Hi Guys,

My external hard drive has stopped reading on my computer and has a lot of photos on it. Was backing them up to that before a DVD disk and disaster struck.

I have recorded the sound it is making and you can hear it on this link that i've uploaded it to my website (as mp3 upload isn't allowed in the upload attachment option)
http://www.charliearchibald.com/hard-drive-noise.mp3

I have tried various hard drive recovery software but the hard drive won't read so I can even search it for them.

Can anyone suggest what to do now? Stumped with ideas!

Thanks in advance

Hi, data recovery software wont help you here, if you take it to a data recovery company they can give you a diagnosis and let you know if data can be recovered.
I do not think this is DIY.

I am judging that it appears you havent read into the forum much to see some common problems and fixes, and you have given no indication what the hard drive is, model number brand, capacity etc.

I believe anyone that would have the chance of DIY fix to a hard disk would know these basic steps.. even googling for your model number and saying you did so would have been a start.

I am not trying to be nasty or negative at all, I hope you can see that I am just saying it as I see it.
The worst outcome is when someone "tries everything" on their drive, and destroys chances of a DR firm recovering their data. I like to see people get their data back.

I hope you can see where I am coming from and welcome any follow up.

Best of luck

That sounds very nasty indeed, I strongly suspect this "was" a head crash, but been greatly exacerbated into horrific media damage by repeated DIY attempts to run software on a damaged drive.

This is akin to realising that your car engine has run out of oil and not taking it to a garage to get the oil replaced and the leak fixed. Then thrashing the car up and down the motorway with the engine making horrific grinding and banging noises until it seizes up proper, the wondering why the garage can't fix it.

Sorry to appear harsh, but it's almost certainly the case.

I hope I'm wrong, and you get your data back.

I suggest you contact forum member "buster80" who's in Glasgow, he's totally trustworthy and has a clean cabinet to open the drive to see what's going on in there.

Good luck and DO NOT POWER IT ON ANY MORE!

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

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

That sound sounds like the head is stuck to a platter, the only way to get it going is to take it to a DR company, they should be able to get it going. If no further damage is done, should not cost that much to open it up and unstuck it. But they will tell you the cost.

Shane

Doesn't sound like stuck head to me. To my ears it sounds like the drive is spinning and the heads constantly sweeping/scraping over the platters.

I could be wrong, in fact I hope I am

(but I doubt it)

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

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

Definitely sounds like the heads are thrashing, as suggested by PCImage. As you are in Scotland, I suggest you connect with Andy at http://www.databusters.co.uk or you can ship it down to Sean at http://www.PCImage.co.uk to get it assessed. Hopefully it isn't too late.

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

Here is my novice observation.

I can not hear the HDD spin-up and spin down. The noise starts right away after power up and stops suddenly (no sound of spin-down). I go for stiction. In addition there are two sounds involved; one seems to be a typical sound of stiction, the other seems to be a sound of the platter trying to spin and there by drag the stuck-head around the pivot point (the stiction point).

Judging from the noise, I believe it is spinning, tearing particles off from the platters and making things worse - listen carefully and with volume enough. I also think this is a 2.5" which goes full-speed quickly and that's the reason you don't hear it spin up or down (or maybe it is spinning over the entire recording).

The head parking/unparking noise makes me doubt a little from it being a 2.5" drive actually, but... make your bets! It clicks 13 times in a power cycle, as for the recording... may it be a 500 GB, 2.5" Hitachi drive?

Recorded sound is incomplete!

At the beginning of the sound fade in is noticeable and the end is simply cuted off, so these are the reasons why is not possible to hear spin up and spin down - they are not in sound file!

Can you upload the full sound of the drive from the moment you flip the switch to the moment you turn it off.