got a drive that was opened by other DR company.
usually when i find digital marks on plates i do not clean them becouse often the cleaning can bring more issues.
how do you judge this cropped photos?

u cannot judge unless you clean this mess and try it your self
i had many similar cases but were done, if you were lucky its OK

try it

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Kuwait Data Recovery - UNIX GTC
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. By: Albert Einstein

PM sent

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Kuwait Data Recovery - UNIX GTC
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. By: Albert Einstein

Is that a bent head as well???....

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East Anglian Data Recovery Services
http://www.eadr.co.uk

"If it's your only copy - then it's not a backup!"

i magnified the picture, you looked good: bend head # 3 and crash head#2 , i can't see very well other heads... but that's enough!

the strange is that the drive goes in ready state! but not ID's

The strange is that you have powered up in this condition...


BTW this drive can be recoverable in the good hands.
I don't really like similar cases because have too many in.
but i can help if you really want....

Janos

i forgot to tell you that the label didn't show any sign of opening, the other DR company simply copy the original label with a scanner and stick the new label on the drive.
never happen to me before.

In that case why not name and shame the company which had it before you?

To return a drive in this condition with this sort of failure is unthinkable.
(unless the client treated them really, really, really bad ... but even that is stretching it)

Damaged Heads remounted (if they even attempted to replace)
Bent Head
Fingerprints on platters

I would like to know the company so i could avoid them at all costs...

Why wouldn't they snip the heads off or remove the HSA completely since its toast?

Out of curiosity, was the drive SENT BACK from the DR company as "UNRECOVERABLE" because it was originally sent in this condition, or the condition depicted is consequence of work of the "DR" company ?
(probably we'll never know...)

Anyway, the fingerprints can be eliminated and surface decontaminated, but there's little to do about the scratches ... Maybe if the underlying surfaces are good , a partial recovery is still possible. Maybe

arrived well, thank you !

The drive was sent back as "unrecoverable" but also like "NOT opened".

Head 2 looks really mashed up. I'm surprised that the HSA even gets back onto the ramp in that state? I'm sure that head would have scratched it's side of the platter pretty badly, maybe contaminating the surface below, unlucky that is was powered on in that condition! I would hate to see the underside of that top platter. Head 0's surface is probably the only one that's in a half decent condition. I had a similar case last month, Hitachi 2.5" 4 platter with fingerprints all over the top platter. Cleaned it up and imaged the entire drive after HSA swap with only a few errors on that top surface. There's wasn't much contamination though, just fingerprints and the odd speck of dust.

Good luck.

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Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
Data Recovery Cape Town

even this is hitachi 2,5''. the firs set of HSA i have in laboratory.
Now i am thinking if check the underside of the top platter (but loose the platter alignement)
or give it a try just cleaning the top surface..

If you have changed heads already for new set did you modify NVRAM to allow access with H0 only? To check if you can at least read SA from surface with new HSA?

Hi i saw some pencil signs, and i decided to have a look at the internal surface of the platters.
i post the photos

I think, based off the second set of photos, it is dead. =)

I think it is (almost) dead.

What type of documents what do you need from this .... drive?

Maybe i still can help...

Janos

btw, pencil signs:

Hitachi usually have some pencil marks on the edge of the platter, but you break the alignment if you remove one platter only...

Wich model it is exactly?

Janos

hi i made alignment reference in another place. you really want to try to recover this drive? pm me..