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external hard drive kaput

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DrEntropy said:
I've had some success with just about the opposite technique. Warming the HD with a 100W lightbulb for an hour or two then quickly running it upside-down
Click to expand...

I think the idea is to just shift metal around to coax it into working.

I've only had to do it once, but the freezer-method worked pretty well for me - not 100%, but enough.

Along these lines too, I've had problems with older CD/DVDs that had paper labels applied to them (labels that were designed for the media that is, not square mailing labels). The problem is, apparently, that over the years the label shrinks and causes the disk to warp enough that the laser can't read the disk completely. Freezing seemed to be a solution, but then I found if you soak the disk in water then wipe the reading surface down with a microfiber cloth, and blot the excess water from the label - it'll work just fine.
 
This is like reading 'Hints from Heloise'...
grin.gif
 
Brooklands said:
This is like reading 'Hints from Heloise'...
grin.gif
Click to expand...

yes it is - "after chilling in the fridge for an hour, now we bake to a nice brown finish."

Have been reluctant to post this but (with bated breath and not wanting to jinx anything) we have the drive running - took about 30hrs with chkdsk/F in DOS but, we are now transferrinf about 250 gigs of data to a new drive - which is also taking hours. Will keep you posted.
 
Good news, JP!! :laugh:
 
We've got fingers crossed for you here.
 
Five pound sledge works best to discourage any future data-mining attempts, I've found. :devilgrin:
 
Take it apart and get the magnets out. They are handy in the shop.
 
very nice ash tray! well, the good news is that we managed to get off almost all of what we needed to get off. There were a few files that it wouldn't allow us to get at but, that's OK. We may try a data recovery program to get the last but, that's my son's problem now. I have my computer back (would only work on XP not Vista)

thanks for your help and suggestions!
:cheers:

all's well that ends well.
 
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