Hi - I just attempted a platter swap which as expected went wrong. The heads just dance across the platters and the drive is not recognised.

Obviously the drives are useless, is there anything I can do with the platters? They appear to be in good condition with no signs of scratching or wear.

Should I just put a hammer through the whole lot?

Thanks in advance,

Rob.

why did you transfer the platters? Havent you learned anything in your brief time in the forum? Please tell the the exact disk condition before you messed it up. Was it spinning? Where were the heads parked? Could you rotate the platters?

Hope the data wasn't too important. The fact that you have tried to repair the drive indicates there may have been a little bit of data worth saving, why didn't you get a free eval and a free quote before you did this?

Depending on how you moved the platters, the data may be unrecoverable but every single lab will charge you to evaluate the drive. Well every reputable lab anyway.

The spindle was seized, I freed it up by giving the drive a bit of a whack with the end of a screw driver. At this point the drive started to spin up but the heads were bouncing all over the place at which pointed the drive sounded as if it had crashed.

The data is of value, but it's not worth the fee charged just to look at the data hence I tried the DIY approach.

So that's the current situation - not sure what to do next. More than anything I don't want to beaten by this but I don't have a budget to blow in order to get it back which is why I am leaning towards puttung the lot in a plastic bag and gaining some pleasure in smashing this Seagate piece of sh * t into a thousand pieces.

Rob.

Wow - this is one of the best diy jobs I have ever heard of! This will probably join the "what *not* to do if your hard drive fails" hall of fame.

Just what you need when you have confimration that your data is lost and you've literally p * ssed a decent amount of money down the drain........ smart comments wise after the event.

Constructive comments only please.

Thanks.

You contacted me like you were advised, and you were offered a free examination with possibe solutions at a reasonable price.

You didn't want to part with any money for proper recovery.

You spent/wasted "a decent amount of money" to scrimp and save a few quid.

Now you have no data, and frankly very little chance of getting it now without spending £1,000's.

You asked for advice which you got and promptly ignored.

Sorry but I have no sympathy now.

That's as construsctive as you'll get now, sorry to say but your goose is well and truly cooked now!

Here endeth the lesson.

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PC Image Data Recovery
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At no point during our conversation did you offer a FREE evaluation. Look back over the conversation and you'll see you only quoted the price for a head change! To send my drive off to data recovery service requires an element of trust which I'm not too sure you now fill me with.

So are you suggesting that I scrimped and saved because I did not part with £295+VAT for a head change? Well you're wrong, because for that amount of money I can re-shoot my lost material and I'd rather do that than line the pockets of data recovery firm. Let's be honest - once the drive is in the hands of a data recovery firm the customer's balls are firmly being held and I'm sure the price can soon rocket depending on nature of the data. You only have to look at the sticky thread that tops the forum to see this industry is full of unscrupulous companies!

£400 is probably not a 'considerable amount of money' to you, but to me it is. I don't expect a 3 month of drive to crash and I'm therefore extremely pissed off and therefore I'll fight til the my drive is physically beyond repair before I give up.

I'll certainly not be put off my patronising replies because I did not buy the over-priced services of a data recovery company!

The lesson I've learnt is that not all data recovery company are entirely upfront - forgetting what they have or haven't in this case said). That's a lesson I sincerely thank you for.

Rob.

Friends,

I feel like there is nothing to do more...
There are always people who can't understand why we invest a lot in professional equipments and years of learning just to know '"how to put in another heads"....
This case is done allready, without data. (As usually the DIY ends....)
The person is not worth any more word, i think this case/topic is closed.

Janos

At no point was a charge mentioned for a examination fee or no recovery, my website was given with full terms of recovery cases (i.e. free analysis and no-fix no-fee)

I agree with N.C. (and probably every other pro in this forum) this person is not worth worrying about, he's tried the cheapskate method and come unstuck.

So his answer? Blame everyone but himself for his mistake, incuding the DR pros who have spent £10,000's on kit, long hours and years of experience so we can do free recoveries for every Tom, Dick and Harry?

As I've said many times before, if I think the case is within the users scope then I will help, as in many cases on this forum and others when I've helped people recover their data for free. But if the only resort is "send to a pro" then I'll say. Sadly in this case to a "know it all" who chose to ignore ALL advice.

PERIOD

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PC Image Data Recovery
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I agree with Rob, it was wrong for the patronising replies but he really should learn to back up his data.

I would have charged only £50 to repair the stiction.

This would have been a very easy recovery

£400 is lot of money in many of my clients worlds, clients who can't afford the luxury of a 3 month old laptop but they still find the money to pay for the recovery because they have a great understanding of what is required and are not so arrogant.

Have fun re-shooting your material. I hope your a little more professional in your own career.

one last point, when you re shoot your material remember to back it up and don't leave your laptop on overnight downloading all your porn and warez

... is not the same as ....


I was not offered a free evaluation. You seen to forget what you have and have not said.


Wrong again, read what was written in my previous email. The lost data did not warrant the cost of the recovery. It is a simple decision based on the cost of recovery compared to the value of the lost data. If the cost of the a is greater than b then a is not cost effective. Can I put it an simpler for you?

I'm not sure where I've blamed anyone here, other than Seagate for this sub-standard excuse for data storage. I'm not sure why you bring up the cost of tools because if you look back over the thread at no point have I protested at the cost of recovery. I merely said the cost was beyond my budget, if the market value of your service is x then so be it and that's what I must pay for the use of your service. What I highlighted was the power you hold over the customer and we both know that this treatment of customers is prevalent.

If I was a no it all I'd not be on a forum asking for advice would I - that I believe is what is known as an oxymoron!

Thanks HDD Spaz - absolutely correct, I am totally at fault for not keeping my back-ups up-to-date. I do make regular back-ups but the past weeks or so I'd been very busy and literally had not the time to do a back-up which I was aware was over-due. I understand that RAID mirroring is an option which perhaps I should look into.

I'll bear you in mind should I exerience any other hard drive failures, however since I'll be ripping out any Seagate hardware asap it is not a problem I forsee occuring again anytime soon!

Regards,

Rob.

You seem to have some paranoic idea that we "pros" have your data at ransom until you pay what we want.

That, in our case, is not the case. We a work on a "case-by-case" basis depending on what the problem is and it entails to fix it.

If you choose not to accept a "best guess" quote based on non-sight of a case, then that is of course your choice which I respect, whether the choice be fiscally or otherwise based. But what I object to is the ignoring of advice, trying a DIY solution (against advice) then come asking for advice on how to help you further.

Oxymoron.. "a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms" such as taking advice and ignoring it.

All in all, yet another case of selective hearing. Hearing, but not listening because it's not what I wanted to hear.

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

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

I'm off to bed because this is going no where. I'm sorry for having the audacity to ask for advice, then making a measured judgement based upon my own self-will and then craziest of all - asking for further advice.

What exactly is the purpose of a forum afterall, in this case it would seem a market place for people to sell there wares and protect their own self-interests. I clearly came to the wrong place if I expected help in which case I'll leave you alone to continue your condescending deabte with non-pro's.

The ideals of the Internet - share and gain knowledge....hmmm!

I've always thought the forum as a place for industry professionals to exchange advice.

Others just see it as a place for quick, free, easy solutions.

I agree that seems to be the case. Why not set up a private error in which access is granted to those who have hit a post quota. This would obviously keep the forum exclusive to the pros. An open section of the forum could be for hobbiests and those seeking DIY information.

Would not keep everytone happy?

Rob.

Look Rob,

the advice of a pro is generally speaking more valuable than of someone who once did a successful/nonsuccessful/partlysuccessful DIY recovery. U got good advices here replying with not the best attitude.
It is not true that you have not blamed anybody, just read your own post here: platters-t13671.html#p89231
U think about DR firms as if they would charge their custormes an arm and a leg for a five minute job. I could think that photographers are greedy bastards for charging what they charge for pushing some buttons a few times. How awful they are, aren't they?
Please take into account that we all have to make some money for living, You and we also. This world just works this way, like it or not.
Would U just push your buttons and never ask here for advices, please?

To all the rest of the participants:
The topic is a bit over the level of sanity. No need for getting upset, it may be harmful for our health

pepe

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Adatmentés - Data recovery

Pepe - thanks for your input. At no point did I complain about the price or cost of data recovery. It's clearly a skilled profession which requires time to learn and as I understand it there is an investment to be made in specialist tools for the job. Like I said, the going market price or cost is what it is - I'm not questioning it. Look back over what I have said carefully and you'll see I've not protested at cost.

However, having said that there is clearly unscrupulous companies operating hence the thread:

dishonorable-business-practices-t12471.html

I would not have brought it up had one company in particular not ridiculed me for attempting a DIY fix and further adding insult by telling me I was offered a free evaluation (to further justify his stance) when I clearly was not offered anything of the sort.

I appreciate and respect that this is a forum for professionals and had I known this prior to posting I would not have wasted your time.

Regards,

Rob.

Hi Rob,

No this forum is not for pro's, as it is a public forum.
The topic you mentioned is a completely different matter. I meant that it seemed from your post (the one I refered to) that U think this business is overpriced (as you stated).
I understood that the value of the data did not hit the level a pro would ask, that's fine.
But u should understand that your drive is beyond user repairs, even if we shared our 'trade secrets' on how to do this and that, you would have surely ruined that drive, because of the lack of experience, that's one reason we do not share more.
Regarding pcimage: U probably had something misunderstanding, as I have been knowing him for some years now, and he works at a very reasonable price level, and several users on this forum left really positive feedback on his services.

regards,
pepe

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Adatmentés - Data recovery

Wow all this for a 3 month old drive. If DR was such a problem why not just send it back for warrenty repair. At least you could of had a drive in all this mess. Now you have nothing.

Sorry to say this one now if you have taken the platters out you have lost the alignment and that is why your heads dance all over the disk or platters.

Like you said data was of no value to you and this disk is only 3 months old. So guess now you can take the platters as they are and do like others have done and here are a few suggestions:

Make a clock out of one of them

You can make this into a scuplture if you have other part from computers and make it into a nice 3D image and use it as a wall hanging in your home

Or like you say take a hammer and smash them to pieces

Sorry this is about all the good they are to you now on this one. Spindle motors do freeze on drives and there is a specaial tool that they do use to free this one up. Other wise you can loose the alignment of the platters inside your drive. If you had wanted to DIY then you should of just gotten this tool. I know they have offered it and sell it here on the forum and you could of searched for this tool to use. Might of helped you but clean room and proper tools are you best bet in a successful recovery attempt.

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Iorana Haraharaini