Hard Drive Failing

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by mojorisin, Mar 4, 2006.

  1. mojorisin

    mojorisin Kilobyte Poster

    415
    17
    41
    Hi Guys

    I have a colleagues pc with a failing hard drive i have put in the replacement drive and reinstalled windows got everything back running only problem is copying the files from the old drive to the new one the copy gets so far and then gives the old cyclic redundancy error

    I must say the drive is in a bad way as when it fails there is a lock of clicking on the drive before the error does anyone know a way round this ?

    I have tried the gentle tapping approach that sometimes works but although all the data is still accessible and you can view it and open the files when you try to copy the data it bombs out

    any help would be appreciated

    cheers
    Mick
     
    WIP: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services MD-100
  2. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    I have heard that sticking a duff hard drive in the freezer for a couple of hours, inside a plastic bag to keep it dry, works sometimes. I believe it causes the metal to contract, which can free up the mechanism for long enough to retrieve the data.

    Might be worth a bash?
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  3. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

    797
    19
    74
    Hey Blue, thats a damn good idea.

    I'd forgotten that trick, but it actually worked on one of my old 'Quatums' I had a few years back.
     
    Certifications: VCP,A+, N+, MCSA, MCSE
    WIP: Christmas Drunkard
  4. mufftak

    mufftak Nibble Poster

    86
    3
    22
    We had a whole batch of bad HD's at work, 30mins in the freezer worked for some, a bit more desperate is dropping about 6 inches above your desk (which has also worked- when tapping is just not enough :twisted: )

    Muff
     
    Certifications: ITIL 2011,MCSA 2008,MCSA 2003,CEH,Security+,A+,Net+,i-Net+,270,290,291,648,646
  5. Veteran's son

    Veteran's son Megabyte Poster

    915
    2
    55
    Excellent advice, Bluerinse! :)
     
    Certifications: A+
    WIP: N+
  6. mojorisin

    mojorisin Kilobyte Poster

    415
    17
    41
    Nice one guys forgot about the old freezer trick myself will give it a go may aswell as the data is there just wont sustain a constant transfer


    :cheers
     
    WIP: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services MD-100
  7. nugget
    Honorary Member

    nugget Junior toady

    7,796
    71
    224
    Have you tried putting the disk in an external hdd carrier? I've had similar problems here with a lot of laptop hdd's. Put them into the laptop and they can't be accessed but put them into the external carrier and they seem to be okay.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP (270,271,272,290,620) | MCDST | MCTS:Vista
    WIP: MCSA, 70-622,680,685
  8. mojorisin

    mojorisin Kilobyte Poster

    415
    17
    41
    This is a full size hard drive from a pc so at the moment it is just dangling inside the case ready for the usual tapping when it sticks
     
    WIP: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services MD-100
  9. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    That's interesting Nugg! Maybe something to do with USB or something? Anyway, it is always worth knowing other things to try :biggrin
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  10. Lord Deckard

    Lord Deckard Byte Poster

    234
    3
    29
    Looking at what Bluerinse said about this, is it possibly down to the orientation of the drive in the caddy? I know a lot of external caddys have the drive on its side as opposed to flat when mounted in the PC. Could stop the heads sticking or touching the platter.

    Lord Deckard.
     
    Certifications: A+, MCDST
    WIP: N+ and CCNA
  11. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    Anything is possible, sometimes with fault finding you need to keep your eyes and ears and any other senses you have focused on the issue at hand. A multimeter is not always enough lol.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  12. Gary B

    Gary B Nibble Poster

    88
    5
    22
    From my experience always expect the unexpected - working in the realworld you see hundreds of problems just never ever doccumented or covered in any book, course or website. It's suprising just how often clutching at straws can often produce results in I.T.
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003
    WIP: You tell me

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.