Hard drive recovery

[Nighthawk700]

I've been keeping all of my digital pictures on an external (USB) drive. A few days ago the drive started clicking, and I figured I would get another this weekend and start transferring everything, just in case. Well, yesterday the drive became inaccessable. I plugged it into two different computers, and neither could access it.

I've got a lot of pictures on the drive, mostly of my daughters, birth, up to the oldest one's second birthday.

I've been looking at drive recovery services. Most seem geared towards businesses (prices too). The best price I could find was a company that says their focus is to the individual user, not business. Still, it isn't a rock bottom price. $378, plus another $300 if they need to use the clean room. Has anyone had any experience with http://www.gillware.com, or any similar service?

I thought the external USB drive would be safer than the main computer drive. Now I know better. My wife and I are talking about a plan to back up data files (what we keep on the external) on a periodic basis.

Thanks.

[Rhys]

I've been keeping all of my digital pictures on an external (USB) drive. A few days ago the drive started clicking, and I figured I would get another this weekend and start transferring everything, just in case. Well, yesterday the drive became inaccessable. I plugged it into two different computers, and neither could access it.

I've got a lot of pictures on the drive, mostly of my daughters, birth, up to the oldest one's second birthday.

I've been looking at drive recovery services. Most seem geared towards businesses (prices too). The best price I could find was a company that says their focus is to the individual user, not business. Still, it isn't a rock bottom price. $378, plus another $300 if they need to use the clean room. Has anyone had any experience with http://www.gillware.com, or any similar service?

I thought the external USB drive would be safer than the main computer drive. Now I know better. My wife and I are talking about a plan to back up data files (what we keep on the external) on a periodic basis.

Thanks.


Put your USB drive in a plastic zip=lock bag. Freeze it in the ice-box for a coupel of hours. Then plug it into the computer and transfer to your hard drive all in one go and as fast as possible. It's a standard data recovery technique.

[Nighthawk700]

I did research on the freezer technique. Works for some, not others. But the problem is after the freeze, condensation can form on the platters (which is why you have to try to download files right away, before that happens). I didn't want to take a chance, so I sent my drive to Gillware. The day after they received the drive, I got a call that they made a 100% recovery, and didn't need the clean room. I should get DVDs with all my files this week.

[Rhys]

I did research on the freezer technique. Works for some, not others. But the problem is after the freeze, condensation can form on the platters (which is why you have to try to download files right away, before that happens). I didn't want to take a chance, so I sent my drive to Gillware. The day after they received the drive, I got a call that they made a 100% recovery, and didn't need the clean room. I should get DVDs with all my files this week.

Yup. You have to pack it in silica crystals to keep it dry.