Hi all,
I could sure use some help and advice. I am a beginner but I've read alot of stuff here and elsewhere.
My data archive HD began showing as "status bad" and it became so slow to copy from I just could not tolerate it but I now wish I would have. It was about 60Kb/s to copy from and I still had about 120GB to copy but no weird noises. The drive could be copied to very quickly when I tried that just to see. I started messing around in disk management and I somehow deleted the partition even though I have some experience there. I don't know how that happened. I was trying to get rid of an old C volume that had already been copied maybe to make it faster for the "E volume" I needed.
I ran my "partition table doctor" I bought a few years ago and it would run for about an hour to about 90% complete and then the drive would start clicking and the program would no longer progress. It did that 3 times and also in safe mode. Now the drive only spins up, clicks, spins down, spins up, clicks, spins down, or at least that's what it sounds like and it does not show in bios.
I'm hoping someone can confirm, improve, or correct my plan at this point.
I intend to do a live PCB swap. I assume the reason for a live swap vs. regular swap is to get around replacing the U12 or to trick your way in just to get the needed files? To compound my situation, I have no partition on the drive ( it last showed as unallocated when it would power up)and I'm afraid if I do anything that will scan the whole platter that it will reach a "bad place" and stop like it did with my partition recovery software and then just start clicking again, even if the swap worked. I'm wondering if there is a recovery software that will make the files acessible without a partition and as they are found and it can be paused or stopped or something while I copy a few at a time before it reaches a "bad place?" Any help will be HIGHLY appreciated!

My bad drive
S/N WCANKH656874
MDL: 2500KS-00MJB0
Date : 23 MAY 2007
DCM: DSCHYT2AHN
WD P/N 2500KS-00MJB0
board bar code? 2061- 701335-C00 AP XC 2W23 0P5V B 0001470 7471
canada

Donor drive
S/N WCANKF344404
MDL: 2500KS-00MJB0
Date : 24 MAY 2007
DCM: HBBHNTJAHN
WD P/N 2500KS-00MJB0
board bar code -won't know til arrival
canada

This would be really really challenging DIY.
Strongly recommend you send to specialized DR firm.

The live PCB swap does not quite work the way it seems you think. Plus, you need special equipment.

Best wishes.

_________________
Hard Disk Drive, SSD, USB Drive and RAID Data Recovery Specialist in Massachusetts

You know I'm going to at least try it since I'm having the HD shipped that is about worthless otherwise. Yes my data is valuable.
I admit I am unclear on what a live PCB swap actually does and why a live swap vs. regular swap w/ u12 replacement. It would be nice to know these things before I start this morning. I'm still unclear on what software to use, if there is any, that will make files acessible as they show up without scanning the whole drive first for a partition. If I dont get any response I may practice with various software on some other drives first by deleting the partition or something.

Live PCB swap WILL NOT WORK for you.

Absolutely guarantee this 100%

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

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

Basically everything you mentioned about your planned procedure is wrong

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

I could not find anything which thoroughly explains live swap or live swap vs. regular swap and I of course don't know yet how to weed out people around the web who don't know what they are talking about and those who do with regard to either. So far, I do believe what I am hearing in here . Seems like some knowledgeable people here but no one has said why or what they think it is. In the majority of stuff Im reading around the web in general it's saying just try it anyway.
Before I read anything about HD's at all I thought it was motor bearings but I guess they dont have them. Then I thought it was a head. Most people around the web focus on the PCB for the clicking sound it seems.

the board on the donor drive I just got is 2061- 701335-C00 AN (same except AN instead of AP)

Many people swap the PCB just because it's all they can attempt as DIY, with limited knowledge / tools / experience / skill (when all you have is a hammer, you hope every problem is a nail), even though non-PCB (and therefore non-DIY) causes are more common causes of this symptom, in my experience. You seem intent on going ahead with this, despite the advice you're getting, so I won't bother wasting any more time on explanation. Good luck - if you are successful, I suggest you buy a lottery ticket too

I don't see any reason not to. I kind of suspected the hammer and nail thing even before I got started which was nice wording btw. I'm really not big on "take it to your nearest dealer stuff." I already know I can do that and I've talked with DR pros and have one lined up. I am a veterran in another type of DIY forum nothing to do with PC's . And of course I'm an alchemist by profession so I know about trade secrets or throwing my 40 years expereince at newbies. The DR pro thing could also become a theasco because I doubt they will do what I want unless I'm standing right there. The files and folders, I mean. I wouldnt be surprised if it will take months of shipping back and forth for them to get it right if they can. From what Ive studied so far it can be one of four things and the PCB is the first and I don't really see alot of contradiction even elsewhere in this forum so that part I don't get.
I do now realize I should have split the thread into 2 questions at least because now after a day of messing with a practice drive and several DR software I cant get it to recover the files I want, the way I want, on a good but unallocated drive.

well I did the live swap just to see if it would work even though I didn't find any recovery software I liked yet. When awakened it actually automatically searched for drivers and said device was sucessfully installed but it called it a WD hawk with 7.46 Gb. That surprised me. I expected it to click or do nothing. It did click but not the same as before. I started a raw recovery but quit because I knew "hawk 7.46gb" was way off.
I thought I read somewhere where you get that "hawk" if you don't change the U12. If that is the case then I'm guessing the answer to one of the basic questions is that "live swap vs. regular swap makes no difference on these drives and the U12 still has to be switched?" Is that true? Before I joined here I could not find anyone locally at electronic shops who can solder if you can believe that. I may look again but I want real assurance they won't fry it, assuming that would matter to the DR firm I would later use.

if it matters, the donor drive still works perfectly after switching the board back.

Alchemy,

If you want your data back, listen to the pros and seek the assistance of a professional data recovery lab. There is nothing that you are going to accomplish with your drive without the necessary tools and knowledge that can only be found at a data recovery lab.

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

I dont get it. Does the forum delete these type of threads because I only see other people getting answers or help for the same type of things.
Where I'm at now is just forgetting it and throwing my data out even as important as it is. DR firms I've talked to seem to be too all over the place to deal with. Alot of false alchemy I already see in this industry. In other words, trade secrets are one thing but deliberate deception to keep people in the dark is another.

Hi alchemy,

Why did you join the forum? I'm guessing it was to ask for help & guidence?
If so why do you then ignore the advice given?
If the answers are not what you want to hear & you are going to ignore the advice from the very much respected members what is the point in asking for help?
This is the best forum on the net for DR help & with very knowledgable members.

Loki

It is not this. We are not keeping you in the dark. Hot Swap with out tools and being able to prepare a PCB correctly will never work. All you did was swap your pcb board from one drive to another. Hot swaping is something completely different. If you want to keep going all you could try and do is move your ROM from one drive PCB to another. That is about as far as you can go on your own with out tools to do this work with. You are mislead about hot swaping and a PCB swap. The reason your drive reports like this is the ROM is not native and the drive is reporting the factory alais to you and you can not recover data from this at all. Complaints will not help unless you invest 10K in the tool you need to do this procedure with. Then if you can not use the tool it can not help you either.

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

If your data isn't worth getting a free assessment and price quote, provided by most professional data recovery labs, then giving up is likely your best option.

I'm not sure where you see deception on this thread. You described a problem that clearly requires professional tools to properly diagnose, let alone recover your data, and were advised to seek professional help.

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

@alchemy:


What do you mean by "these type of threads"? Ones where the original poster doesn't get the answer he wants? Ones where everything isn't explained as some kind of a tutorial? There are plenty of both kinds here, if you look.


That's because most new posters don't come here as you did, with a plan (live PCB swap) which they have already decided to follow, despite admitting to not understanding how that plan would actually work, apparently expecting people to justify why your plan should not be followed, and then ignoring the advice they get. That may not have been how you intended to come across, but at least from my viewpoint, that's what you've done

Try going to your local physician / doctor, tell them you've had no medical training but have read some stuff on the internet, tell them you've already decided that you want a brain transplant, and expect them to explain - in detail & for free - why this isn't a good idea, and then ignore their advice. See how long they humor you! IMHO it feels like you're doing the same thing here.

You may find this thread useful, to help set realistic expectations:

diy-what-the-big-deal-t12671.html


It's your data so it's your choice, but that seems rather an over-reaction, just because people aren't agreeing with your pre-conceived plans.


I'd agree with that. I don't work in DR, but in another disk-related part of the data storage industry. Looking at user experiences reported here and elsewhere, and from my own experiences in the past, there are definitely some capable, and some not-so-capable, DR firms - and the size of the company is not directly correlated with its capabilities.

If you want recommendations of capable DR firms in the US (or elsewhere), and providing you haven't already caused forum members to put you on their "ignore" lists, then you only need to ask for recommendations Having said that, some companies may not want your business, based on your approach shown here. Anyway, that's between you and them. Good luck!

Not saying I did see any deception here but I have seen it around the web and by one high strung data recovery place for sure. My data is extremely valuable. Im not going to just send it off somewhere in faith. The idea of it never leaving my hands is also so valuable I may learn how to recover it and creat my own ideas even if it takes 5 years. Regardless, I need to know alot more about the drive myself first and what the pro would do. Also, I'm a hundred miles from any city where they could do a pre test.

I don't see anyone saying why they disagree or why it's wrong to swap boards or why it doesn't work and when an experinced person says "take it to your nearest dealer" it stops the thread and anyone who would have liked to answer won't. No one even answered whether I was right or wrong about the idea that live or regular swaps are the same and that it would need a U12 swap either way. Or even my stupidity for not knowing what hawk is (I thinks its just a generic alias name?).

My 2 cents is to burn and boot up Hiren's CD. Run his "Mini XP" which in itself is questionable what it truly is. In any case, it runs as if it is someone else's XP. Version 15 or so should be fine.

Look at the many things that are included there, and you might try something called "Partition Find and Mount" (Which you could also find elsewhere). If that allows you to see your data, you have no reason to swap any PCB or seek much further counsel from the pros.

And then to fix the drive in a permanent way, just run TestDisk (DOS) and it will scan and find your partitions in most cases. It is pretty powerful, so it will often do a good job. You can try gparted, but it seems to work better on disks that are alive since it runs under Linux. MHDD (available from Hiren's Boot CD or on this forum's file listing) will almost certainly be able to tell you something, and HDAT2 or Victoria (DOS) will, too.

Once in Windows, I have a lot of success with GetDataBack and their cohorts, which has a very low cost, if there is NTFS corruption and it is visible in Windows. And if your drive has true "bad sector" problems, by all means try the old, goldie, Spinrite 6.0. But use these (and pay for these) only after trying the many offerings on Hiren's CD for partition recovery and whatnot.