they wont have to deal with the pcb board as well. So i did put my order in today, and fingers crossed I'll let you know how that one works in two weeks time.

...following any repairs you would need to attempt recovery / image of your data in an environment that will help keep stability - Windows alone is not enough...

As an MCP (pretty useless in this field but what the heck) I know that windows is a bit messy in regards to accessing and reading from the drive, that alone is enough to mess the process since the iradical movement of the head would be more than enough to hold me back.

...So, i didn't breath, one hand the hd, the other on windows explorer, slowly...

At the time it did woke up out of nowere, and i tried to get back what i needed, and to be honest although that i was trying to access the data as a "noguru", i didn't really believe it would come back alive, so yes, unless you feel on giving me a specific path towards a steady environment (mount/linux for example), i recon I'm gonna do a bit more research on that one.

I expect there will be many surface errors also which again would require a specific environment for the recovery (i.e PC3000 / Deepspar etc)

Well here comes the difficult part, the pricings on those are slightly of the grid, so i guess i should keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best, eg maybe the data in question not to have been affected by the surface errors.

you also need a clean environment like a laminar flow bench.

That much i understood from the beginning, I've got some contacts in the pharmaceutical industry that they might let me use their laminar flow workbench (a friend of mine did build their production line, so i might get away with it by scratching their back at a later time)

...Don't think about platter swapping when the problem is most likely somewhere else...

The only reason that i mention it is because its single platter disk, meaning having less risk in "encrypting" the data to a point of "no decryption". Another reason (negating the "only reason" that i mention before but hey ) would be that then i would be closer to solving the problem, by not having to identify if it is the motor, the head, or whatever else that from my point of view i will be unable to correctly and accurately identify, and maybe if i do it right, i'll get a glimpse of my data.

...you will most likely be able to recover with R-Studio or similar tool...

Well i did try that with some other solutions, and couldn't seem to find unformatted text (.txt files) which is actually the reason that i go the whole data recovery process (txt files containg user pass credentials spread across different servers of my customers databases, which are many other ways to reset, but it will be a huge @#$%). But i'm gonna look into r-studio and let you know how that one works.

dropping can cause severe damage to your drive and can make you to lose your data permanently

Northwind duly noted, as well as the general don't DIY, which i more or less expected. Still if you have any more thoughts on "No Guaranty DIY" I will be more than happy to hear. I will be holding my breath untill i get my ordered pcb, and will be looking for a donor of the the same part # and close production date, and if you have any suggestions on that, shoot. Maybe by that time i'll roll the dice and DIY, or just ship them altogether to Northwind or similar, so I'll keep on refreshing this topic in the meantime

[northwind]

Thanks all for vote of confidence

@OP: I'm afraid that further DIY will decrease chances of recovery (as previously stated by other pro's).
I also believe that you have been advised that simple swapping of the PCB will not work, haven't you? So it isn't as simple as 'repairing the board, so the DR company won't have to deal with it', as a matter of fact it can complicate things A LOT more. Even your PCB matching criteria aren't the right ones. So there is a chance your new pcb will be incompatible as well.

Platter transplant is out of the question; many people have tried it - noone suceeded.

Of course, it all depends on how dearly you value your data.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[apollon13]

I appreciate your time to join our conversation northwind, I guess you do have a couple of fans in here. I doubdt if anyone specifically mentioned that swaping the pcb is a bad idea, but i will go along with the general idea of not DIY.
How dearly do I value my data? I'd say give me a quote and I'll let you know. Since you are close by, you know before hand the condition we are in, so value is highly hypothetical. I'd say (-)6.000 as is the loss recorded in our books last year, you can add a (-) 3.000 to that ammount as the standing tax due.
On the other hand, you do mention that my criteria for pcb selection aren't the right ones, is there a chance of giving me a pick of where i should be looking for those or would that be a spoiler?

[northwind]

I appreciate your time to join our conversation northwind, I guess you do have a couple of fans in here. I doubdt if anyone specifically mentioned that swaping the pcb is a bad idea, but i will go along with the general idea of not DIY.
How dearly do I value my data? I'd say give me a quote and I'll let you know. Since you are close by, you know before hand the condition we are in, so value is highly hypothetical. I'd say (-)6.000 as is the loss recorded in our books last year, you can add a (-) 3.000 to that ammount as the standing tax due.
On the other hand, you do mention that my criteria for pcb selection aren't the right ones, is there a chance of giving me a pick of where i should be looking for those or would that be a spoiler?

Hello apollon13,

I didn't say that swapping the pcb is a bad idea, I said it will just not work like that.
So even if your criteria where right, it still wouldn't work.
The matching criteria for pcb swap on hitachi are circulated in this forum and elsewhere, there is no big secret about it. You have to match the first two lines on the pcb sticker.

Regarding your request for a quote, we would happily take a look at the drive and evaluate its condition. Afterwards we will quote with exact cost.
Evaluation is free of charge so you don't have anything to lose.
You can have a look at our site for more info on procedure etc.

Based on your description, ie. a dropped drive with fried pcb, it will not be cheap I'm afraid. I surely know the situation around, but unfortunately spare parts are not free, nor will we work underwaged

Feel free to revert if you have any doubts or questions