Hard Drive Recovery Service?

[Tom Metro]

Kristian Erik Hermansen wrote:
> ...I needed to actually remove the platters and swap them!  I have
> never done this before, and I always hear people saying "YOU CAN'T DO
> THAT, THE PLATTERS WILL BE DESTROYED!!!".  Well, I rendered an
> attempt.

It certainly won't destroy the platters, but the drive is hosed.

I researched this a few years back while trying to recover data from a 
failed drive, and the problem with disassembling a multi-platter drive 
is that the servo tracks need to be precisely aligned across the 
multiple platters. At the factory, this is accomplished by writing the 
servo tracks after the drive is assembled. Once you've taken it apart, 
it's essentially impossible to reassemble and get to it work.

Of course the limiting factor here is really the controller firmware in 
the drive. You can get around this limitation by using specialized 
electronics/firmware that drive recovery services have. They have the 
ability to pull data off a raw platter.

But by disassembling the drive, which apparently showed no symptoms of 
mechanical problems, you made the recovery process significantly more 
difficult, and thus more expensive.

Sorry for your loss. :-) Had you posted to the list prior to 
disassembly, we might have been able to save you some time/money.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/

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