Off Topic Hard Drive Knackered

[pompei]

I've just bought a new computer.

 

A couple of days ago, the old one gave up. It had had a solid state hard drive fitted about 18 months earlier. The repair man said it had broken and no data could be recovered. Can anyone recommend one of the data retrieval companies that advertise and how much should I be expecting to pay?

[Station]

My mate paid a few hundred to recover his optical hard drive. I think if a solid state is 'broken', it usually means it is as there isn't a separate component that leaves data on after the electronic part bites the dust. Personally would never use a SSD, a mate in work's lasted a couple of weeks.

[beko1987]

Does it still spin up, or is it completely dead? If it spins up does the computer recognise it at all then tell you to format it, or not see it in the slightest?

 

Haven't tried this myself but if you get an external USB caddy, then put your HD in the freezer for a bit, hook it up to the caddy and see wot happens?

 

http://lifehacker.com/5515337/save-a-failed-hard-drive-in-your-freezer-redux

 

Hence the caddy, don't want you to break your new PC! Plus they are handy. Grab a £50 2tb HD and voila - External 2tb HD!

[Station]

If it's solid state, it has no moving parts. Like a bigger, crapper version of a memory stick.

[philibusmo]

Data recovery generally costs several hundred pounds, as has already been stated. As it's a solid state drive, you will be very luck if there is anything left to recover. Unless it is something very simple which has gone wrong, the entire drive, and by extension all your data is likely to be utterly shagged.

 

I know it's a bit after the event but at least one backup on a memory stick, external HDD or NAS is always a good idea if the information is in any way important.

[254575]

in a previous job, i had a few dealings with these guys:

 

http://www.krollontrack.co.uk/data-reco ... /consumer/

 

seem to recall it was around £500 a pop too

[dieselnutjob]

I used an ssd at C: drive and a normal one as D: drive

That way it boots quickly on the C: drive but I save my stuff on the D: drive.

For Linux I put /home on the normal drive and the rest on the ssd

[Spiny Norman]

From what I understand, because of the way data is stored it's pretty much impossible to recover anything from a failed ssd.

[crapcarcollector]

If anyone can, these can. http://disklabs.com/

 

Recovered my failed accounts drive last.Three other so called specialists couldn't recover it. Saved my business. I believe they do SSD's and thumb drives. They work for the police as well.

 

Fairly reasonable too.

[pompei]

Wow, thanks CCC. I'll give them a call.

[Micrashed]

I keep everything in triplicate these days (well quadruplicate in the case of photo files)

My PC, My wifes PC (which is a mirror of mine except for the midget porn) and a couple of portable HDD's and some optical discs for the photos too.

[Pillock]

We use Kroll at work and are very happy with them - put loads of our customers business their way, no complaints although as said you can easily top £1000.

Solid State recovery isn't as easy as HDD - sometimes putting the drive in the freezer would work, or you can swap the PCB with an identical drive and get it going that way (once got all a customer's pics of their baby back for them that way). However on an SSD the PCB is the drive so can't do that. Your only hope is paying mega-bucks, or perhaps looking at the SSD to see if one of the power chips has blown.

[TimothyClaypole]

I've one as C and a regular as D for stuff and backing up.

 

I've wouldn't go back to anything else as a C drive but they do break the same as everything else does.

 

 

 

(I work at Ebuyer.com (Returns) so know what comes back faulty etc).

[crapcarcollector]

Wow, thanks CCC. I'll give them a call.

 

Hope it works out. I feel your pain.

[beko1987]

(I work at Ebuyer.com (Returns) so know what comes back faulty etc).

 

I've spent so much money with you guys its not funny! Never had to return anything yet though

 

My 'once a beast' PC is relegated to being a file server in the loft atm. When we get a bigger place and I can have a man-cave I'm going SSD for the c drive, then getting a NAS enclosure and sacking 4 3-4tb normal drives in, in some sort of mirrored raid jobbie.

 

Are HD prices coming down yet? I got a 2tb for £40, then Japan exploded and they fucking shot up to £300+. Has that sorted itself out yet?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

It was flooding in Thailand that disrupted hard drive prices thanks to the fact that all mechanical drives are made by one of three companies all of whom had vital factories in this one area.

 

I would like a solid state drive but I'm waiting until I can afford one of the same capacity as my platter drive, otherwise I'd feel like one of those guys who insists on telling you how they spent a week's wages on an 8mb Compact Flash card in 1996.