Ubcd can't see hard drive

[Melba72]

Hello,
I have been working on recovering data from a laptop (using UBCD) with multiple issues, including a dying hard drive. Upon checking with owner of the laptop, there was one more bit of data they wanted to try to get. The laptop fan is also failing and I had shut it off so it could cool down before resuming recovery. Now, all of the sudden it doesn't detect the hard drive at all. I believe it has totally failed. Any thoughts on anything else I could do? Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @Melba72!

I'd definitely consider taking the HDD to a professional data recovery company, especially if the files on it are so important. Unfortunately, it sounds like it might have failed due to a hardware corruption, so even a Ubuntu Live CD might not be able to help here. If there's a failed hardware component on the mechanical drive itself, you will need a specific dust-free environment and the technical knowledge to tamper with it physically. Either way, you could still try connecting it to other computers and externally via a SATA-to-USB cable to see if you will be able to recognize it then.

Let me know how it goes.
SuperSoph_WD