Yet another accident
This time I am ok, but my 400GB external HDD is gone and along with it I lost all the photographs that I took in the last two year and the videos including meetthegimp and inkscape and bijra related videos. I somehow managed to kick it while it was connected to the system. It fell from 1 and half feet above the ground.
From /var/log/messages
Mar 1 15:02:15 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: USB disconnect, address 17
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: scsi19 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0d49, idProduct=3200
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: Product: Maxtor 3200
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: Manufacturer: Maxtor Corporation
Mar 1 15:02:17 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: SerialNumber: 2CAHFJJP
Mar 1 15:02:28 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:02:33 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: device descriptor read/64, error -71
Mar 1 15:02:43 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:02:59 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:02:59 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:03:10 localhost kernel: usb 2-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 18
Mar 1 15:03:10 localhost kernel: scsi 19:0:0:0: Device offlined - not ready after error recovery
Right now I am singing in joy(?). Is there any chance that I can recover the data ?
13 Comments to Yet another accident
What are the symptoms now? Clicks? If it has somehow locked the heads and now only gives clicks, one way I’ve found to recover data before is to literally freeze the drive. Put it in a sealed bag (to avoid condensation problems) and put it in the freezer for a few hours. The heads and mechanism will contract, and hopefully release the heads and allow you to read the data.
SteveMarch 1, 2009
Ouch.
Stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then try it.
There are hdd recovery services you can try to replace the spindle etc, but depends just how much you value your data.
Richard MooreMarch 1, 2009
Try taking the drive out of the enclosure and using it directly via the IDE/SATA interface. This removes one of the potential sources of the problem from the equation.
ruurdMarch 1, 2009
Agree with Richard here. Does it make clicking sounds???
I know it’s an opensuse blog, but maybe this will help? [it's mainly for the images]
http://www.suseblog.com/linux-tool-resurrects-deleted-images
DanaKilMarch 1, 2009
mutluMarch 1, 2009
There is a very useful tool called testdisk. It is a little difficult to use at first and it can, of course, cause irreparable damage like any attempt at recovery, but it did it for me once.
Ouch!…
I also read success stories about taking the disk out from the USB enclosure and connecting directly to SATA/IDE interface, as it should be a normal hdd after all.
devel0perMarch 1, 2009
“device descriptor read/64, error -71″ – that error just about SATA/IDE controller, not about your HDD, usually. Just move HDD into another box.
ChrisMarch 2, 2009
Provided you are NOT hearing any clicking sounds coming from the drive, there area a number of things you can try. Of course, you should assume the next time you try to access the drive is going to be your last. That said, the freezer trick works well for some drives. I also agree that the drive should be removed from the enclosure. Also consider unloading the ehci_hcd module thereby forcing the device to USB 1.1. I have had this work for me in the past with failing drives.
Good luck.
You could try SpinRite (http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm). It’s a bit pricey, but it’s still cheaper than many specialized data recovery services.
B.March 3, 2009
Hi,
I second what has been said here. Take your drive out of the enclosure, seal it tightly in a plastic bag so that moisture doesn’t get to it (that would be bad), put it in the freezer for a few hours.
Then put it in your computer and ddrescue the hell out of it as fast as you can. You’ll probably want to rescue the disk image (/dev/sd[x]), rather than individual files, for efficiency. If the partition table got damaged, you won’t be able to mount the disk anyway.
And then you can follow the steps I documented here a while back to recover the files from the disk image. Bottom line is: if you’ve managed to extract a disk image, even partially damaged, chances are good you will be able to recover a good number of your files.
Good luck!
Don’t try software based methods.. if the heads are misaligned you’ll permanently damage the physical media.
If it’s worth it use a professional recovery service. It’s expensive around 10-15k per disk I think. But you should get quite a bit of your data back.
A friend of mine recovered stuff from a crashed hard disk, I can get you the contact details if you want. It’s in Bangalore though.
March 1, 2009