Hi,
I have an ICY Box which I use to externally access 4 HDs that I have. These HDs contain all my collection of TV Documentaries and other shows I have collected over the years and also some documents and essential software. The problem is this morning I plugged in the ICY box and nothing came up, no icon in 'my compter' and it's not recognised in the bios either. I also ckecked 'Disk Management' and there is no recognition of the hard drive there either. So then I decided to check my other HDs and I tested two more and to my suprise the same thing happened; no recognition in windows or BIOS of the HDs. At this point I suspected the ICY BOX itself so I connected the Fourth HD to the PC internally instead and that worked perfectly. I then tried to do the same to the other 3 drives but nothing happened, no recognition in BIOS or Windows but then I connected them to another PC internally via an 'IDE 2 Port PCI Controller Card' again nothing was recognised by windows or in the bios settings but on the bios startup screen of the ide's pci controoler card details it showed the name and capacity of the drive - but that was it.

I can't be sure but I think the ICY Box somehow damaged these three hds.

By the way the harddrives all physically powerup and spin smoothly
but just don't get recognised by bios or windows xp.

I would really like to get my data back without going to a specialist who are too expensive.


Thank you for any help.

Based on the symptoms, it may be PCB damage. If you insist on doing it yourself, you can try to swap the PCB with a matching good drive. As always, if the data is really important to you, send it to a pro.

rchadwick thanks for replying, I was kind of hoping that maybe just the firmware needs reinstalling - something which I could get from the HD manufacturers website.

Also since the Hard drives aren't recognized by neither the Bios and Windows sofware I was wondering would it help downloading diagnostic software from the HD manufacturers website such as Sea tools from Seagate Maxtors website.

Whether Data Recovery is a 'Do It Yoursef' kind of thing has a lot to do with your abilities. Since a PCB swap is likely by far the easiest DR function available to you, you should consider sending it to a professional.

To address your question, I don't see how an external enclosure could so effectively damage firmware. It might be a very easy solution if you could just run a program to get your drives working fine, with your data fully intact, but it's not going to happen. One of my favorite sayings.... If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems start looking like nails.

3 in a row... 'Repetita juvant'. Anyway seems strange that a box can kill the logical part of the board.

it sounds like there no data getting to the heads
so its more likely a preamp damaged.

what the make of the hard drives ????????

Hi craig, thanks for replying the makes are:

1) WesternDigital Caviar wd5000aakb (500 GB);
2) Seagate (40 GB);and
3) Maxtor (300 GB).

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"If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems start looking like nails"

rchadwick that's true, infact I have a hammer on the side of my desk this very moment - and it's tempting to give the HDs a quick bang on the head.

I would go to a professional but as you can see it's likeky to cost me over £1000 to get them recovered; 70% off my stuff is Martial Arts related, but it's a big collection and I would like to get it back. Also a 1/4 of my music cds have been baked up on those drives and I don't have some of those CDs anymore.


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hi BlackST - thanks for repling, How can I check if the logical part is working or not.

thank you everyone for thier replies.

@craig: it's not that unusual that an overvoltage, which is what I assume here, hits the motor/power combo and thereby the head amps, but your "diagnosis" seems a bit vague to me. A disk not "delivering" any data is not necessarily a head amp problem, but as you know this, I take it as a hint to take it to a pro.
I also request the customer to send the enclosure together with the disk(s), a high +5V rail may give a first idea of the extent of damage (in this case, especially for the older drive, probably head amp)

Hi Shaun, thanks for replying. Unfortunately I've thrown out the ICY Box enclosure.

I also read somwhere that freezing can help. Should I try it in this case? Thanks.

Well, it couldn't hurt if you're not sending it to someone. Again, it's like the hammer and nail analogy. I've heard doing chest compressions might save someone's life, but it really depends on what's wrong with the person, right? You're pretty much at the end of the road for home remedies. If you're sure you'll never send them out for recovery, freezing obviously couldn't hurt. It also won't help either.

rchadwick thanks,

I can feel the frustration through your words. You've probably seen people with similar issues come and go, failing to to take your advice. The truth is that at this moment-in-time it really is out of the question financially for me to pay an expert. What I am going to do is to contact the following ebayer in the USA:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PCB-board-for-Max ... .m63.l1177

If they have a PCB that matches any of my drives, then I'll buy it. If I need to swap the Firmware chips, there is a local electrical repair shop that can do the soldering for me.

Any views on the idea and the ebay supplier will be appreciated.

Thanks once again everyone.

You're on the right track...

I give up... :S

P.S. I think the purpose of this forum is another.

BlastST what' wrong, why have you given up

Hi,

This is a long story.

But in your case no need to touch the firmware from any sw.
You need an electrical engeneer with enough knowledge about DR to find the problem(s) on the pcb, and measure the preamps also....

Regards,
Janos

Since it's not going to a pro, replacing the PCB is a much better move than the freezer. It also has better odds than a firmware upgrade. When trying to help a non-pro with a highly complicated task, the best one can offer is better odds.

It's a bit difficult to determine exactly what's going on, since 'Icy Box' makes a number of products, and I don't even know if these drives are IDE or SATA, but I've seen a removable tray that destroyed drives. I vaguely remember something shorted on the IDE bus.

The thing that drives me mad is when people don't want to ask a pro and pay. Instead, they google all the time and try all the bullshit solutions from software to freezer to sorcery, even when it is evident that the drive need to be DECENTLY serviced. It is evident that in such cases the data is NOT important whatever they say (btw. saying that the drive contains x or y doesn't change the amount of work to do or fee). I'll reply only to strictly tech issues in the future. That's what I mean when I say I give up. I was blessed either physically and with attitude, so I HAVE to help someone else with some knowledge, but this way is only time-wasting. Who wants, PM me.

I agree.



Yes, it could be also, but the drive usually survives the totally shorted IDE connector. (Almost likely flipped cables do.)
The most bigger change is the simple overvoltage, and the burned components.
The second is the bad filter on the PS circuit, and a very noisy power. (Sometimes makes crazy the drives, but not kills imediately.)
The third is only the "other short circuit" issue, i think....

Regards,
Janos

I can understand. However, there's an old saying... Something about being careful what you wish for, as you might get it. Someone wants a free technique instead of a pro? They get it, and possibly lose all their data permanently. While some will get their data back, others learn the hard way that a Pro is the way to go, and none would be customers anyway. It can be amusing that someone's drive dies, and then they think they can pick up this 'simple DR thing' in a half hour of Googling. The fact is, there is no substitute for a Pro. In so many ways, a DR Pro can be compared to a Doctor. A Doctor might be happy a patient figured out how to put a band aid on by themselves, but that doesn't make them any less valuable. When someone needs open heart surgery or cancer treatment, there is only one place to go. Interestingly, you might earn a bit more respect from an amateur by their failure. Some people can only learn this way.

I know it can be depressing seeing the same, cheap attitude repeated over and over. However, not everyone is cheap. I think, by their very nature, actual DR customers are not that cheap.