Scratched platters

[Shef]

Dear Sirs,

Only came here for a recommendations of a good data recovery service that can recover from scratched platters.

The hdd: Hitachi travelstar IC25N020ATMR04-0 P/N:08K0632.
Heads got smashed and when powered on it scratched the platters.
It came here back from local HDD recovery service with note that it's severely scratched and they won't recover anything.

If anyone is interested, I can open it up and take a photo.

Unfortunately, the HDD is from expensive tooling equipment and manufacturer refused to support this older equipment - and I left with a dead machine.

From whole 40GB HDD I need only 1MB binary file I understand that it can possibly be in the scratched region, but I'm willing to risk it if there is a chance to read out more then 10%.

Also any approximate price estimate of this service would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Petr

[Tomset]

For recovery scratched plates requires very serious and expensive equipment.

In Japan there is a firm that deals with data recovery scratched plates.
Title unfortunately can not remember.
The name firm can be found in the support Ace-lab
Cost ~ $ 10,000

Last edited by Tomset on November 1st, 2015, 14:44, edited 1 time in total.

[Shef]

Well, this is unthinkable.
I don't need any "elite" service just a hddguru member that can deal best with scratched platters.
I was more thinking of around 1k recovery service.

[Tomset]

Unfortunately it's true.
It's not the "elite", and the cost of the necessary equipment. It costs million of dollars.
If one firm with experience DR could not, others are not having the desired equipment
hardly will.
Even with such equipment Japanese firm recovers only 5-6 out of 10 cases.

[data-medics]

Most likely with any type of scratch it's a lost cause and even if you were to commit $10,000+ toward recovery you'd only end up with a tiny fraction of the data back. It's why most data recovery companies simply refuse to deal with those cases. $1,000 I'm sorry to say isn't even going to cover the parts cost you'd be looking at to attempt the recovery. Will require dozens of donors (which will have to be painfully sourced at top $$$), probably equipment like a burnish and glide machine just to get a smooth enough surface to read anything. And, if the damage is too bad, it still won't be able to track the servo meaning you'll never get anything.

Take it as a lesson in backup. Your data is now in every sense of the expression, "in the air filter". It's gone, accept it.

[fzabkar]

@Shef, have you tried to find other customers with the same equipment? I'm assuming that the missing file is not user data.

Can you tell us the name of the tooling machine?

[Tomset]

fzabkar,
All information from the Ace of the firm.
The company is encrypted and is not actively advertising.
We told about this company at the conference.
It works with other firms DR. That make a primary diagnosis.
Before you contact them.
I have no customers able to pay $ 10,000
Once there, I'll figure out the details.

[Shef]

To get it from same equipment - well yes, thats possible.

I'm actively trying to find a user with same equipment for more then a year.

I got that equipment in broken state - so backup was no option even thou the scratches on platters i caused myself.

The equipment is 3D printer - Envisiontec Perfactory type I mini-multi.

The equipment doesn't have even 10k value (even thou the new machine is 80k) but as an early unit it has a huge potential for upgrades and modifications and 1MB binary file missing is pretty bad reason for me as a hardware engineer to have a non working equipment.

[HaQue]

what is the name of the binary?

I would think going to many 3d printer forums etc and asking for that binary, or really asking with a degree of persistence envisiontec for this small support request might be a good strategy, if you haven't already tried. Does any other model use the same binary? is it definitely not replaceable with something else?

is this it? I think it is different, but maybe has files in common.. maybe you can ask them..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perfactory-Micro-Advantage-Envisiontec-Printer-/272028710327?hash=item3f562cb5b7:g:ilYAAOSwI-BWL42i

[fzabkar]

Maybe you just need to find someone who cares.

Try some of the old contacts:

http://web.archive.org/web/200611131719 ... hkonta.htm

[drHDD]

Japan company contacts. They kind of move to Singapore.
Digital Data Solution Singapore Pte Ltd.
Tel.: (65) 6736 7483

[drHDD]

Shef, please show me picture of scratches. May be I can help.

[HaQue]

Shef, please show me picture of scratches. May be I can help.

you want him to open it up?

[drHDD]

Why not? It's look like died case anyway.

[jermy]

doesn't seems to you a paradox ?

Shef, please show me picture of scratches. May be I can help.

you want him to open it up?

Why not? It's look like died case anyway.

[Dmitri]

If anyone is interested, I can open it up and take a photo.

Better not open the drive yourself, but ask the company you contacted first, maybe they have made a clean-room photo and can send it?

If not, then try to talk with the person, who worked with your drive, and ask them whether the scratch is visible?

[drHDD]

doesn't seems to you a paradox ?

Shef, please show me picture of scratches. May be I can help.

you want him to open it up?

Why not? It's look like died case anyway.

It's very old ibm. If you opened it and close again even without clean room it will work for years. If TS could open drive and make photo without scratching platters by screwdriver it will be enough for me.

[digisupport]

++ from me - do NOT open the drive ( NEVER ) nobody in recovery business will tell you to do so.

[lcoughey]

++ from me - do NOT open the drive ( NEVER ) nobody in recovery business will tell you to do so.

This is not true...drHDD just told him so.

[digisupport]

++ from me - do NOT open the drive ( NEVER ) nobody in recovery business will tell you to do so.

This is not true...drHDD just told him so.

i know lcoughey - yeah need to get him back on the right track.