Salvation Data or Ace Labs.... Which equipment to buy????

[cookiemonster]

Hello all, I'm fairly new to the forum , and I appreciate all the support I've been given thus far.

I need to purchase some equipment from either Salvation Data or from Ace Labs so I can repair my Maxtor DiamondMax 8 Plus 40Gig N40P problems that I have (one is Firmware, other has clicking sounds).

From what I've read on both SD and AL websites, there are different tools which do the same functions (more or less).

To recover the data from my Maxtor HDD's ,
SA has the following:
1)HD Doctor
2)Data Compass
3)HD HPE Pro

DPE Pro is used for stabilizing the HDD while some physical functions are performed such as head /motore replacement, etc

HD Doctor and HD Compass are similar, but I'm not sure which one of these 2 would be better used to recover my Maxtor N40P data.

Ace Labs has the following:
1)PC-3000 portable
2)PC-3000 for Windows (UDMA)
3)PC-3000 extractor UDMA
Although the PC-3000 Portable looks like a new item and would be real simple to use/simple to connnect to laptop, it states only 20-30% recovery rate.
Pc-3000 for Windows (UDMA) appears to be the hardware that sits in the computer, while PC-3000 Extractor UDMA is the software used with Pc-3000 for Windows (UDMA)?

So, my questions to you all is the following:

Which item shall i purchase for recovering the data from my Maxtor HDD's that show N40P?
SD's HD Doctor, or AL's PC-3000 Portable?

What I find ironic, is that I live very close to Ottawa (Canada), which happens to be the city where Ace Labs has its authorized vendor for the PC-3000 suite (Deepspar). However, I may be inclined to go with Salvation Data as their prices appear to be lower than PC-3000. (I've not yet received any pricing from Deepspar / Ace Labs). I'm iclined to drive to Deepspar in person and request pricing.

Many thanks in advance to those who will respond.

[mr_spokk]

Hi, I use both Pc3000 Pci and UDMA and it works well for those problems.
BUT, for the price of just buy UDMA you can buy approx 4000 used Maxtor DiamondMax 8 Plus 40Gig...
If you have valuable data on your drive's it's cheaper and easier to let a pro fix them for you, then to buy UDMA or simular.

Best Regards
Bosse

[mediaman]

agreed, if its just one drive a DR pro will charge 1000 or so, you are looking at spending 5x that at least on equipment, and then you will need training, add 5000 more.... no sense for one disk

[shahij]

HD Doctor and HD Compass are similar, but I'm not sure which one of these 2 would be better used to recover my Maxtor N40P data.

HD Doctor is used for SA access & modification. Data compass is used for IMAGING. both r not similar.
PC3000 is for all BRAND HDD from ACE
HD Doctors are seperate, develped for every single HDD from SD. HD Doctor For Maxtor & DATA COMPASS is enough for you in this case. And SD tools r also Portable. NEED TO CONNECT USING USB INTERFACE.
FINALLY TO SAY, WISH YOU WILL NOT USE YOUR TOOL AS HAMMER FOR YOUR HDD.

[cookiemonster]

Well, I've decided and have made a purchase through Laura at Salvation Data for the 3 items:

1)HD Doctor
2)Data Compass
3)HD HPE Pro

This is a huge investment, and i plan on starting a part-time business of data recovry in my area.

I should receive the equipment very soon.

mmmm, Cookies!!!!

[unknown]

I agreed with mr_spokk

( It's cheaper and easier to let a pro fix them for you )

Even professionals can not fix your disk easily it takes alot of

time, experience and thinking.

good luck

[BlackST]

DR is not a part time business. Have in mind that you can't play with customers data, and customers expect solutions, not excuses. You already bought some equipment, I hope you know that you'll have to research and study and there is no "DR for dummies" manual included in such equipment, neither the manufacturer could assist you for every DR case. In any case good luck and congrats for being brave and the decision to invest, wish you every success.

[cookiemonster]

BlackSt: I do appreciate your words of wisdom.
Having said this, I've done plenty of research into this field, and I've already exhausted many possible s/w solutions regarding data recovery.
All that I'm missing is "hardware" to get into the HDD and retrieve data.
I hold a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineer) and I'm quite familiar with the ins/outs of any scientific field.

In addition, I've always enjoyed challenges. The last challenge was Directv satellite programming....which was conquered...
Now that my HDD's have this N40P issue, I plan on solving it myself...part of person satisfaction.
Once this is done, I'll "recover and repair" other HDD's that I have in my possession which are deemed "unrecoverable".

I'm confident that yourself (as many others) must have started at one point with limited knowledge and now are very knowledgeable.

In any event, I'll appreciate any advice as well as help on my way to becomming a Data Recovery expert.

Cheers!

mmmmm, Cookies!!!

[thatdellguy]

This is a huge investment, and i plan on starting a part-time business of data recovry in my area.

Huge investment for you, small investment for a data recovery pro.

[rchadwick]

Hopefully the Salvation products work for you. They are much cheaper than a PC3000, but that's for a reason. They are buggy junk. I personally don't know about Data Compass, but based on their HD Doctor series, there is no way in hell I'd pay the price of a Deepspar for Salvation's Data Compass, or ANY Salvation software tool. Personally, I would have got HD Duplicator first. Since you're only doing this 'Part Time', it may not matter. Salvation's tools are nice to show off, and convince Non-DR people that you're doing something more than freeware. Their hardware tools are actually quite nice, but it takes lots of experience to use them properly.

Since you're doing this 'Part Time', it would be wise to understand a few things:

1) Your success rate will NEVER approach someone who does this full time, has dedicated the needed tens of thousands in proper tools, and the many, many hours required to obtain, and keep current, the required skill and knowledge.

2) Since you won't be recovering everything recoverable, you'll sooner or later be sending jobs to others. It's a really good idea to understand what you should never do, so that you don't screw up chances of DR for someone else. It's hard to call yourself even a 'Part Time' DR professional if you screw things up even worse.

3) Here's a dirty secret Salvation and Ace don't want you to know... Their tools only work a small fraction of the time. More often, you'll need to do physical repairs, like replacing heads. I'm an EE too, and this was a huge learning curve for me. Being smart or educated doesn't automatically qualify you to do this. It doesn't even guarantee you'll ever be able to. The most physical skill an average EE needs is moving a mouse, plugging a chip in a socket, and MAYBE soldering, if your boss lets you. Working on drive internals is like surgery. Screw it up, and the data is dead. No second chance.

[cookiemonster]

Hi rchadwick: thanks for the heads up.

I know that there's no "single push button" solution for recovery, so thats why I'm investing in some tools to get the job done myself.

I've played around with code/equipment (hence my previous statement about Directv....Unlooper, etc...).

I would treat any furture customer's HDD as if it were my own. Thats why I'm going to recover my own hard drives first.

Plan after that is to purchase a whole bunch of "dead" HDD's from the local electronic scrap yard, and recover those.

I know it won't be easy, and I'd never take away from the breadth and depth of experience that many professional HD recovery people have, but I do plan on acquiring this experience sometime real soon.

I've looked into getting a "white room" at my place, as well as I have all the ESD knowledge to prevent any damage.

Oh and by the way, one main reason I'm not having the local "professional HDD recovery experts" recover my HDD is because they aren't even aware of ESD!!! I was shocked to hear them say "ESD is bullsh_eet"....

If anyone here states that ESD is nonsense, I would highly recommend ESD training.

ESD is a real silent killer... yet I've seen people walking with HDD's in their hands....

mmmm, Cookies!!!

[rchadwick]

I agree completely about the ESD thing. I've met a few DR professionals personally, and it seems ESD is the last thing on their mind.

[TerraNova]

ESD is a real silent killer... yet I've seen people walking with HDD's in their hands....

Walking while holding the hard drive is better than walking on carpet then holding/touching the drive, as you walk your body and clothing absorb static electricty, when you touch the drive the whole electricity is trying to escape trhough the ground and discharge it to the hard drive. Then again, discharging to the chasis of the drive is OK, not on the PCB side.

[cookiemonster]

Hi Terranova:

the HDD (or any PCB for that matter) must always be grounded to prevent an ESD event from occurring.

[rchadwick]

I suppose it's like computer repair techs. Some are real nutty about using wrist straps, even if they clip it to a plastic part of the case , while others simply grab the metal chassis instinctively before poking a finger on the motherboard. While carrying a drive isn't necessarily bad, depending on how it's done, I've seen workspaces and clean benches with no antistatic mat, or ground connection. Of course, the area is carpeted...

I've seen pictures of microscopic ESD damage, and even if it survives the immediate shock, it could damage components so they fail in the future. Maybe not as critical in DR, but it still should be considered.

[cookiemonster]

I was gonna mention the microscopic damage that occurs on the surface of those platters. What are those platters made of? Gee, would they conduct ESD? Wonder why some drives (after repaired) are almost always useless?

Imagine what happens to the surface of the platter....

Now is it clearer as to why i want to fix things myself? Not saying every pro will neglect proper ESD practices, but a majority do.

I wonder if this should be a different topic and make it a sticky?

[rchadwick]

Actually, I meant damage to semiconductors. I should have been more clear. I don't know how sensitive the surface is, but I suspect it's not too important, as anyone who gets close to the platter should already be holding the frame, and any damage would be localized. Even knowing the dangers of ESD, I wouldn't hesitate to send a drive to a pro with a good success rate. There are a number of things that can do in a drive.

[BlackST]

Your worries are not about esd. You are worried about your data (hot? Sensitive info? For your eyes only?), so the decision -that frankly I don't endorse but understand- to buy equipment and DIY. I hear everyday from people who 'want to be present when I work on their hdd'. Guess where I send them...

[cookiemonster]

Hi BlackSt, I didn't even consider that the Pro DR specialist would go through my files, not that he'd find anything special, except, say personal informatiom as to our tax returns, pics/vids of our newborn. Had the info been super critical, i would have gotten a Pro to get the data for me.

Since its not that important, i really want to learn this as a hobby/part time job.

As most people here will agree, its the challenge of recovering data when others can't.... thats the real fun!

[BlackST]

It's ok, but trust me, dr, electronics and everything are not black magic, it's only a matter of application, logic and study.