Better still........if it's a Dell or Compaq Part, match the Vendor P/N and pay even more!

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Data Recovery Ireland

Thank you so much for your insight.
Finally some intelligent discussion - I knew it was in here.
Ok, so the consensus is to look for Manufacture Date and MLC Code.
If I match these as closely as possible to the damaged drive, you are saying that I will have the best opportunity to have the same head stack.
I will start my search and let you know the results once I have a successful replacement.
Thanks again guys...

It's also easy enough to place a magnet from a 3.5" drive underneath the 2.5" HDA just below the magnet.

Helps to keep things in perspective.


Duncan

The problem here is not the compatibility of the headstack, it's the (apparent) lack of skill/experience of the operator.

Juts because I know the blood group of a patient, does not mean I can successfully perform a blood transplant. It's way beyond my skills in that field, I accept that.

I'm assuming you're a newbie by your post, but please forgive me if my assumption is wrong.

If you're a proper bona fide DR pro and need a little help, PM me with credentials and I'll tell you exactly what our experience finds is necessary for donor sourcing on this series.

As my previous postings show, and other respected members can verify, I know what I'm talking about and offer help when it's deemed necessary and within the scope/skills/experience of the OP.

Cheers

Sean

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PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

what if the magnet gets drawn towards the spindle and the platters. Reciepe for disaster? This wouldn't work for me as I secure the drive to a nice work bench. I seem to manage just fine with tweezers and precision screw drivers, maybe doing it the hard way increases skill level

Alright, let's address this.
In my primary role at the University, I fix/troubleshoot computers for many people, including PhD Professors who bring in millions of dollars in grants and who are known worldwide for their research - down to people who work as housekeepers and landscapers. So if a landscaper has a problem and is asking me how the computer got a virus/spyware or why it blue-screened, do I ask this person for their credentials before I give the information?
Ummmm...no.
I assess their level of understanding and adjust my response to them so that they can understand and learn from the experience. Possibly to the degree that they don't make that mistake again. Recently, such a person set up a wireless network at their house by themselves with a little guidence from me. So I don't treat people differently based on their expertise and my users appreciate such treatment.
I realize that this community of Data Recovery people have a tendency to keep information close to thier chest and, to a degree, I understand it. It's funny though, that in 10 -15 years all of this knowledge will be null and void because hard drives are going over to SSD. So the discussions will be adjusted to "how to unsolder and replace chips".
But what difference would it make in your world, Sean, if you helped me with your knowledge so that I could recover data for a user? You asked if I was a professional - but if someone isn't a professional, but isn't a newbie and is somewhere in between, that the idea is to help those people gain knowledge and skills so that they can better help their users? Why does it make a difference what level someone is at? Isn't it good enough that we will have made someone happy and grateful because we were able to get their data back?

J

I realize that your fair question was directed at Sean, not me. Nonetheless, I'd like to take a stab at it.

It's not simply that DR folks think that they have the recipe for turning lead into gold and don't want to share it (although there is a good bit of that). Nor is it that they have pathological feelings of superiority.

If someone is a "pro" (which we cannot verify from a newsgroup) then there is the expectation that they have proper tools, a clean environment for performing mechanical work, and plenty of experience (including making mistakes, which is a rather essential part of the process). So if a "pro" shares info with another "pro" there is a good chance that what was left unsaid is understood by both parties. And that the "pro" will have a fair chance of succeeding.

You may be very adept at registry repairs, virus eradication, etc. but none of that is helpful when you are doing a head swap.

The bottom line is, my friend, that without the proper tools, knowledge, and plenty of experience, the chances of you recovering data on this one drive are very slim to none. It's really nothing personal. Not at all.

For starters, how are you certain that the Travelstar has bad heads? If it is a HTS541xxxxJ9SA00 series, for example, the vast majority can be recovered without head replacement. If the drive had a firmware problem, could you repair the modules? If it had a bad PCB (unusual with this series) would you know what needed to be done?

How would you plan to remove the head stack? How would you plan to load it back? How will you deal with the 'floating" bottom magnet? What will you do if you see media damage? After you have reassembled the drive, how will you tell if you have succeeded? What if one head or platter is bad, how will you get the remaining data?

These are not trivial questions, but, for the most part, need to be addressed each time you contemplate a head swap. Not to mention the heads compatibility question, which does not always have a simple, irrefutable answer.

Hope that helps you to understand our collective "attitude." it's not that we don't want to be helpful. It's not that we don't want you to succeed. It's just that we want to be sure that your professors with grant affinities will get back their work so that at the end of the day, your wages will be paid too . . .

Jono

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..........so that everybody will be happy


*My standing applause to jono-ats for his lengthy explanation.

Sincerely,
Jonathan

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My Forum

Funny? null and void? interesting comments that warrant further investigation. Perhaps a new thread. One reason some folks don't give out information as freely is others has to do with respect. There are companies whose primary roles are to discover the peculiarities of various hard drive families (and Solid state) on the market. They do so via research, development, reverse-engineering, etc. It is their livelihood. They make hardware solutions which they sell to DR companies like us. For me to take THEIR manuals and that we pay tens of thousands of $$$ for and put it all over the internet doesn't see right nor fair. To me, it's probably borderline illegal or just plain disrespectful and/or wrong.

Besides, you either need to make your own hardware/software or buy a similar solution.

My advice, is that if you want such information, just pay for it and then you will receive great manuals and information you seek, etc.

.02

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http://pcrecoveryllc.com

Thanks jono, couldn't have put it better myself.

Like you quite rightly suggest, the donor matching is only the very beginning of the process, the hard work is the actual physical replacement of the heads (also without the heads touching each other, which this particular series are especially susceptible to).

Surely it wasn't too much to ask if the guy had experience of this kind of recovery, rather than blindly giving out info (which as pcrecovery says, has cost us tens of thousands of dollars, not mention thousands of research hours to obtain), again for FOR FREE?

If I had thought that this case was recoverable by an inexperienced (in this particular aspect) technician, I would have said so.

I think I'm gonna give up trying to help newbies on this site, too many seem to make one post for free help and expect hand-holding. Then moan like buggery when you don't immediately disclose, FOR FREE, without question, potentially drive-damaging info.

There's a right way and a wrong way to go about asking people to take time out for free help.

Last post on this topic.

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PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Sean,

I really haven't had problems with the heads touching with this series. If that happens, the head swaps still work (unless they fail for some other reason). I'm interested in what your experience was . . . did they stick together?

You're spot on about the newbies. It's not that they want to ask for free advice. It's that so many act like spoiled children when they don't get the flavor of candy that they wanted, RIGHT NOW!

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http://www.datasaversllc.com

Jono,

Well, maybe I got unlucky a while ago when I accidently let the heads touch and the heads didn't work again.

But since then I've always been safe than sorry and remove/replace the heads not letting them touch. It's not much extra work and gives me piece of mind

Just done a 250Gb 5K-250 drive and it's imaging now, maybe I'll play with letting the heads touch (after I got an image of the drive AND the clients data is safe!)

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Yes, this model is nasty one, last year, one of this was sent in by my client. Drive generated squeaking sounds when operates, but still detected normally.

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My Forum

Well, this one had H0 bad.

Still detected after a minute or so, created head map in DDI and disabled H0, got 75% image.

Then swapped the heads, and got the rest!

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Helping peolpe... What does the meaning of HELPING People ???
is it mean that we need to show the full process of DR and ASK the user to DO DIY in their ONSITE... I dont think SO. and this is not called HELPING PEOPLE... WHY..... becuase mostly of user will ruin everything and make everything unrecorable. SO is it CALLed HELPING PEOPLE ????.... i think this must be clear......

We ALL here have mention lot of time.. that We try to help people Not MAKING THING WORST.. Not mean we want to make more money and do not want to share.

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Спасибо
СУТИОНО / АПИНГ

Hello.

I have a great respect in the work you do. I have been visitor in this forums for 4 months. I am the one who wants to learn this "art". I will and shall respect you and i do not expect you to give me any solutions because i have no experience anyway. Right now i am collecting broken hard drivers and learn everything by trial and error. This is the only way i can get enough experience without losing someones precious data.

But i want to collect documents and information so i could read them in my spare time. I would be thankful if you guys point me to right direction where to start learning about data recovery. Where did you start? What documents did you read? Google is not by best friend on this

Perhaps if I use your words, it may help you to understand where we come from..

We have assessed your level of understanding and adjusted our responses so you can understand and learn from the experience.

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If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't fully understand the situation. ... Mr Kipling

https://www.mjm.co.uk/

Howdy - I have the same situation with a Hitachi TravelStar and was contemplating replacing the head stack - One question if I may - Can I just put the old platter into a new drive?

Thanks,
Gip

You would need to match it like you would match the headstack, so there's not really any point. Additionally hijacking an old thread to ask about something you've already posted a new thread about could be considered rude.

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.