[H-GEN] Assistance Required

Frank Brand fbrand at uq.net.au
Tue Mar 26 01:47:33 EST 2002


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A person I know is quite inexperienced in the ways of computers and failed
to back up critical data.

Now the hard disk has failed and the data is essential for the operation of
a business. This person has referred the drive to me to attempt to resurrect
the data (well it is Easter...resurrections are possible you know). It's no
use me castigating the person as they are now only too painfully aware of
the necessity for back up. My focus is on being able to recover the data.

This is the story so far......

Drive is a Quantum 40 Gb 7200 AT Fireball Plus AS, it is about 9 months old
(irrelevant except in regard to warranty claim). When the computer is
attempting to boot the hard drive is detected but will not boot...the drive
clicks...I expect this is the read/write arm trying to find an initialising
position.

I have replaced the external circuit board but this has not changed the
disk's behaviour. I have thus concluded that the problem is related to a
failure of either the inside circuit board or the chip on the end of the
read/write arm. I am now attempting to try software recovery but I am less
than hopeful as I expect that will require the arm to initialise.

My next course of action will be pretty drastic...that is buy another hard
drive the same and try platter or read/write arm transplants. This will be
difficult because :-

1. Quantum have since merged with Maxtor and Quantum disks are not easily
obtained any more.

2. All warranty claims will be voided.

3. Experience is that opening drives is a bit dicey if you do not have a
clean room.

However, the person involved is distraught and may be forced to resign if
the data can not be recovered.


My question to the list is ... Has anyone had such an experience, are there
any possibilities I have not thought of, is there any advice that can be
offerred (I am a bit concerned about the cleanliness of the environment if I
need to open the drive)? What companies might be best to refer this problem
to in Brisbane? The only clean room I know of is in Melbourne.


Any assistance would be very welcome.

TIA





Frank Brand



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