I spent most of today restructuring, reordering, and largely renaming a
considerable number of data files on an external 3TB hard drive.

I then dropped the drive onto a wooden laminated floor.

It now appears to be completely dead. The power LED lights but I can
feel no hint of vibration and the drive is not registering on either of
the PCs I've tried it with.

I have backups of every single file but not of their new names and the
revamped directory structure. Do I have to buy a replacement HDD and
start again?

On Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:38:40 +0000, Bert Coules wrote:

> I spent most of today restructuring, reordering, and largely renaming a
> considerable number of data files on an external 3TB hard drive.
>
> I then dropped the drive onto a wooden laminated floor.
>
> It now appears to be completely dead. The power LED lights but I can
> feel no hint of vibration and the drive is not registering on either of
> the PCs I've tried it with.
>
> I have backups of every single file but not of their new names and the
> revamped directory structure. Do I have to buy a replacement HDD and
> start again?

You can buy a SSD and start again.

On 14/03/2023 19:46, Smolley wrote:

> You can buy a SSD and start again.

Thanks for the thought and the good advice. One thing I will try is to
remove the drive from its enclosure and connect it directly to a PC. I
suppose it's just possible that the case took the brunt of the fall and
the drive itself is undamaged. Just possible...

On 14/03/2023 19:50, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 19:46, Smolley wrote:
>
>> You can buy a SSD and start again.
>
> Thanks for the thought and the good advice.  One thing I will try is to
> remove the drive from its enclosure and connect it directly to a PC.  I
> suppose it's just possible that the case took the brunt of the fall and
> the drive itself is undamaged.  Just possible...
>
sadly my gut feeling is the drive is off its bearings. But worth a try
certainly

--
It is the folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffee-house
for the voice of the kingdom.

Jonathan Swift

On 14/03/2023 20:00, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> sadly my gut feeling is the drive is off its bearings. But worth a try > certainly.
I just tried. Nothing. Is there any point in my opening the drive and
taking a look? Assuming it is broken, I doubt I could fix it, though.

On 14/03/2023 20:12, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 20:00, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> sadly my gut feeling is the drive is off its bearings. But worth a
>> try  > certainly.
> I just tried.  Nothing.  Is there any point in my opening the drive and
> taking a look?  Assuming it is broken, I doubt I could fix it, though.

You may have dislodged a connector. If it's in a caddy then there could
be a small interface PCB with the red power light that the real hard
plugs into.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 14/03/2023 20:45, alan_m wrote:

> You may have dislodged a connector.  If it's in a caddy then there could
> be a small interface PCB with the red power light that the real hard
> plugs into.

Thanks for the thought but I just removed the drive from the caddy and
connected it directly: still no joy, I'm afraid.

On 14/03/2023 21:00, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 20:45, alan_m wrote:
>
>> You may have dislodged a connector.  If it's in a caddy then there
>> could be a small interface PCB with the red power light that the real
>> hard plugs into.
>
> Thanks for the thought but I just removed the drive from the caddy and
> connected it directly: still no joy, I'm afraid.

I think you've been very unlucky, especially if nothing looks broken on
the outside.

On 14/03/2023 21:12, Fredxx wrote:

> I think you've been very unlucky, especially if nothing looks broken on
> the outside.

I just looked at a YouTube video on how to open a hard drive. The chap
explained that he was using one that he knew to be damaged: "This is a
good test," he said, and gently shook it.

This produced the sound of several small bits rattling around inside.

I did the same. No rattling. Perhaps there is still hope.

On 14/03/2023 21:16, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 21:12, Fredxx wrote:
>
>> I think you've been very unlucky, especially if nothing looks broken
>> on the outside.
>
> I just looked at a YouTube video on how to open a hard drive. The chap
> explained that he was using one that he knew to be damaged: "This is a
> good test," he said, and gently shook it.
>
> This produced the sound of several small bits rattling around inside.
>
> I did the same.  No rattling.  Perhaps there is still hope.

There are a few connectors from the PCB to it's innards. I have taken
end of life hard disks apart.

I have a disassembled one next to me and you can't get to any rotating
shaft or part without taking it apart. It's designed to be sealed from
the environment. On this one, if I take the PCB off there's a window
that's taped up with some foil. If I remove this tape I could get to the
outside platter and check the assembly still rotates.

Have a good look at the PCB with a magnifying glass to see if you can
see any cracks around the connectors.

I have heard of companies swapping PCBs on Hard Disks to get the data
off from a failed HD.

On 3/14/2023 5:16 PM, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 21:12, Fredxx wrote:
>
>> I think you've been very unlucky, especially if nothing looks broken on the outside.
>
> I just looked at a YouTube video on how to open a hard drive. The chap explained that he was using one that he knew to be damaged: "This is a good test," he said, and gently shook it.
>
> This produced the sound of several small bits rattling around inside.
>
> I did the same.  No rattling.  Perhaps there is still hope.
>

Absolutely, there is still hope.

The first question, is was the power shut off and it
had stopped spinning ? The heads will be parked up the
ramp if that is the case. The drive is much more resistant
to shock, if the heads are parked.

The parked shock rating, can be around 300G.

And the way this worked -- it's a matter of "how hard
is the thing the drive body hit".

Back in uni, if the professor dropped a steel ball onto
a steel plate, he would use some equipment to measure the
rate of deceleration. And it would be anywhere from 1000G
to 10000G. Probably closer to the 1000G number.

If you drop a hard drive onto a steel plate then, that is an
inelastic collision, and a high G number will be the result.

If the drive is in a housing, like a plastic housing, the
deceleration is a bit more gentle. Now, we may be under the
300G number. If the drive falls from waist height, onto a
carpet with a cushion backing, drive survival is almost guaranteed.

Pull the drive and do a visual examination.

if the cabling was "yanked" out of the drive, look for
connector damage. Dislodged contacts, cracked plastic
and so on. You may need to solder a new connector
onto the drive PCB.

The drives are reasonably robust, but it could have
fallen exactly the wrong way.

The motor is an FDB motor. FDB motors come in "fixed on one end"
or "fixed on two ends" type. When the spindle is at speed,
the spindle pumps oil along the shaft and "floats on a layer
of lubricant". But if you somehow managed to force the
spindle into the restraint somehow, maybe it is seized and the
motor cannot start.

Place your ear on the drive, when the drive receives power.
Listen for "dee-ill-deet" noise. This is the modulation pattern
for a stuck spindle. It means the PCB has power, the motor drive
IC is working, and the contact plate between controller PCB
and the drive bits, is making contact.

If the motor makes no sound at all, check the SATA connectors and
look for cracked PCB that has disconnected power. Even if the
spindle is jammed, the coils and magnets can still make the
"starting sound".

The drive controller board, has bootstrap code in the ROM,
but not the entire operating code. The bootstrap code loads
the heads on the spinning platter, and reads the real firmware
off the platter. Then, the real firmware starts execution, and
the drive provides its ID string, only when the firmware
(which contains the ID string) is running.

If the controller board needs to be replaced, at least one
ROM chip (eight pin?), needs to be unsoldered from the broken
controller board and soldered onto the new controller board.
This ROM is "mated" to the platter content. Older designs,
did not need a ROM swap, but modern drives do need this.

Paul

On 14/03/2023 19:38, Bert Coules wrote:
> I spent most of today restructuring, reordering, and largely renaming a
> considerable number of data files on an external 3TB hard drive.
>
> I then dropped the drive onto a wooden laminated floor.
>
> It now appears to be completely dead.  The power LED lights but I can
> feel no hint of vibration and the drive is not registering on either of
> the PCs I've tried it with.
>
> I have backups of every single file but not of their new names and the
> revamped directory structure.  Do I have to buy a replacement HDD and
> start again?
>
If you search for <HDD data recovery> you will find a number of
organisations who can help if the HDD is dead ... but you might not like
the bill.

On Tuesday, 14 March 2023 at 22:51:44 UTC, noth...@aolbin.com wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 19:38, Bert Coules wrote:
> > I spent most of today restructuring, reordering, and largely renaming a
> > considerable number of data files on an external 3TB hard drive.
> >
> > I then dropped the drive onto a wooden laminated floor.
> >
> > It now appears to be completely dead. The power LED lights but I can
> > feel no hint of vibration and the drive is not registering on either of
> > the PCs I've tried it with.
> >
> > I have backups of every single file but not of their new names and the
> > revamped directory structure. Do I have to buy a replacement HDD and
> > start again?
> >
> If you search for <HDD data recovery> you will find a number of
> organisations who can help if the HDD is dead ... but you might not like
> the bill.

3 hours of work is cheaper.
If pro data recovery isn't worth it, you could buy an identical drive & swap the pcb over. Don't open the hdd until you have to, and get what you can off it asap.

On 14/03/2023 21:32, Fredxx wrote:

> Have a good look at the PCB with a magnifying glass to see if you can > see any cracks around the connectors.
I shall, thanks.

On 14/03/2023 21:48, Paul wrote:

> The first question, is was the power shut off and it > had stopped spinning?
There was no power (or data) connection to the plastic caddy when it fell.

> If the drive falls from waist height, onto a
> carpet with a cushion backing, drive survival
> is almost guaranteed.

Ah. The fall was from approximately 18" so that's maybe a plus, but it
was onto a laminated wood floor, so that definitely isn't.

> Place your ear on the drive, when the drive receives power.
> Listen for "dee-ill-deet" noise...

There's complete silence, sadly.

> If the motor makes no sound at all, check the SATA connectors and
> look for cracked PCB that has disconnected power.

I'll do that next. Thanks, Paul

Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
of disks got damaged.

There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered data in
such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
platters.

That was the 1980s when drive sizes were generally very small (10,20)
multiples of megabytes.

On 14/03/2023 20:12, Bert Coules wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 20:00, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>> sadly my gut feeling is the drive is off its bearings. But worth a
>> try  > certainly.
> I just tried.  Nothing.  Is there any point in my opening the drive and
> taking a look?  Assuming it is broken, I doubt I could fix it, though.
Not of its a new unit. Too damn small for human fingers

You might try a warranty claim

--
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will
eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such
time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic
and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally
important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for
the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the
truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

Joseph Goebbels

On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
> of disks got damaged.
>
> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered data in
> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
> platters.
>
> That was the 1980s when drive sizes were generally very small (10,20)
> multiples of megabytes.

Yes. I have had success with broken electronics, but never with a
crashed head.

--
There’s a mighty big difference between good, sound reasons and reasons
that sound good.

Burton Hillis (William Vaughn, American columnist)

On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
> of disks got damaged.
>
> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered data in
> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
> platters.

If all the external electronics are first removed and the outside of the
case cleaned opening up a case in a clean room that has the same
standard of filtered air as when they were assembled wouldn't ruin the
platter. I would guess that if a head was parked on the platter then
physically moving it by external force may destroy some of the information.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 15/03/2023 09:49, alan_m wrote:
> On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
>> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
>> of disks got damaged.
>>
>> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered data in
>> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
>> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
>> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
>> platters.
>
> If all the external electronics are first removed and the outside of the
> case cleaned opening up a case in a clean room that has the same
> standard of filtered air as when they were assembled wouldn't ruin the
> platter. I would guess that if a head was parked on the platter then
> physically moving it by external force may destroy some of the information.
>
I think the drives were and are oxygen free - either under vacuum or
nitrogen filled.
But I may be wrong.
In any case its a matter of 'no user serviceable parts inside' - take it
to a specialist or leave it alone.

--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

On 15/03/2023 09:49, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
>> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
>> of disks got damaged.
>>
>> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered data in
>> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
>> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
>> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
>> platters.
>>
>> That was the 1980s when drive sizes were generally very small (10,20)
>> multiples of megabytes.
>
> Yes. I have had success with broken electronics, but never with a
> crashed head.
>

ISTR that when a new HDD is manufactured, it is scanned to identify bad
sectors (no manufacturing process is ever 100% efficient) by the
manufacturer and they are then marked in firmware as unavailable.

If you start swapping PCB's over, that could be a problem if the bad
sector list is actually stored in the PCB?

Same goes too if there are Grown bad sectors (the ones that appear
during use) and SMART only reports failing hard disc when grown defects
exceeds > N.

Bert Coules <mail@bertcoules.co.uk> wrote:
> On 14/03/2023 20:45, alan_m wrote:
>
> > You may have dislodged a connector.  If it's in a caddy then there could
> > be a small interface PCB with the red power light that the real hard
> > plugs into.
>
> Thanks for the thought but I just removed the drive from the caddy and
> connected it directly: still no joy, I'm afraid.

Just to confirm, does the drive have a SATA connector on it, with a PCB that
plugs in to give it a USB port? Or does it just have a USB port integrated
into the drive PCB?

When connecting directly, are you going via SATA or USB?

If the drive has a SATA connector I would try that, since it'll eliminate
the USB-SATA converter board.

If the drive has a SATA power connector I'd plug that into the PC's PSU,
which will eliminate the external power supply and connector.

Theo

On 15/03/2023 09:52, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 15/03/2023 09:49, alan_m wrote:
>> On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
>>> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a lot
>>> of disks got damaged.
>>>
>>> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered
>>> data in
>>> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
>>> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
>>> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
>>> platters.
>>
>> If all the external electronics are first removed and the outside of
>> the case cleaned opening up a case in a clean room that has the same
>> standard of filtered air as when they were assembled wouldn't ruin the
>> platter. I would guess that if a head was parked on the platter then
>> physically moving it by external force may destroy some of the
>> information.
>>
> I think the drives were and are oxygen free - either under vacuum or
> nitrogen filled.
> But I may be wrong.
> In any case its a matter of 'no user serviceable parts inside' - take it
> to a specialist  or leave it alone.

It was always my understanding is that was dust that would cause the
problems. The heads are only a few microns above the platter and so any
dust down to this size can get stuck between the head and platter and
damage the platter as it spins past the head at 5400 to 7200 rpm.

A quick google produces
https://datarecovery.com/2021/08/are-hard-drive-enclosures-airtight/

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 14/03/2023 19:38, Bert Coules wrote:
> I spent most of today restructuring, reordering, and largely renaming a
> considerable number of data files on an external 3TB hard drive.
>
> I then dropped the drive onto a wooden laminated floor.
>
> It now appears to be completely dead.  The power LED lights but I can
> feel no hint of vibration and the drive is not registering on either of
> the PCs I've tried it with.
>
> I have backups of every single file but not of their new names and the
> revamped directory structure.  Do I have to buy a replacement HDD and
> start again?
>

You can pay data recovery compnay to suck data off it for you .... not
cheap.
I had a drive fail (like yours plain dead) and as it was under warranty
WD did a full recovery onto a new HD for me for free.

On 15/03/2023 10:50, alan_m wrote:
> On 15/03/2023 09:52, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 15/03/2023 09:49, alan_m wrote:
>>> On 15/03/2023 08:56, Jethro_uk wrote:
>>>> Back in the mid 80s the Open University managed to have a fire and a
>>>> lot
>>>> of disks got damaged.
>>>>
>>>> There was an article in Computing about one outfit that recovered
>>>> data in
>>>> such situations and it followed them as they opened a drive to dislodge
>>>> jammed heads. I'll never forget the tech saying the moment the case was
>>>> opened, they had about 60 seconds before air contamination ruined the
>>>> platters.
>>>
>>> If all the external electronics are first removed and the outside of
>>> the case cleaned opening up a case in a clean room that has the same
>>> standard of filtered air as when they were assembled wouldn't ruin
>>> the platter. I would guess that if a head was parked on the platter
>>> then physically moving it by external force may destroy some of the
>>> information.
>>>
>> I think the drives were and are oxygen free - either under vacuum or
>> nitrogen filled.
>> But I may be wrong.
>> In any case its a matter of 'no user serviceable parts inside' - take
>> it to a specialist  or leave it alone.
>
> It was always my understanding is that was dust that would cause the
> problems. The heads are only a few microns above the platter and so any
> dust down to this size can get stuck between the head and platter and
> damage the platter as it spins past the head at 5400 to 7200 rpm.

A long time ago, a professional recovery company used to say that for
things that were not worth the cost of professional recovery, spraying a
mist of water in a room, to drop dust out of the air, would often give
enough time to open a hard disk casing, free up a stuck head or platter
and recover at least some of the data.