Hdd stopped working something smashed inside

[Alen43]

Hi. Hdd has stopped working while i was accessing it (not it has clickering sound- something is "smashed" inside). It was 7 months old well placed in bay with air cooling and anti vibration system. I have warranty of 5 years on him. But my data is crucial to me. I've moved all my important stuff on him because it was the best hdd in my system. I'm fool for not making it in raid 1, so all the data are lost. I don't know what is my next step. I'm here seeking for advice. I know that I'll have another in no-time because it was bought from distributor, not from the regular shop. The hdd model is WE RE4 1TB. Thank you in advance. Alen

 

[essenbe]

As far as I am aware, if the drive is completely non functional only professional recovery companies can retrieve data. It is an iffy proposition and costs start at $3000. If it functions at all, there is a possibility to retrieve the info.

 

[seavixen32]

Not sure if this will work, but when your new hard drive is fitted you might want to try Recuva to see if you can get your data off the old one: Recuva - Undelete, Unerase, File and Disk Recovery - Free Download

 

[Alen43]

essenbe are u sure the price is right? that's a lot money. For me it's not the problem for buy dozens of this hdds but the data i was creating four years are important. If i bought from distributor, who will try to repair my hdd? I think it will need head swapping. @seavixen32 nope the hdd is completely dead. No function at all. Ty for reply guys!

 

[seavixen32]

Sorry to hear that, Alen. I do hope you manage to retrieve your data.

 

[Zepher]

Just a little info, Western Digital RE drives aren't recommended for desktop use due to the error recovery system on the drive.
RE Drives are designed for RAID systems. See if you can swap that drive out for a Western Digital 1TB Black Edition drive.

 

[mjf]

As a last resort you can try the freezer approach. At your own risk of course.
Many references on the internet eg.
Freeze your hard drive to recover data: Myth or reality? - [Geeks are Sexy] technology news

Edit: don't forget the ziplock bag if you try it.

 

[essenbe]

essenbe are u sure the price is right? that's a lot money. For me it's not the problem for buy dozens of this hdds but the data i was creating four years are important. If i bought from distributor, who will try to repair my hdd? I think it will need head swapping. @seavixen32 nope the hdd is completely dead. No function at all. Ty for reply guys!

Those are the prices I have seen quoted. It is usually not as simple as you may think. As mjf stated, I have read that the freezer approach can work under certain circumstances. I have never tried it. I wish you luck in retrieving your data.

 

[Alen43]

Ty guys.
In my country repair for swapping head for example is around 450 $. With that money i can buy two of these hard drives. Now need to wait to contact my distributor on Monday.
@Zepher I like to know more about your statement regarding RE drives from WD. I know only that they have some interior parts different and ofc fw. I've found this on WD helpsite. Freezer method won't work if something is cracking and moving in hdd. Something is broken for sure. Only limiter or head can be broken. For me that is strange because I have perfect isolated place (anti vibrational,cooled) for hdds. The drive hasn't been moved for months.

I like this forum everyone wishes u all the best! I wish you all good weekend.

 

[seavixen32]

Thank you Alen, that's very generous of you.

Please keep us up to date with your data recovery research.

 

[Zepher]

Ty guys.
In my country repair for swapping head for example is around 450 $. With that money i can buy two of these hard drives. Now need to wait to contact my distributor on Monday.
@Zepher I like to know more about your statement regarding RE drives from WD. I know only that they have some interior parts different and ofc fw. I've found this on WD helpsite. Freezer method won't work if something is cracking and moving in hdd. Something is broken for sure. Only limiter or head can be broken. For me that is strange because I have perfect isolated place (anti vibrational,cooled) for hdds. The drive hasn't been moved for months.

I like this forum everyone wishes u all the best! I wish you all good weekend.

I can't find the answer on their site anymore since they may have changed their policy.

This is from a few years ago when I bought a 250GB RE Drive and someone linked me to this answer from WD,

Question
What is the difference between Desktop edition and RAID (Enterprise) edition hard drives?

Answer
Western Digital manufactures desktop edition hard drives and RAID Edition hard drives. Each type of hard drive is designed to work specifically in either a [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit ! important]desktop [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=inherit !important]c[FONT=inherit ! important]omputer[/FONT][/FONT] environment or on RAID controller.

If you install and use a desktop edition hard drive connected to a RAID controller, the drive may not work correctly. This is caused by the normal error recovery procedure that a desktop edition hard drive uses.

When an error is found on a desktop edition hard drive, the drive will enter into a deep recovery cycle to attempt to repair the error, recover the data from the problematic area, and then reallocate a dedicated area to replace the problematic area. This process can take up to 2 minutes depending on the severity of the issue. Most RAID controllers allow a very short amount of time for a hard drive to recover from an error. If a hard drive takes too long to complete this process, the drive will be dropped from the RAID array. Most RAID controllers allow from 7 to 15 seconds for error recovery before dropping a hard drive from an array. Western Digital does not recommend installing desktop edition hard drives in an [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]enterprise[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important] environment[/FONT][/FONT](on a RAID controller).

Western Digital RAID edition hard drives have a feature called TLER (Time Limited Error Recovery) which stops the hard drive from entering into a deep recovery cycle. The hard drive will only spend 7 seconds to attempt to recover. This means that the hard drive will not be dropped from a RAID array.

If you install a RAID edition hard drive in a desktop computer, the computer system may report more errors than a normal desktop hard drive (due to the TLER feature). Western Digital does not recommend installing RAID edition hard drives into a desktop computer environment.

 

[henryeight]

Sad to read this scenario, but I recall advice received (but I don't always follow), to always buy drives in pairs, that way you have a "spare" head assy and pcb if the worst comes to the worst.


The theory is that the same manufacturing code will allow parts to be swapped, maybe someone (here) can deny this approach.


Good luck with your endeavors.

 

[essenbe]

Sad to read this scenario, but I recall advice received (but I don't always follow), to always buy drives in pairs, that way you have a "spare" head assy and pcb if the worst comes to the worst.


The theory is that the same manufacturing code will allow parts to be swapped, maybe someone (here) can deny this approach.


Good luck with your endeavors.

I can't confirm or deny that. I have never tried it, but I have heard the same thing.

 

[mjf]

The other approach is to regularly backup expecting that a HDD will eventually fail on you.

 

[Alen43]

Yes my bad I haven't done backup. 'Couse i've tought that it won't fail if it's enterprise solution and this is my first time seeing WD going to "infinite hunting ground". Hope my last kind of experience.

@Zepher: yes,about that TLER. this is good if hdds are in raid. No need for recovery cycle. if drive is dead... no problem we will swap that one and put another. I haven't done RAID1 on this hdd. Now architectural data is lost. I'm thinking also of buying same model of hdd and swaping internals with help of my friend, if couldn't work out with distributor.
@mjf: The other approach is to regularly backup expecting that a HDD will eventually fail on you. - That sentence is on my mind all the time... Too bad I haven't listen inner me.
​

Ty for all replies guys, will post infos of conversation with distributor and my opinions.

Cheers, Alen