HDD failure to initialise

[audiofail]

Hi, I have an old archive HDD which is not longer recognised by windows.

Disk management shows only the 100mb system partition, and not the 500gb data partition.

it will also not initialise the 100mb partition due to cyclic redundancy error.

I do need the data on the HDD, I have tried replacing the PCB with another with the same model and firmare, but that does not even show the 100mb partition.

the drive spins up in both cases.

any information would be helpful
thanks

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware, @audiofail!

Unfortunately, if you have tampered with the hardware on the drive physically, you might have damaged something else inside. Have you tried running its brand-specific diagnostic tool to determine the drive's health and SMART status? I'd strongly advise you to do so and see if there's anything to be concerned about. Data retrieving attempts when the files are that important could potentially do more harm, than good. I'd suggest you consider contacting a professional data recovery company for assistance with this.
I'm not sure how helpful that would be, but you could also try using a Ubuntu Live CD at your own risk, to check if you would be able to access your files from there.

Good luck & keep me posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[audiofail]

Hi, thanks for replying, Sentinel has the ability to retrieve smart and health data, but the main partition does not appear for me to be able to check it.

I would contact a data recovery firm but they are all way over priced.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Unfortunately, @audiofail, that is true.
Their services tend to be quite pricey which is why it's highly recommended to keep regular backups on a different off-site drive destination. Having multiple copies of your files stored in various storage devices is the surest way to avoid the unpleasant headaches of data loss. In the future, always make sure you do these backup procedures as they will keep your peace of mind.

I hope everything works out! Good luck with the data recovery!
SuperSoph_WD