How to fix a "dead" harddrive (DBAN fail)?

[Ryan van Velden]

So I tried to wipe my harddrive with DBAN, but this time it failed.

Normally I use DoD 3x pass, but this time the last option (don't know which one it was), it only had 1x pass, but there was something for "modern hard drives"
I think mine is "modern", it is a SATA II WD HDD (320GB).

Before I explain, I don't have a desktop, it is a laptop (acer aspire 5741).

I was nuking my harddrive and then DBAN showed me it failed after it was 100% complete (don't know what error it was).
Now my pc won't boot anymore on AHCI mode (it has always been on that one).
It boots up, shows the Acer logo and the bios (f2) and boot menu (f12), but I can not select them.
I changed it to IDE mode without harddrive and now it kind of works.

I was thinking of nuking my harddrive with linux but this happens:
I have kali linux on a usb and booted it up from usb, but it shows me an error from my harddrive (something in Block 0).
It only boots without my harddrive inserted.
So it looks like it is dead (however the harddrive still runs when it is inserted)

How can I fix my "dead" harddrive?
I can not boot with it inserted (when trying to boot from usb)
I can only boot from usb without the harddrive inserted.

It is a WD3200BPVT

I can boot into linux from a usb stick, but only when my hdd is not inserted.
I want to nuke this WD HDD to install a clean os on it, but my laptop does not boot with it. I don't have any 2.5" to 3.5" convertor or a second laptop to try it on, but I'm 100% sure that any pc would boot with this hard drive..

But now my problem is is that is also does not show up in linux when it is booted and then inserted.

 

[USAFRet]

How to fix it?
Install a new HDD and the old one becomes a fridge magnet donor.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

So after this dban fail my harddrive is dead??

My bios still recognize my harddrive 100% (it shows me that it is a WD3200BPVT, and that is also on the label on the hdd itself)

 

[USAFRet]

So after this dban fail my harddrive is dead??

I can't know 100%, but that's what it looks like to me. Have you tried it with a different drive?

 

[Snipergod87]

Any disk wiping software as it should will completly overwrite the entire disk, it could be that your hard drive was on the edge of failure and that pushed it over.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

So after this dban fail my harddrive is dead??

I can't know 100%, but that's what it looks like to me. Have you tried it with a different drive?

I don't have a 2nd internal 2.5" hdd, but I'm sure it will boot up.
My bios recognize it, but I can only boot into bios when disk controller is set to IDE (It has always been AHCI, but now it doesn't like it anymore)

 

[mouse24]

Have you taken the hdd out of the list of available boot options completely?

 

[Ryan van Velden]

Have you taken the hdd out of the list of available boot options completely?

I will try right now, I'll tell you in a bit what happened.

 

[USAFRet]

So after this dban fail my harddrive is dead??

I can't know 100%, but that's what it looks like to me. Have you tried it with a different drive?

I don't have a 2nd internal 2.5" hdd, but I'm sure it will boot up.
My bios recognize it, but I can only boot into bios when disk controller is set to IDE (It has always been AHCI, but now it doesn't like it anymore)

The BIOS sees what the circuit board on the drive is telling it. Has nothing to do with the actual drive functionality.

 

[Snipergod87]

Download Seatools for DOS on a disk and run a long generic test. It will test your disk for failures.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

I tried moving the boot menu from the hdd to the last boot device, still getting this:
This screen is when trying to boot DBAN: http://imgur.com/zTqdvKI.jpg
This screen is when trying to boot Kali Linux: http://imgur.com/4TmY54k.jpg

I'll try to get dos on a usb stick, dont have any cd. I tried in the past to use dos on usb, but it somehow failed..

 

[ex_bubblehead]

The drive has failed. It cannot be repaired. Replace it.

 

[mouse24]

I tried moving the boot menu from the hdd to the last boot device, still getting this:
This screen is when trying to boot DBAN: http://imgur.com/zTqdvKI.jpg
This screen is when trying to boot Kali Linux: http://imgur.com/4TmY54k.jpg

I'll try to get dos on a usb stick, dont have any cd. I tried in the past to use dos on usb, but it somehow failed..

Oh I thought it was freezing on post when the drive was plugged in, I probably misread something somewhere. Those errors you're getting are good evidence of a failed drive. You can grab up a 1tb drive for 60 bucks.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

I am getting this when trying to boot with DOS (from a 2GB usb): http://imgur.com/SZINSOU.jpg
After a while it gets on the "menu"
What do I have to select? (live cd doesn't work since I dont have any cd around here and install to a hdd doesnt work because my harddrive is corrupt)

I am going to eat now, so I'll be back within 1 hour.

PS: if I have to buy a new HDD I am going to look for a cheap small one, dont need that much storage, a 160gb should do it.

 

[jitpublisher]

How long are you going to keep whipping a dead horse? You have already spent more time on this old drive than its worth, just go get another drive. You can buy a WD blue notebook 500 gig drive for under $50. (which is about the smallest drive that they make now)

 

[Ryan van Velden]

Well, this drive worked perfectly fine before this nuke, but only thing was that windows was doing weird (apps opened and closed, searched 3 days on the internet with no results rather than reinstalling os)
I think I will have to buy a new hdd.

PS: I nuked this HDD 2 times correctly in the past, but now failed trying an other method. Maybe I should keep the wipe method to DoD 3x pass)

 

[Snipergod87]

Well, this drive worked perfectly fine before this nuke, but only thing was that windows was doing weird (apps opened and closed, searched 3 days on the internet with no results rather than reinstalling os)
I think I will have to buy a new hdd.

PS: I nuked this HDD 2 times correctly in the past, but now failed trying an other method. Maybe I should keep the wipe method to DoD 3x pass)

Pretty much everything works perfectly fine before it dies.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

Well, this drive worked perfectly fine before this nuke, but only thing was that windows was doing weird (apps opened and closed, searched 3 days on the internet with no results rather than reinstalling os)
I think I will have to buy a new hdd.

PS: I nuked this HDD 2 times correctly in the past, but now failed trying an other method. Maybe I should keep the wipe method to DoD 3x pass)

Pretty much everything works perfectly fine before it dies.

I would like to say "yeah, no <Mod Edit>".
But I think some things just happen.

Is it possible to fix a failed hard drive? (take it to a store if needed)
Or is the hard drive permanent dead?

 

[USAFRet]

Is it 'possible'? Maybe.
Take it to a store and it will cost money. More money than a replacement drive would be.

Things die. Hard drives especially. The only scenario where I would take a drive somewhere else to be fixed is if there were completely irreplaceable photos on it.

But for my system....there are multiple backups of those type of files. If a drive dies, "It's dead, Jim".
Move on.

 

[Snipergod87]

Well, this drive worked perfectly fine before this nuke, but only thing was that windows was doing weird (apps opened and closed, searched 3 days on the internet with no results rather than reinstalling os)
I think I will have to buy a new hdd.

PS: I nuked this HDD 2 times correctly in the past, but now failed trying an other method. Maybe I should keep the wipe method to DoD 3x pass)

Pretty much everything works perfectly fine before it dies.

I would like to say "yeah, no <Mod Edit>".
But I think some things just happen.

Is it possible to fix a failed hard drive? (take it to a store if needed)
Or is the hard drive permanent dead?

You can check if you can get it replaced if it is under warranty, however if it is the drive that came with the Acer computer it is covered by Acers warranty (Typically 1 year) not the hard drive manufacturers (typically 2-3 years).
There isn't a way to fix a failed hard drive, not without a clean room, a lot of time precision tools and spare parts, costing more than a new HDD.

 

[Ryan van Velden]

Oh well, I need a new hdd then. Unfortunately I don't have any warranty anymore (I bought this laptop in 2010)