hey, my mate's laptop HD just totally crashed and we can't get it going anymore. the laptop says that the OS can't be found, and when we tried running a repair install, it says that the HD can't be found. i removed the HD and put it into an external HD encasement and tried plugging it into the desktop through the USB, and the computer recognizes the USB but can't open the HD. the data in there was really important, does anyone know a place in the bay area of san francisco that does professional data retrievement?
moon_dog 0 Newbie Poster
chrisbliss18 26 Posting Shark
What do you mean by "can't open the HD"? Do you mean that it shows up as unformatted? Does it give you an error when trying to access the data?
moon_dog 0 Newbie Poster
the computer says it can't access the USB. the HD was making a clacking noise too before i removed it from the laptop.
nizzy1115 14 Practically a Posting Shark
I hate to say this, but it honestly sounds like it is dead. How come data backups were never made? BTW, HD recovery places are very very expensive.
However, i do know an old trick that may work for you. Its kindof like a 1 time use thing to bring the hd to life one last time. It may sound odd, or like it wont work but it usually does (about 75% success rate just google it). Basically what you need to do is take the hard drive out of the laptop, and wrap it in a paper towel or 2 (to keep out moisture) and stick it in a sealed zip lock baggie. Then stick the bag with the hard drive into the freezer (preferably a frost free freezer) over night.
This is where you need to work very fast. After its been in there for atleast 6 hours, remove the hard drive from the baggie and stick it in the computer while it is still frozen like a rock. Try and boot the computer. It may take several attempts, but it should boot after no more than a dozen attempts. Once it is booted you need to work very fast backing data up as you may only have about an hour or two before its done, forever. And dont turn it off until you are competly done, because it will be completly dead after this.
If this method doesnt work, and you think the data is super critical, be prepared to pay a good dollar for a recovery.
chrisbliss18 26 Posting Shark
Just to back up nizzy, I recommend doing as he suggests. That clicking sound is referred to as the "click of death" for drives and almost always is a clear symtom of a pending or current drive failure. nizzy's suggestion is the best possible solution to use in order to get some data off of that drive before putting it to rest.
Be a part of the DaniWeb community
We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.