HDD crash, need help recovering data!

[David Kelly]

I've got a little bit of a problem. I've got a 17" Powerbook G4 100 GB HDD, and my HDD crashed and won't mount. I've taken my PB to the Apple Store and had one of the Genius's look at it and they weren't much help. I'm now running on an external HDD via firewire that I purchased, but the OS just doesn't see the internal HDD.

So my question is, does anybody know a good company that specializes in notebook HDD data recovery that I could send it to?

I have some very important data that I need to get off of it and I regrettably didn't make any backups.


I greatly appreciate any help.
-DK

[Schnabel]

You might also try booting off of a Linux Live disc such as Ubuntu as it may be able to see you HDD even though your OS can't.

[baop858]

before you send it to a company you should check if you can't get the data back yourself. You can try Ontrack's software. http://www.ontrack.com/easyrecoveryprofessional/ I've have used this before and it worked fairly well. The free trial tells you if the software can retrieve your data.

[David Kelly]

Just to make it clear, it is a Mac.

[baop858]

You can try http://myharddrivedied.com/about_recovery_services.html.

[eshteyn]

i have a great program for u, if u have another machine you can hook it up to ill gladly send it to u, im me at etakto738 or email me at eshteyn375@gmail.com. This program recovers all data in a few easy steps, also if you want u can just send the hdd over and ill recover it for u as well as put the information on cd

[Bharat Nain]

David,
Try driversavers.com. I have not used them personally but I know someone who has successfully. They do cost a bit though. I don't know if using a software to recover yourself is the best ideas. Sometimes the more you run a hard drive, the more corrupt they get. Good luck.

[BobC]

I am not an apple person. Is there a way to start your computer in what microsoft calls safe mode. If you can do it then copy the files you need to your external hard drive. The after you get a new hard drive installed you can copy your files back to the new drive.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by BobC

I am not an apple person. Is there a way to start your computer in what microsoft calls safe mode. If you can do it then copy the files you need to your external hard drive. The after you get a new hard drive installed you can copy your files back to the new drive.

If it's not seeing it, I doubt that safe mode would do it. (But, since you asked, you hold down the Shift key right after the startup chord.)

One solution that appears to work long enough to get the data off: freeze your hard drive. http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread9069.html

[Kyle Fenton]

Try using Disk Warrior First
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
This will repair disk structure. As long as there is no mechanical failure this should work.

Otherwise you can use Data Rescue II by Prosoft. I haven't used this by I heard that it is effective.
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php

You could also remove the internal HD and mount it in a temporary USB enclosure, like this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16812156102). From here you can go into the Unix terminal and see if you can force mount it.

Other questions:
Do you hear any clicking or abnormal noises?

[whytheheckme]

Have you tried Drive Genius or Data Rescue II? (kyle beat me to it)

I've used both and they work beautifully.

EDIT: I've also tried disk warrior. Works fine. I've been through several mac crashes..... (I'm not very nice to my HDs)

Jacob

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Dave,
It is always possible that the internal HD connection or interface has failed. I would first look to see that everything is firmly connected. The powerbooks are easy to get into through the keyboard. With the power off and the battery removed if you can get it, remove the connector on the HD and reinsert it. Don't replace the keyboard just yet. Power on with the keyboard connector attached but out of the way and see if the drive is actually spinning. If not, you might try a little gentle shake or tap on the case to get it to spin up. Once up you can then get your date moved to another drive. If that doen't work, MAC in some models have power management through several autoresetting solid state breakers. These do fail from time to time.
If none of this works, you might try removing the drive and installing in an external USB drive carrier. Several computer stores carry these. I have one from MCM. Mount the drive in the external case, connect through the USB and see if you can get any data from it. If this doesn't work, you only bet will be to go through a data recovery service. Check with your IT department, some companies have internal people who specialize with this problem.

[Kyle Fenton]

Originally Posted by BobC

I am not an apple person. Is there a way to start your computer in what microsoft calls safe mode. If you can do it then copy the files you need to your external hard drive. The after you get a new hard drive installed you can copy your files back to the new drive.

Somewhat, Mac OS X has a single user mode (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106388) like Linux does. However you would need to know some Unix commands to perform some disk checking functions like fsck.

But when you can't mount a disk, that solution wouldn't work anyways.

But before you send you HD, always check a couple of things.

1. Take out your HD and mount it using an external solutions. You would be surprised to see how many times cables and connectors burn out. This is especially true of notebook cables, but they typically use very thin ribbon cables.

2. Check to see if the disk has directory damage, using a product like Disk Warrior


I would stay away from freezing your HD. Typically that doesn't work (well at least for me).

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Billfred

One solution that appears to work long enough to get the data off: freeze your hard drive. http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread9069.html

I used to work for the technology department for the local school district, and as a last resort, we'd do the same thing. But yeah, I'd only try it as a last resort.

[Tristan Lall]

If the data is truly critical, you need to send it out for recovery, because there's always a risk that the steps you take to attempt to fix the problem will cause further damage. (For example, if you have a failing bearing, running the drive will likely make it worse.) On that note, I'd recommmend searching around in the Ars Technica "Other Hardware" forum. There are plenty of people there who would be able to advise you about this, and plenty of old posts which ask pretty much the same question. From reading it in the past, it seems that their recommendations often involve companies like OnTrack and DriveSavers. And it won't be cheap to use their service; probably between $400 and $1200.

If you're willing to take a little bit of risk, or suspect that it isn't a degenerative sort of problem, then by all means, try the other solutions. In Windows, a simple CHKDSK will usually correct simple stuff like a damaged file system—I'm sure there's an equivalent command on the Mac (fsck or something). If the circuit board is visibly damaged (burned components, for example), it's often possible to retrofit an identical board from another drive (voiding the warranty on both).