Internal hard drive no longer being recognized

[saint_hades]

Hi,
I decided to move my desks in my room, and move my computer and then clean the computer of all its dust (something I've done many times and never had a problem - I always wear the antistatic band when doing so).
Once I had finished clean and moving things, my second (got 2 C drive works fine) hard drive was no longer being recognized. It didn't show up on My Computer or on the motherboard screen (the blue one that comes up when you hit 'Delete' key.
It also look a very long time for windows to boot up. Firstly taking a very long time on the first screen and then really long on the Windows screen.

So what I'm asking is if you know how I can save my hard drive, or is there a way to get all the data of it? - cause I'm doing A levels and I really need that Hard drive before Monday
Thanks

[patio]

SATA or IDE ? ?
Was it connected back to the original connector after the move ? ?
Are you saying the BIOS does not see it either ? ?
Double check the connections...you may have missed something...

PS. How old is this drive and is there an OS installed on it or just data ? ?

Help us help you...

[saint_hades]

It's a SATA drive, I think its this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-OEM-Barracuda-7200-12-Internal/dp/B001IKKCLS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254591831&sr=1-1

I never unplugged the drive (I moved the whole computer and opened it up to get rid of all the dust - but didn't remove any parts only unplugged the computer from the mains) until it wasn't working and I tried to find a different computer to plug it in to but failed cause all the computers in my house are to old.

The BIOS only shows my 120Gb hard drive (the C drive with Xp home installed on it).

All the connectors are still there, I even tried a different one but nothing worked.

I tried to listen for the drive (to see if it's working) but I'm not sure what it sounds like.

It's only got data and it's around a 2years old.   

[patio]

Put a long pencil or similar instrument with one end touching the drive and the other in your ear and power up...
You will be able to hear if it's spinning up or not without pulling it out of the enclosure...

If it's spinning up try a new SATA data cable.

[saint_hades]

Okay, I can hear it making a noise. Not sure if that means it's spinning.

I did the pencil thing on the C drive and it made a different noise. The C drive was more electric sounding and the other drive (broken one) sounded like a control panel from a Sci Fi film.
 
Does this mean its still working?

I'm unable to get my hands on a new SATA cable at the moment - but I'll keep looking, may have one in my motherboard box, I just have to find that first.

[saint_hades]

Here are some images that may help



The one on the right is a different brand new cable




Top Hard drive is working fine

[patio]

That cable is fried...replace it immediately and don't continue to use it.

I fear the drive is as well...

[Computer_Commando]

The hard drive pins are all bent up, too.

[saint_hades]

I have replaced the cable, but new ones don't seem to fit (to loose). I believe the bit in the middle of the broken cable is meant to be on the hard drive. And if you look closely you can see where its meant to be.

Have you got any ideas of how I can get the data off the drive? If you believe the drive is broken.

[Computer_Commando]

I am looking at my spare SATA drive.  The plastic shell around the contacts of the hard drive is missing.  It could be what's inside the bad cable.

That hard drive is damaged beyond repair.  You must have stressed that cable pretty hard to break it off.

If you are an expert with a soldering iron, you could take the bad cable and attempt to solder them together and hope that it will function long enough.

If not, take it to a shop and see if they can do it.  It could cost $100.

[saint_hades]

If you are an expert with a soldering iron, you could take the bad cable and attempt to solder them together and hope that it will function long enough.

Yea only problem is that I tried to get the bit out of the cable by taking it apart, so now that cable is broken.

Do you why this has happened?
Is it cause my computer sometimes overheats and turns off and when I open it up I can smell burning. Or that my computer its always normally at 48 degrees, even when idle.

[patio]

I suspect at one time the SATA cable was hooked up wrong or forced into the socket incorrectly ...this would account for the burning aroma.

[Computer_Commando]

I can see exactly why it broke.  You or someone pulled down on the cable hard enough to break the plastic shell off.  That's the data cable, not the power cable.  See how big the power cable is next to it?  Take off the data cable on the other hard drive and compare the two.  Remove it by wiggling it side to side and not up and down and pull it straight off.  OR, pull off the power cable on the bad hard drive, it's the same type as the data but wider.  I would do the latter, since you have to remove the bad hard drive, anyway.

SATA Pinout

[saint_hades]

Okay thanks guys.

So the drive is wrecked.
What things can I buy to get the data off it? Cause from the looks of it, its only the connection that broken so the data should be fine, right? And I know the drive still works cause I can hear when I do the pencil test.

[Computer_Commando]

...
1.  So the drive is wrecked.
2.  What things can I buy to get the data off it?
3.  Cause from the looks of it, its only the connection that broken so the data should be fine, right?
4.  And I know the drive still works cause I can hear when I do the pencil test.

1.  Definitely!
2.  Nothing.
3.  Only?  Isn't that  enough?  It's analogous to your neck being broken, but the brain still functions.
4.  Depends what you mean by "the drive still works".  It spins and that's all.  Kinda like your neck is broken and the legs and arms don't work, but the heart is still beating.

[saint_hades]

3.  Only?  Isn't that  enough?  It's analogous to your neck being broken, but the brain still functions?

If the brain still works then I would be able to get that brain and put in someone else, right? (put it on a different hard drive)

[Computer_Commando]

Yes, it's possible, if you have the skill of  Dr. Frankenstein.
There are business that perform this service, but it will probably cost close to $1000.

Google "hard drive recovery service".

[saint_hades]

Okay thanks

But what I want to know is why did the drive break today?
Do you think it was going to break anyway, and that me moving my computer was just a weird coincident that is broke when I did.
Or do you think I might have knocked a wire when I was cleaning the inside of my computer.

[Computer_Commando]

1.  But what I want to know is why did the drive break today?
2.  Do you think it was going to break anyway, and that me moving my computer was just a weird coincident that is broke when I did.
3.  Or do you think I might have knocked a wire when I was cleaning the inside of my computer.

1.  Connector shell was probably mostly broken and finally fell apart.
2.  Could be.
3.  Something overstressed it sometime in the past or today.  You have to pull on the wire pretty hard to break it like that.  Could have happened when it was being built.  They are not that fragile.

Pull the drive out and look at the remaining connector, then you tell me how hard it is to break it.

[saint_hades]

Well, I'm not going to break the drive any more sorry.

The strange thing, I've never taken the cable off that drive until today. So it's been plugged in for around 2 years.

Thanks for you help, I know a computer technician who's going to look at it. So I'll tell you how it goes.

Cheers
 

[patio]

It's possible to go on a site such as eBay and look for a controller assembly for that drive and be able to swap it in there to retrieve the data...
Problem is the controller has to be from not only an identical drive but also from the same batch/lot production run for this to work...

Probability of success ....approx 14%.