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Steve Meyerson <> wrote:

>My friend's laptop's 2.5" hard drive became unbootable, but I was able
>to read its files using a bootable CD I created from PE-Builder.
>
>After Dell replaced her drive with a new one, the old drive no longer
>spins for some reason (I tried it in my own laptop and in an HDD
>enclosure using USB).
>
>Am I SOL, or is there any possible thing I can try to make it rise
>from the dead (i.e. get it spinning again) besides prayer?
>
>Steve M.
>

With older drives this was a fairly common problem, and the cause then
was "stiction" (sticking friction). The read/write heads would go to
the parking location where they would rest on the actual surface of
the disk. Sometimes the two surfaces (the read/write head and the
drive surface) would become so polished and super-smooth that they
would actually adhere to each other, blocking the drive from spinning.

The cure for these drives was a one-shot kill-or-cure treatment
consisting of smacking the drive firmly onto the workbench so as to
shake the heads loose. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 200
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

"Steve Meyerson" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:27:54 -0400, Rôgêr <> wrote:
>
> >Steve Meyerson wrote:
> >> My friend's laptop's 2.5" hard drive became unbootable, but I was able
> >> to read its files using a bootable CD I created from PE-Builder.
> >>
> >> After Dell replaced her drive with a new one, the old drive no longer
> >> spins for some reason (I tried it in my own laptop and in an HDD
> >> enclosure using USB).
> >>
> >> Am I SOL, or is there any possible thing I can try to make it rise
> >> from the dead (i.e. get it spinning again) besides prayer?
> >
> >I've not tried this myself, but I had a close friend tell me he actually
> >took the case of a hard drive apart and when the computer was starting,
> >he spun the platters with his finger on the outer rim. He said the thing
> >got going and read the disk fine. It was a customer's computer. He told
> >them to immediately back up everything they wanted to keep, he'd be back
> >later. When he returned they were still using the disassembled hard
> >drive. He said that was 3 months ago, they're still using that hard
drive.
>
>
> That's a good one too! I'll try that after the freezer suggestion
> (when the drive thaws out of course.
> Steve


try the drive while it's still cold...



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:32:03 -0500, "philo" <> wrote:

>
>"Steve Meyerson" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:27:54 -0400, Rôgêr <> wrote:
>>
>> >Steve Meyerson wrote:
>> >> My friend's laptop's 2.5" hard drive became unbootable, but I was able
>> >> to read its files using a bootable CD I created from PE-Builder.
>> >>
>> >> After Dell replaced her drive with a new one, the old drive no longer
>> >> spins for some reason (I tried it in my own laptop and in an HDD
>> >> enclosure using USB).
>> >>
>> >> Am I SOL, or is there any possible thing I can try to make it rise
>> >> from the dead (i.e. get it spinning again) besides prayer?
>> >
>> >I've not tried this myself, but I had a close friend tell me he actually
>> >took the case of a hard drive apart and when the computer was starting,
>> >he spun the platters with his finger on the outer rim. He said the thing
>> >got going and read the disk fine. It was a customer's computer. He told
>> >them to immediately back up everything they wanted to keep, he'd be back
>> >later. When he returned they were still using the disassembled hard
>> >drive. He said that was 3 months ago, they're still using that hard
>drive.
>>
>>
>> That's a good one too! I'll try that after the freezer suggestion
>> (when the drive thaws out of course.
>> Steve
>
>
>try the drive while it's still cold...

Right. I misstated my intention, which was to try the "cover removal"
idea afterthe thaw.

Thanks for the good suggestions, guys. I tried them all. Unfortunately
for my friend, I wasn't able to be the hero.

The freezer thing didn't work.

I had the case off and was able to spin the platters with power
attached, so they weren't stuck, but they wouldn't continuing
spinning. And the heads didn't seem free to move across the platters,
but that might be normal for all I know.

I did notice a rocker arm at the edge of the case came detached, but I
couldn't figure out how to reattach it.

Anyway, thanks again for your help.

Steve M.

"Steve Meyerson" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:32:03 -0500, "philo" <> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Steve Meyerson" <> wrote in message
> >news:.. .
> >> On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:27:54 -0400, Rôgêr <> wrote:
> >>
> >> >Steve Meyerson wrote:
> >> >> My friend's laptop's 2.5" hard drive became unbootable, but I was
able
> >> >> to read its files using a bootable CD I created from PE-Builder.
> >> >>
> >> >> After Dell replaced her drive with a new one, the old drive no
longer
> >> >> spins for some reason (I tried it in my own laptop and in an HDD
> >> >> enclosure using USB).
> >> >>
> >> >> Am I SOL, or is there any possible thing I can try to make it rise
> >> >> from the dead (i.e. get it spinning again) besides prayer?
> >> >
> >> >I've not tried this myself, but I had a close friend tell me he
actually
> >> >took the case of a hard drive apart and when the computer was
starting,
> >> >he spun the platters with his finger on the outer rim. He said the
thing
> >> >got going and read the disk fine. It was a customer's computer. He
told
> >> >them to immediately back up everything they wanted to keep, he'd be
back
> >> >later. When he returned they were still using the disassembled hard
> >> >drive. He said that was 3 months ago, they're still using that hard
> >drive.
> >>
> >>
> >> That's a good one too! I'll try that after the freezer suggestion
> >> (when the drive thaws out of course.
> >> Steve
> >
> >
> >try the drive while it's still cold...
>
> Right. I misstated my intention, which was to try the "cover removal"
> idea afterthe thaw.


That's worth a try too...
I got one going once that way too...
it even worked for a few weeks after that...

but 99% of the time...it's a no go



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Steve Meyerson added these comments in the current discussion du
jour ...

> Thanks. I had a feeling I might get some backup religion here.
> And I totally agree. In this case the daughter of a friend
> has two years worth of her college work on the computer
> including resume(s) and a zillion songs (sigh) - probably
> about 30-40 gigs..

Are you kidding? This girl had 40 gig of college work on the PC
that went dead, with NO backup?

> As far as hard drives crashing, it's not IF, it's WHEN. She
> bought a new backup drive, so the barn door is closed, albeit
> a little late. At this point, I'll try the freezer thing, but
> I don't think she wants to spend $500 to recover the data.

I didn't say it would cost $500, I thought more like $100, maybe
$200. But, she is the only one that can place a value on that,
which is primarily calculated by the hours of effort to retype/redo
everything from paper copies.

> What's really frustrating to me is I was reading the data when
> the drive was in the laptop and could have backed it up then
> using a 2Gb memory stick - a long job because neither my LAN
> nor my USB hard drive would work with the boot disk I was
> using.
>
"Fool me once, shame on you, shame me twice, shame on me". This
girl learned a very valuable object lesson early in life, it may be
a good thing in the long-run. Most of us who give backup religion
seminars speaketh from experience, people should consider that.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Steve Meyerson wrote:
> Thanks for the good suggestions, guys. I tried them all. Unfortunately
> for my friend, I wasn't able to be the hero.
>
> The freezer thing didn't work.
>
> I had the case off and was able to spin the platters with power
> attached, so they weren't stuck, but they wouldn't continuing
> spinning. And the heads didn't seem free to move across the platters,
> but that might be normal for all I know.
>
> I did notice a rocker arm at the edge of the case came detached, but I
> couldn't figure out how to reattach it.
>
> Anyway, thanks again for your help.

R.I.P.

"Rôgêr" <> wrote in message
news:nr-...
> Steve Meyerson wrote:
>> Thanks for the good suggestions, guys. I tried them all. Unfortunately
>> for my friend, I wasn't able to be the hero.
>>
>> The freezer thing didn't work.
>>
>> I had the case off and was able to spin the platters with power
>> attached, so they weren't stuck, but they wouldn't continuing
>> spinning. And the heads didn't seem free to move across the platters,
>> but that might be normal for all I know.
>>
>> I did notice a rocker arm at the edge of the case came detached, but I
>> couldn't figure out how to reattach it.
>>
>> Anyway, thanks again for your help.
>
> R.I.P.


Well it's dead allright.
Hopefully it was not anything too terribly critical