Hal_

hi gals & guise,

Hi all - great first post here, "guy with a problem," but hope some of you will be able to come to the fore for us.

We have a late 2007 MacBook 2 GHz running OS 10.4.11, with Apple-branded 80GB Hitachi OEM drive, model HTS541680J9SA00 .

Computer hung while updating Skype. On restart displayed the dreaded system-folder-question-mark icon.

Booted from system DVD, ran Disk Utility, got the Underlying Task nonsense
Disk Utility reports "Underlying task reported failure" when repairing a volume
Disk Utility-underlying task reported failure on exit (-9772)

Booted from external FireWire drive running Tiger: same deal.

Tried to run TechTool Pro while booted from External HD, but TTP doesn't seem to work at all unless a disk is mounted (d'oh).

Removed HD, put in external FW case, wanted to Disk Utility on that drive from a MacBook Pro, but drive not recognised at all.

I put the drive in an external Vantec NexStar "Toaster-style" dual eSATA case plugged into Sonnet Tempo SATA Express 34 card on MacBook Pro, this time booted in Leopard.

For the first time, drive mounted, albeit with dire warning that the drive could not be repaired and mounting it was a temporary measure to facilitate copying off of files.

No luck with Disk Utility under Leopard.

Purchased Disk Warrior 4.2 (prior was 3.03 PPC only!), which ran for a while and produced the error:

"Disk Warrior speed reduced by disk malfunction"
during which time the drive was clicking away as, I presume, DW made multiple attempts to "get past" the error.

… ran DW a few times with the same result, at the same spot in the progress bar. Left it overnight with no change but vastly increased number of errors reported, ie. AFAIK a physical problem with the disk mechanism.
http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php...122_557lo.jpg#

So, gentlepersons, advice: as crazy money to an HD recovery service is not in the budget, and having already spent $114 at CSC for Disk Warrior, have I a craniorectal insertion in thinking that swapping the platter(s) to a similar mechanism is our last chance for recovering data?

That said, has anyone upgraded their Hitachi HTS541680J9SA00 drive to a more modern and faster unit, and willing to part with it for less than the $67 we'd pay for a new one, just to cannibalize it?

< phew >



Thanks all for any help.

Hal

jawknee

have you tried the freezer trick yet?

sorry, that's all I've got.

CanadaRAM

Swapping the platters into a mule presupposes that the problem is with the heads or the electronics or the motor of the dead drive. If the problem is actually on the platters (which is more than a possibility since it seems to hang up at approximately the same spot each time) then you will be equally as bad off -- plus you will have eliminated any chance of using a recovery company.

monokitty

What you're trying to do is a lost cause if you've never done it before; that said, disassembling a hard drive to the platter level would require a clean room. (If I understand you correctly.)

__________________
ACMT
Mac mini (Mid 2011) 2.7 GHz i7, 8GB RAM, Crucial M4 256GB SSD + 500GB + 1TB FW800 OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini
iPhone 4S • iPod nano 8GB • Sound System Audio Engine A2 • Display UltraSharp U2412M 24"

Hal_

@Lars,

Thank you.

Yes, I understand cleanroom conditions are ideal for a platter swap, especially if the drive is intended to be used in an ongoing application.

My sense was that my case would be a one-time-only, recover-the-data basis.

Mechanical and electrical aptitude no problem. Already have a few hundred dollars in Wiha jeweller-sized Torx, Phillips etc that I've used to service laptops, lenses and cameras to date.

- -

@CanadaRAM

Merci alors.

You make a good point about possible damage to the platter(s).

Grrr.

The reason I left Disk Warrior running is that I hoped it might be intelligent enough to skip attempted recovery on any error-producing region after a predefined number of attempts.

No such luck.

The Disk Warrior documentation just seems to drop one like a hot potato if there's a mechanical problem with the drive.

Has anyone here had good luck in tech support from Alsoft (makers of Disk Warrior) ?


many thanks again,

Hal

chas_m

If you don't have a backup, and if the problem really is a faulty platter, you really don't have much choice: you replace the platter, or you pay someone else to do it and recover the data.

As it will definitely be a one-shot, must-get-it-right sort of project, I would personally find the money and have a reputable company do it to ensure the highest possible success rate, OR I would figure out how to live without the data.

__________________
Cheers
chas_m

Our life in Victoria BC • Music blog • My Podcast • Film blog
Victoria Macintosh Users Group

Hal_

@chas_m

Wondering if we can more conclusively determine if platters are actually faulty.

Last time I dealt with a recovery company, they DEFINITELY seemed to size up ability-to-pay (it was for a corporate customer) and quote an exorbitant price (don't really recall, but $2500 for a 75 gig drive, if I recall).

chas_m

A *reputable* drive-recovery service does not do that, but of course the service is expensive.

I usually recommend DriveSavers, because I know the quality of their work and have dealt with them many times (not for my own drives, I back up -- but for customers at our old store in Florida). I have not found a Canadian recovery service that matches DS's reputation, but then again I haven't really looked. I'm sure there are companies in Canada that can do the job. Maybe some here can relate any personal experiences they have.

__________________
Cheers
chas_m

Our life in Victoria BC • Music blog • My Podcast • Film blog
Victoria Macintosh Users Group

Hal_

@jawknee,

No idea where my earlier replies to you went. Keep on getting an "awaiting moderation" message for some reason, unlike my other replies.

What is the Freezer Trick?

Could you provide a comprehensive explanation?


thanks,

Hal

Hal_

@chas_m

That'd be great.

Anyone have good experience with drive recovery places in Canada ?


thanks,

Hal