Dropped external HD no longer working (1 Viewer)

OK, my dumb ass of a brother just knocked my Maxtor 320gb HD off where it was sitting and now my PC doesn't recognise it anymore. I really do not want this to be fucked. It spins and whirrs a couple of time then clunks. I'm hoping the drive itself isn't cracked. Is there anything I can do to save this myself? Or will I just bring to an expert. I really do have to have all this stuff back. I've all the family photos and all of my college work backed up onto this drive..

oh dear

is it just a busted connection maybe?

I have no idea. It still whirrs as if the hard drive is spinning but it doesn't sound like it did before. I really hope it isn't lost.

Your data is almost certainly recoverable. The only question is how much it will cost you.

If the drive's not being recognised then hopefully it's just a circuitry issue (which is repairable - at a price) rather than the physical disk platters being damaged. If you can get the disk out of the enclosure then you could try mounting it directly in your PC, but bear in mind that any activity could worsen the damage...

pete said:

Your data is almost certainly recoverable. The only question is how much it will cost you.

If the drive's not being recognised then hopefully it's just a circuitry issue (which is repairable - at a price) rather than the physical disk platters being damaged. If you can get the disk out of the enclosure then you could try mounting it directly in your PC, but bear in mind that any activity could worsen the damage...

Click to expand...

How much are we talking about?

Gambra said:

How much are we talking about?

Click to expand...

i've heard of bills running to thousands of euro for data recovery

Ballsack anyway. Most of the files are just downloaded videos. I really want to recover my MP3s, pictures and college documents.

it's always worth trying the freezer trick. leave it in there for a couple of hours and try the hard drive again. it depends on what exactly is wrong, but it might work for getting some data off.

pete said:

http://www.datarecovery.ie/faq.htm

Click to expand...

Mad - I love this bit:

Please do not attempt to dry a drive that has been damaged by water. Include a damp sponge in a sealed plastic bag to prevent the drive from drying out. Recovery is more likely if we receive the drive before it has dried.

Click to expand...

Gambra said:

Ballsack anyway. Most of the files are just downloaded videos. I really want to recover my MP3s, pictures and college documents.

Click to expand...

If I were you I'd look around for data recovery places and give them a call.

throw it up at the ceiling to reverse the damage

Bah. Tis bollixed properly.

Gambra said:

Bah. Tis bollixed properly.

Click to expand...

what'd you find out?

pete said:

what'd you find out?

Click to expand...

Repair shop can't do nothing, barring the most expensive data recovery option. It ain't worth THAT much.

"mandy rice davies applies" as they say

shop around for a second opinion.

make your brother pay

I deal with this kinda thing fairly often - the freezer thing only works if it's intermittent. If there is a fault after dropping it it's practically guaranteed that the disk platters are trashed.. that's why you're hearing the spin/clunk noise.

i have the same problem with mine, except it wasn't dropped, it's just a piece of shit. western digital. computer won't recognise it anymore.

Gambra said:

Repair shop can't do nothing, barring the most expensive data recovery option. It ain't worth THAT much.

Click to expand...

www.computerdoctor.ie