need to rescue corrupt(?) external hard drive

[caspian915]

Hi all,

I know this is a topic that generates questions all the time, but I haven't yet found a solution that works from all the searching I've done. My external hard drive (1TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex) is, as far as I can tell, corrupted in some manner. I don't remember exactly the circumstances involved--from when it was fine to when it was no longer recognized--but suffice it to say that Windows was involved (never had a drive become unreadable under OS X or Linux, this is the second time while using Windows that it's happened).

I've attached some relevant screenshots. When I connect the drive, it doesnt' appear in Explorer. It also doesn't appear when I connect in Ubuntu (I currently dual boot, Win7 and Ubuntu 10.04). However, when I look it up in Device Manager, sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn't. When it does appear, it is listed as "Disk Drive". I've tried a number of things, but nothing seems to get it working.

Oh, also, when I turn on the external hard drive, even if it is not plugged into the USB port, I can feel the disk spinning and every few seconds (5 or 6 seconds), I can feel it grind (that's the best way to describe it). It doesn't make noise, it's just a consistent spin spin spin grind, spin spin spin grind, at 5-7 second intervals, as if it's stuck in a pattern of not locating a file and just spinning mindlessly.

What else can I use? I'd rather use something free than have to pay. I tried KNOPPIX before realizing it was for internal drives.

Any help is appreciated. I want to rescue the data and get the drive functioning again. I'm upgrading my computer and need to back everything up.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Does the drive appear under disk management?

 

[caspian915]

No, only under Device Manager.

 

[LiquidSnak]

can you post a screenshot of device manager?

 

[caspian915]

Oops, meant to do that before. Here we go:

 

[LiquidSnak]

Hmm. Have you tried uninstalling drivers through device manager and rebooting the computer?

 

[caspian915]

This was the result:

 

[LiquidSnak]

Sounds like the drive might have gone belly up... There are a few things you can try. One, software. I recommend Active @'s recovery software. If that doesn't work, which I suspect it wont... Then we can discuss other options.

 

[richyrichuk]

i've had this a couple of times, i wouldnt say its corrupt, i would say ur PCB in the HDD caddy has gone, (only my own words) but i'd break the thing apart and plug it in and run recovery software that way,

if the data is worth more than the money for a new 1, i would say thats your only option.

EDIT: sorry just re read your post, also i've had issues with windows causing something similar to this, but from the 'motion' you described either the arm or read head has gone, i take it the manuf wont recover data in their lab, only replace and do nothing about your data yeah?

 

[LiquidSnak]

The read head going is the classic cause of the click of death, not a grinding.

 

[caspian915]

After I uploaded the driver installation fail jpg, I tried uninstall, restart, plugin a couple of times, then clicked Update Driver Software... and had it search on the entire C drive. It searched for a few minutes, but I cancelled it before it made any changes. After that, in Universal Serial Bus controllers list (in Device Manager) there appeared a listing for USB Mass Storage Device. I right clicked it and clicked Uninstall. That gone hung up, so I just chose to click Start > Restart. As each windows was separately closing, however, I briefly saw a listing for FreeAgent GoFlex in Explorer!

What the hell gives? I have no idea what made it all of the sudden pop up, but I've retraced my steps and don't get the same result.

 

[caspian915]

What would cause the read head to go?

 

[LiquidSnak]

Age, mfg defect, etc etc... But it's a solid clicking sound, you would have described it as such.

Re-reading your post, this is an external drive? What manufacturer, and how old is the drive?

 

[richyrichuk]

Age, mfg defect, etc etc... But it's a solid clicking sound, you would have described it as such.

Re-reading your post, this is an external drive? What manufacturer, and how old is the drive?

My external hard drive (1TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex)

apart from age was in ori post.

in several ways yes usually a clicking, but still can be.

 

[LiquidSnak]

If you are comfortable with insides of things:

Disassembling a Seagate Free Agent Desk 1TB « Gareth’s random Blog of fiddlings

Try taking it apart and putting it into a SATA port on your computer.

 

[caspian915]

I bought the hard drive in November, so it's not exactly old. It definitely doesn't make a really audible sound and it's not a single click. When I touch it, I can feel it whir and then grind... or well, akin to the sound an old hard drive will make under an intense load when it is read/writing to the drive (I think).

Unfortunately, I don't have a desktop, so I can't try the SATA thing out.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Do you have a friend's computer you can try it on?

 

[caspian915]

Off the top of my head, no one I know nearby has a desktop (except for an iMac, but that would be asking too much). Is there another way? I don't imagine a different enclosure would provide any help... ?

 

[LiquidSnak]

well, there is the possibility that the board went bad. I would contact seagate and explain that the HD works, but the enclosure doesn't, and try to get them to send you a new enclosure sans drive.

 

[caspian915]

Alright, I'll do that. I am waiting on an email from them about getting a copy of the driver (which is located on the disk and you can't download the Windows driver from their site for some reason). Thanks for the help!