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HD not being detected

R

redd38

Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Messages
517
Recently my main harddrive quit working. It's not being recognized by the computer at all. However the hard drive does make a noise when it's hooked up to a computer (a speaker inside the hard drive actually makes a noise). Does anyone know what could have caused this and also how to get my data off the drive?

edit: the harddrive also gets very hot when it's hooked up
 
If the drive doesn't show up at post, and nothing else has changed (cabling of the drive, BIOS settings, etc.), chances are the electronics on it are fried. If you're hearing a noise at least you know it's getting power, but then if no show on POST, it's braindead. What this noise sounds like is now rather important, as it could be a normal spinup of the motor, a lost bearing, or the heads grinding away on the platters.

Basically you need to check in your BIOS and make sure that the controller is enabled and set to scan the channel the drive is on. Then reseat the drive cables, check the jumpers, and fire it up. If there's still no life, listen very closely to what sounds it makes and report back. Chances are that if you get this far and the noises are normal, you have a good shot at data recovery. However, it won't be fun, as you might have to replace the drive electronics or send it in to a recovery service (instant Jenny Craig for the wallet).

As for why this happens, oh, lots of reasons. ESD, operating shock, nonoperating shock, bad power from the PSU, brownout/surge on the utility side, nosy kids, siblings, significant others (these have cost me more than anything else), acts of God, random chance, and dropping component quality
 
Id add the obvious (loose connection \ bad cable)
but the getting really hot part pretty much rules that out as the only cause
it you where actually able to see the drive in the BIOS or OS
but it was making noises (click of death cycle) and getting hot or seized, then the freezer trick might make it operable enough for a quick rescue, but without a working interface your reduced to trying to replace the circuit board or a data recovery lab
 
the noise isn't being made by hardware or the mechanics of the drive... there is actually a speaker in the harddrive making the noise. Sounds like a crappy sci-fi laser
 
If the problem is that the head is stuck to the platter will the freezer trick work?
 
It is a Maxtor, thanks for that link. My sound is pretty different (a longer continous sound instead of short beeps) but it gave me hope. I think I'm gonna try to open the harddrive and make sure every thing is in place.
 
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