Dell Christopher said:
WinXP Home
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9, ATA/133 HD
Sorry if this is the wrong newsgroup but I thought it best to start
here...
I'm getting the "S.M.A.R.T. status bad" on boot-up and I can't get to the
Desktop (tried Safe Mode and Set-up options).
This message is a report of electrical failure in the drive, and startup
modes don't matter at all, except to indicate that you are using up the few
minutes of life the drive has left.
I also tried connecting this HD as a second HD on another PC, and I get
the "request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" when I
try and access it that way.
This isn't a particularly good sign. It means that portions of the drive
electronics have failed. Disconnect this drive, and don't use it again
until you are completely ready to try to recovery data. Do not attempt to
boot from it.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to retrieve my data on this failing
HD, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
It is likely that the data is recoverable, but you may need professional
help to do so. Keep in mind, though, that as the electronics failed,
writes to the disk may have been compromised, meaning data corruption.
It is possible that some data recovery software will be able to get to it.
Google "data recovery software" and you'll find more than a few options.
Read carefully to find what fits your scenario closest. Most will have
free demo versions, and can scan the drive and save the results - if it
looks likely, you disconnect, pay the fee for the software, reconnect the
drive and scrape off the data.
If the drive electronics are damaged enough to prevent access to the drive,
there's virtually nothing you can do to get the data off yourself, even if
the drive's platters are OK.
However, a properly equipped recovery service should be able to.
Improperly equipped services should not be used, as they may render the data
completely irretrievable.
The drive would be opened (in a "clean room"), and the platters attached to
custom electronics designed for this purpose. The contents are then simply
read off to another system, burned to DVD, and given back to you.
The real question here is - "how valuable is that data"?
This kind of service is not inexpensive, because the facilities and hardware
are not cheap, and the workers are skilled. I've regularly seen bills
ranging from CDN$1,000 to CDN$5,000 for recovery from drives with failed
electronics. Influencing factors are the amount of data you need, and how
quickly. If you know the exact location of the data you need - for
example, if it's spreadsheets or documents or photos from one basic folder -
that can help limit the expense, as they will focus on that one area, not
the whole drive.
You can contact a service in your area for an estimate - any service will
provide an estimate prior to starting work, though some may charge a fee for
the estimate.
As suggested in another post, cooling the drive can sometimes help. I
normally attached drives to my recovery system via USB connector, sometimes
after putting the drive in a freezer for 15 minutes or so, and laying an
icepack on the drive while attempting recovery. However, this cannot heal
burned electronics.
One last thing - do NOT send the drive to the manufacturer if you value the
data. They may well "fix" it under warranty, but they will have no concern
whatsoever for the data. Expect to lose the data forever if you do this.
That drive is worth perhaps CDN$40 - $70, and your data, no matter what, is
probably worth rather more.
HTH
-pk
