I have a freecom 400GB unit with a Samsung HD400LD hard drive inside.
It will not power up and my local computer shop said to look on google for some data recovery companies..
Since there are so many IT bods on here, I thought i would ask here first...so any reccommendations, do i have any options?
Grazie mile
Assuming it's just the enclosure that's faulty, it might be possible to remove the HDD and plug it into your/a friends PC.
Rub it with magnets, quick!
(Don't.)
Assuming it's just the enclosure that's faulty, it might be possible to remove the HDD and plug it into your/a friends PC.
The PC shop removed the HDD and it wont power up in another PC..
This may help if it's truely dead but before messing try booting with a Linux disc, as per mentioned in this thread to make sure it's 'dead' and not just 'unseen' by windows.
Oh and if you quick there some free file recovery software here I can't say how good it is, but it's free and not a 'dodgy download'.
If by "it won't power up in another PC" you mean there was no life at all, no sign of the disc spinning, no noise of any type, then the shop's advice is probably sound.
There are various 'techniques' that can be tried on a failing disc drive to get it to work one last time but they're unreliable at best. I wouldn't be suggesting any one of them unless you were prepared to lose the data if it went pear shaped.
If there is no power to the motor then it's a specialist job and a question of balancing the cost against what the lost data is really worth to you.
edit; z1ppy, may be worth a punt. Suspect there's more to disconnecting & reconecting the contacts on the pcb than the article suggests. 
Moral of this story, backups.
Nice.
If by "it won't power up in another PC" you mean there was no life at all, no sign of the disc spinning, no noise of any type, then the shop's advice is probably sound.
That's correct. its not spinning at all, totally lifeless.
Professional data recovery is really expensive. Amateur recovery is a gamble.I have been quoted between 200-300 quid from these people
Moral of this story, backups.
This IS my backup...the other data is in a big desktop PC in Italy... in future I will back up on a remote server...
Looks like I will have to pay the money as we have our tax returns and calendars to do....
bollox
Nice.
I wasn't saying that to be an arse. Just, storage is cheap and recovery is expensive. Sometimes the best to be had from a failure is "well, at least I'll know not to do that again."
I have been quoted between 200-300 quid from these people
Sounds a good price, not familiar with the company though.
This IS my backup...the other data is in a big desktop PC in Italy...
So... you can't get the data from there?
This IS my backup...the other data is in a big desktop PC in Italy... in future I will back up on a remote server...Looks like I will have to pay the money as we have our tax returns and calendars to do....
bollox
Probably cheaper, more reliable and quicker to buy a cheap return flight if you can.
Probably cheaper, more reliable and quicker to buy a cheap return flight if you can.
Or phone someone to plug it in and connect it to the Internet, then access it remotely? I don't know the circumstances so presumably that's not possible?
I've used Fields in the past and they are good, I use Seagate Recovery Services now though.
Sometimes the best to be had from a failure is "well, at least I'll know not to do that again."
Nice.
I'll remember that the next time you get locked out of your car. Bugger sympathy.
nope not possible, I have the only keys, and by the time I got a flight, trains, taxi, hassle it will cost about the same as pro recovery...
I can cope with £200....will put it on company expenses to the taxman...
I'll remember that the next time you get locked out of your car. Bugger sympathy.
I'll remember that the next time you get locked out of your car. Bugger sympathy.
Smegger. I was trying to point out a positive!
so.. can anyone recommend a company where i can backup my files online?
How much data are we talking?
Little, about a 1 GB, mainly accounts, emails, etc...
Can I just check was this a desktop style SCSI hard drive - or an smaller 2.5 external.laptop style. I only ask as the disc dies in my laptop recently and all we needed to do was open up an old external hard disk case plug in the disc removed from my laptop, plus in the 'external' disc to a new machine and browse the data.
I assume by the 'not' powering up comments though it's big old disc?
Dropbox, livemesh, symantec also do online storage too I believe.
Dropbox is a popular one.
where i can backup my files online?
I've got friends that use it - seems pretty much fit and forget although I confess that I would check it every quarter to make sure I could still recover stuff
Sugarsync is my weapon of choice these days. Have a referral id.
a desktop style SCSI hard drive
Eh?
It might be worth looking into getting a RAID drive. Something like this:
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/hitachi-g-safe-2-disk-raid-hard-drive-2tb-09329855-pdt.html?srcid=867&cmpid=comp~Google~Computing%20Accessories~09329855&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=xiippaqq&istBid=t
Sorry Cougar - my hardware tech speak ain't what it should be - Desktop PC's big old hard disks are not like the 2.5inch laptop/externals that are in use these days - plugging a 2.5inch disc into a external disc case is pretty simple to do and saves spending on third party recovery.
I was meaning Scuzzy
Any clearer?
I'm sure he knows what a SCSI drive is but they were never the standard for desktop home computers, more so a server enviroment. 3.5 or 2.5" SATA or PATA it's a piece of piddle to connect to another PC, or SCSI for that matter with a host card.
Friend of mine buggered up her laptop drive - when her kids were playing with strong magnets around it! Was about to lose 4 yrs of kids photos (some from birth). Not backed anything up (even though I set her up a network drive and automated backup schedule - although this relied on them switching the network drive on!).
I tried everything. 2 partitions, one non readable - the other (Dell rescue) was readable.
Eventually sent it off to Fields Data Recovery. Very expensive, slow and shite communication - but eventually got back the drive (which I think will be recoverable) - and 12 DVDs full of photos. Worth it from my friends perspective. I'm not recommending Fields- (google them) - but had to be done in my friends case.
I've also been playing around with http://www.mypcbackup.com - really stupid customer support - but hopefully I can get away without using them. Trialled it for a few weeks - no bought in (for my stupid friend who still isn't switching on the network drive). Use the trial, but wait for the 70% discount email. Unlimited backup for about £3 per month...
It might be worth considering using a 32Gb flash drive, if all you're backing up is small amounts of business data. SSD's are much more stable, and very cheap now, even buying a bunch of 8Gb thumb drives and doing multiple backups might be an option.
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