[SOLVED] Any way to revive this HDD?

[Vox]

Hi there,

My laptop fell off and since then it can't boot (no boot sector found) it says.
Warranty wore off already, I opened the laptop, checked cables, nothing suspicious.
Then removed the 1TB HGST hard disk and put it in my PC for checking.

The bios (uefi) and the Device Manager in Windows sees it, it's in the device list with no exclamation sign. But the drive is not showing up in My Computer (explorer) so I can't open it.
I've tried to fix it in the Disk Management but every time I open the service a popup shows up saying "You must initialize a disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it." Whichever I choose MRB or GPT partition style for the disk it drops the error in:

The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.

Is there a way to fix this HDD?
Or at least to backup my data somehow before I throw it off?

I know there are companies who can backup dead disks too for fair amount of money but these are only personal files not confidential CIA data so I'm looking for only free methods.

 

[lvt]

Since it's a 2.5" HDD, you can try a SATA to USB3.0 adapter.

The adapter costs about $10~$13, so it's worth having one around.

 

[punkncat]

You may need to go into Disk Management and initialize the disk there. Even if you see it as a physical drive you may have issue accessing it because it's a system drive for another computer. You could try to utilize a cloning program and see if it will successfully complete that.

The above advice about a dock or adapter cable is solid.

 

[Vox]

You may need to go into Disk Management and initialize the disk there. Even if you see it as a physical drive you may have issue accessing it because it's a system drive for another computer. You could try to utilize a cloning program and see if it will successfully complete that.

The above advice about a dock or adapter cable is solid.

As I said I just tried to initialize it in the Disk Management.
For the adapter cable idea, I'm also curious why would it be anything better to connect the HDD through external stuff and/or via USB than just put it into my PC's internal sata cable (I removed a drive and connected this one in its place). So why is connecting directly worse than to connect it external.

 

[USAFRet]

As I said I just tried to initialize it in the Disk Management.
For the adapter cable idea, I'm also curious why would it be anything better to connect the HDD through external stuff and/or via USB than just put it into my PC's internal sata cable (I removed a drive and connected this one in its place). So why is connecting directly worse than to connect it external.

If you've connected it to a PC via internal SATA power and data cables, and it still does not work...the drive is dead.

Get a new drive, and recover the data from the backup you made before this happened.

 

[punkncat]

As I said I just tried to initialize it in the Disk Management.
For the adapter cable idea, I'm also curious why would it be anything better to connect the HDD through external stuff and/or via USB than just put it into my PC's internal sata cable (I removed a drive and connected this one in its place). So why is connecting directly worse than to connect it external.

Apologies, I missed that aspect of your post when you mentioned the initialization error.

It isn't that connecting externally is better, it's just easier. Plus, as cheap as the cable for this is you never know it might pop up as readable as a USB device....but rather doubt it after the clarification.

 

[USAFRet]

It isn't that connecting externally is better, it's just easier. Plus, as cheap as the cable for this is you never know it might pop up as readable as a USB device....but rather doubt it after the clarification.

Yeah. I have a toaster style dock for just this type situation.
2.5/3.5" SATA drives, no problem.
$20

 

[lvt]

As I said I just tried to initialize it in the Disk Management.
For the adapter cable idea, I'm also curious why would it be anything better to connect the HDD through external stuff and/or via USB than just put it into my PC's internal sata cable (I removed a drive and connected this one in its place). So why is connecting directly worse than to connect it external.

With a SATA to USB adapter:

• You don't need to open the computer case to test the HDD.
• You can try it on different USB ports (2.0, 3.0).
• You can try it on different computer/laptop.

Anyway, do you hear the HDD spining and the actuator's activity?

 

[Vox]

Anyway, do you hear the HDD spining and the actuator's activity?

Yea, the HDD spinning can be heard when my PC boots up and sometimes also when the Disk Management is started. The spinning is a 8-10 monotone repeating cluck during the PC's boot-up and something less at the DM.
Not sure about the actuator. I did not disassemble the drive but I can't hear the typical spin-up sound (if this is the sound when a HDD wakes up).

 

[WS1995]

Yeah. I have a toaster style dock for just this type situation.
2.5/3.5" SATA drives, no problem.
$20

Likewise.

Inateck by any chance?

Probably got the same one as me if it is. Absolutely worth their weight in gold, cheap and saves the hassle of having to remove the side panels, disconnect a drive, or add a sata cable and find a power cable for it from the PSU.

 

[USAFRet]

Likewise.

Inateck by any chance?

Probably got the same one as me if it is. Absolutely worth their weight in gold, cheap and saves the hassle of having to remove the side panels, disconnect a drive, or add a sata cable and find a power cable for it from the PSU.

Cable Matters.
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Docking-Station-Support/dp/B0099TX7O4

4 years old now, works every time.

 

[InvalidError]

The drive showing up uninitialized in Windows means Windows wasn't able to read the partition table from it. The drive may have had a head crash and require surgery to fix before you have any chance of recovering any data from it. The more you attempt to use it in its damaged condition, the more likely the damaged head is to scrape the bits off of the platters.

 

[lvt]

Yea, the HDD spinning can be heard when my PC boots up and sometimes also when the Disk Management is started. The spinning is a 8-10 monotone repeating cluck during the PC's boot-up and something less at the DM.
Not sure about the actuator. I did not disassemble the drive but I can't hear the typical spin-up sound (if this is the sound when a HDD wakes up).

The 2.5" HDD is much more quiet than the 3.5" HDD, obviously.

But you can hear the disk actuator/arm making some sound when it's moving.

If the arm is not moving, Windows's files explorer can't read the disk, that could explain why your disk doesn't appear in Explorer.

 

[WS1995]

Cable Matters.
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Docking-Station-Support/dp/B0099TX7O4

4 years old now, works every time.

Fair enough. I've got one of the Inateck USB-C ones. With 2 slots, supports both 3.5" and 2.5" like a lot of them do.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075SSQG14/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've only used it once or twice, for cloning data from an internal drive to an external one using HD Clone (Miray Software), worked a treat and saved me no end of faffing about unplugging and re-connecting internal power and data cables.

 

[InvalidError]

I've only used it once or twice, for cloning data from an internal drive to an external one using HD Clone (Miray Software), worked a treat and saved me no end of faffing about unplugging and re-connecting internal power and data cables.

The time saving from having some form of external dock gets huge if you are attempting to extract data from a failing HDD and get increasingly less usable drive time between drive hangs as the drive's deterioration progresses. Those 3-5 minutes of shutting down and restarting the system to reset the drive for the next attempt are a huge waste of possibly extremely limited remaining life.

 

[USAFRet]

I use mine at least monthly. Recently, every day for the last week in the drive reconfig for my NAS.

 

[WS1995]

I use mine at least monthly. Recently, every day for the last week in the drive reconfig for my NAS.

Good old NAS. I used to have a NAS, then upgraded and ended up buying a HP Proliant Gen 6 server for the house. Got rid of it in the end when we no longer needed media/file sharing.

 

[WS1995]

The time saving from having some form of external dock gets huge if you are attempting to extract data from a failing HDD and get increasingly less usable drive time between drive hangs as the drive's deterioration progresses. Those 3-5 minutes of shutting down and restarting the system to reset the drive for the next attempt are a huge waste of possibly extremely limited remaining life.

I hadn't even considered that. Very good point.

 

[lvt]

Fair enough. I've got one of the Inateck USB-C ones. With 2 slots, supports both 3.5" and 2.5" like a lot of them do.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075SSQG14/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've only used it once or twice, for cloning data from an internal drive to an external one using HD Clone (Miray Software), worked a treat and saved me no end of faffing about unplugging and re-connecting internal power and data cables.

I also need a dock for 2 HDDs, but my HDDs have to run as long as the computer remains powered so I need the HDDs to be in horizontal position, and most of all, they must be cooled off by a fan. The only HDDs stand I found was a large box with lot built-in power and fan but it costs hundreds of dollars. So I had to mount a support for 2 HDDs and use 2 SATA to USB3.0 cables.