Are there some jobs you MUST get the professionals in for?
I'm interested because, having worked in domestic IT repair before, i know there's a lot of shamanism surrounding IT fixers - encouraged by the IT fixers themselves for a large part. When in fact a lot of competent persons could do the job themselves with a quick google search - that's not to say they should or would even want to... of course IT fixers undoubtedly have their place and not a lot of people could hack it as a profession.

But still... there's a lot more plain common sense that goes into the practice and far less rocket science than laypeople think, I'm sure most will agree

So, with this in mind, and with a hypothetical situation being the object for discussion: are there mystical, mechanical processes involving specialist machines and software and skilled practitioners with in depth training in how to use them?? Or is there a freeware program out there for most jobs that can do pretty much the same thing the 'experts' are doing??

I'm aware I've phrased this in a slightly controversial-sounding way, that's just the way it came out... really I'm just curious and completely neutral and just interested in having a discussion.

Tony

you are going to find that for the most part, it's the same thing here. nobody is going to tell you it's easy to do and that you can do it yourself. they're going to say if you and your client value their data then send it to one of them on this very forum. if you have the cash to start out, grab yourself a deepspar disk imager to start. obviously it's not plug and play and you can get your data back but at least it's a learning point. also don't play with your client's data if they really need it. buy your own drives to test on and break and repair. hope this helps.

DDI is just a HW imager that work on disks that have already been repaired phisically or in the FW zone, can do nothing on a fu--ed up / inoperative drive. And it cost thousands of $$ . So ?

An amateur lacking both knowledge and necessary tools are focused on repair procedures. Using google he finds a number of procedures which might be related to his disk. Then the "LB0 fix", "PCB swaps", "percussive maintenance" and the "freezer trick" are applied. When all possibilities are exhausted, he might open the disk to have a look'see. Waving goodbye to the data forever.

A pro does have the necessary tools, and the knowledge to use them properly. His way of working is to analyze and find the root cause of problems before applying any repairs. No wild guesses...

However, I am not too happy about the term "pro". The meaning of the word is someone providing a paid service, but it also suggests having vast knowledge. I reckon the average data recovery pro is very dependent on the knowledge built into their tools. If a particular HDD is not supported by PC3000 or similar, the average pro will wait for ACE to provide support. This is of course very cost effective, but also implies that many pros understand HDDs mostly on a "block level". Not that many pros e.g. put their JTAG device and ARM disassembler into use for research.

What problems can an amateur handle himself? Logical recoveries and PCB problems can be within reach.
FW problems, media failures, and HSA/motor problems should not be addressed by anyone lacking tools and knowledge. If data is valuable that is...

I'd like to lay my hands onto this freeware program which would swap heads on a 3200JD and then align heads, swap platters onto a bricked 7200.11, solve smartware encryption issues and then grow a third hand (which is needed) when swapping heads into a modern toshiba drive.

Seriously, it's all been done using the spray, really.

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I am teaching horses to help me so everyone can do it. Results are promising....

what i meant to say is just send it to blackst the master guru who is amazing!!

Why not ?

Heya Tony. The answer is 42 =) . Iv seen clients come to us with eyes wide with shock at the diagnostics results they got from some company or other with problems so simple that the solution is a 5 second TVS snip =)
But then again not always. Head issues on any drive , even the simplest WD with outside parking ramp and no alignment problems will still require experience, let alone there are some drives that are a nightmare to work with even for the most seasoned experts ( quaxtors anyone ? )
PC3K with 1 button solutions like seagate CC crap or WD slow responding sectors make some jobs easy , but not all.
Also DR techs have a very important skill called "Dont go there girlfriend" Smallest things in DR can have dire consequences.
So to summ it up , some logical issues , some electronic issues can easily be solved by a savvy tech, but a LOT of jobs require specific deep knowledge. And i cant stress enough the importance of knowing what NOT to do.

I'm interested in seeing how the DR industry will continue changing as SSD becomes more prevalent. In the meantime I'll stick to my tried and true methods of repair and performance improvement:

1- Disassemble the drive and wash the PCB. They usually get quite dusty.
2- A little bit of tapping here and there to free up stuck heads and re-seat electrical contacts.
3- Run a couple of low level formats and HDD Regenerator. Zero it time permitting.
4- Buff up the cables and connectors
5- Defrag and re-arrange the order of the files alphabetically and by directory.
6- Do a complete temperature cycle from 0C to 75C to help flex and settle the molecular structure of the recording surface and housing.

If none of these correct an ailing drive, just RMA the mofo and call it a day..

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On a clear disk you can seek forever.

More prevalent ? I'm having so much fun with SSDs, especially when people try to repair them like seen on this forum

People are in for a rude awakening if they think SSD recovery is going to be any cheaper then HDD recovery.

When SSD break, they REALLY like to break.


*edit* oh, and HOORAY FOR SANDFORCE!.........lol...

Cheaper might not, but more complicated and exciting... I am sure