Hard drive damage after laptop drop
An increasing number of people are using portable hard drives placed in special containers with a USB interface. Can be portable hard drives various sizes 3.5" , 2.5" , 1.8", 1".
Accordingly, the number of requests for data recovery from hard drive after his accidental fall. The most vulnerable are large 3.5" form factor hard drives placed in a container that is installed vertically.
It must be said right away that almost all the consequences falling hard disk problems are quite serious and it takes a lot of time and effort to restore information.
Possible consequences after a hard drive is accidentally dropped:
1. Sticking of magnetic heads on the surface of the hard drive.
Head sticking occurs when the hard drive is dropped (inoperative). Or supplying reduced power while the disk is operating. The disk slows down and the heads “land” on the surface.
In this case, to recover data from the hard drive, you must carefully remove the magnetic heads from the surface of the drive. If the heads have not visually changed their geometry, an attempt should be made to read the data using the original HDD heads. If the magnetic head unit is damaged, the head unit is replaced and the information is restored.
2. Dropping the HDD may cause the HDD motor bearing to wedge.
In this case, recovering data from a hard drive is a more serious procedure. More often, “large” HDDs of 3.5-inch format are susceptible to this, usually with the largest possible volumes. This is due to large quantities magnetic surfaces and their greater mass. The hard drive does not start because it cannot spin up. The spindle motor shaft is displaced. Given this hard drive malfunction disk, it is necessary to transplant the entire package of magnetic surfaces into another HDD case with a working engine and only after that carry out data recovery.
3. Combining the two problems of paragraphs 1 and 2 into one even larger problem.
When both the hard drive heads and the HDD spindle become stuck.
4. Mechanical damage to the magnetic surfaces of the HDD.
As a result of the fall hard drive turned on, the magnetic heads may fall onto the surface of the hard drive and scratch the magnetic surface. The formation of concentric cuts on HDD surfaces is possible. In this case, data recovery or will require the use large quantity magnetic heads (read: hard drives- donors, where the block of magnetic heads comes from), or it will be completely impossible.
After a fall or shock from a hard drive, the maximum you can restore is information; it will not work as before.
1) Dents or traces of impacts.
As a result, when hard drives fall, the geometric parameters of the HDA and its mechanical internals are violated; microdisplacements are sufficient to ensure that the heads no longer catch the track or scratch the magnetic surface.
2) Pancakes do not unwind.
This happens in cases where there is a motor wedge in the middle of the HDA. Sometimes the heads stick to the magnetic surface of the disk and prevent the pancakes from unwinding.
3) Knocking, clicking, clicking heads
This most often indicates that the heads do not find servo information due to displacement magnetic disks after the blow. One way or another, it is necessary to replace the entire MMG (Magnetic Head Unit). For this purpose, a donor is purchased.
4) The disks rotate noisily (squeaking, grinding)
Excessive noise when rotating the pancakes is evidence of the heads scratching the magnetic surface. In this situation, the data cannot be saved. It is very important if hard drive fell in the off state DO NOT CONNECT IT TO THE PC but immediately contact a recovery company.
5) It does not spin up, but strange sounds are heard from the HDA (howling, whistling).
This happens when the heads are stuck to the magnetic surface, the engine tries to spin up and fails.
Problems
- Displacement of the platters relative to each other (newer hard drive models use up to four platters).
- Damage to the magnetic head unit.
- Engine bearing wedge.
- The surface of the discs is scratched (damaged).
Percentage of hard drive problems
Physical problems
: These include problems such as damage to magnetic heads, platters, and problems with the motor.
Logic problems: These problems occur when the hard drive is for example accidentally formatted or infected with a virus.
Software problems. TO this type malfunctions include malfunctions in the internal operating system drive.
The hard drive runs its own operating system and uses a large amount of service information - tables
zone placements, tables of hidden defects, write current parameters.
33 %
are occupied by logical problems and only 8 %
software
59 %
I take physical damage
Damage to the magnetic head unit - you will need a donor (absolutely identical model). With subsequent rearrangement of magnetic heads. Without specialized equipment and experience is indispensable.
Engine bearing wedge - the disk package needs to be rearranged. It’s also impossible to do without specialized equipment and experience.
Hard drive failure is one of the most common reasons contacting data recovery specialists. This problem happens especially often with external hard drives.
Many owners external hard drives are handled rather carelessly, naively believing that the rubberized case will reliably protect the drive from shocks and falls. But an HDD is not a flash drive, but a rather complex and fragile product, the fall of which even from a small height can lead to complete loss data. What are the usual consequences of a dropped hard drive?
What happens to the HDD after a fall?
If the disk was connected to the computer at the time of the fall, in most cases the magnetic head falls on the surface of the disk, which leads to its damage, sticking of the magnetic head unit (MMG) and the destruction of part of the magnetic layer of the HDD platter.
The stepper motor shaft may jam, as a result of which it either cannot reach its standard speed or does not spin up at all.
If the impact was strong, the hermetic block of the disk may be deformed, and consequently, the BMG and disk plates will shift, which most often leads to sawing of their surface.
Damage to the electronics board is more unlikely, which, by the way, is the easiest to fix - just replace it with the same one. In other cases, opening the HDA cannot be avoided.
How to recover data if the HDD is mechanically damaged?
If the disk's BMG is working properly, you need to try to read data with it by unsticking the BMG from the surface of the platter and “parking” it. There are several techniques for this, which we present here solely to satisfy your curiosity. If you really need information from the HDD, do not try to do the things described below yourself. So here are some of these methods:
- A strictly dosed force is applied to the BMG, calculated in such a way that it comes off the surface and, without damaging the magnetic layer, moves to the parking area. The method is quite dangerous: one wrong move, and you will need to look for a donor drive to remove the BMG, and you can easily “file down” the surface;
- sometimes quite in an effective way moving the BMG to the parking area is done by wetting its reading element with isopropyl alcohol.
If everything is done correctly, all you need to do is turn on the power and read the data from the drive using the indispensable Data Extractor UDMA tool. If the most important user data does not end up in the area where the BMG falls onto the disk surface, usually all valuable information can be saved.
We remind you once again that manually rearranging the BMG of modern hard drives is an extremely complex and dangerous operation, and in most cases (if a non-professional takes on the task using improvised means) it ends in failure: you can not only ruin the BMG, but also damage the magnetic layer even more disk.
To perform this operation successfully, you must have the appropriate experience and devices for replacing the BMG - special pullers with which you can avoid scratches and cuts on the surface of the disk. In addition, you should not touch the BMG without wearing rubber gloves, otherwise you will not be able to avoid fatty prints that can “kill” the BMG. And given the high cost of removers, it makes no sense to purchase them if you want to recover data from one damaged disk.
Conclusions
- Hard drives must be protected from shocks and falls.
- Don't forget about backup important data.
- In case of mechanical damage, it is impossible to do without opening the HDA, and therefore, at home, it is impossible to restore data on the disk.
- In most cases, El-recovery data recovery service specialists will be able to read information from a disk that has mechanical damage, but be prepared for the fact that in case of serious damage (for example, destruction of the magnetic layer), some of the data may be irretrievably lost.
Yes...It happened, your hard drive fell on the floor and doesn’t want to work anymore, but there is still so much information we need and need on it, and we are faced with a difficult task: How to repair a hard drive after a fall, restore all the data and forget this incident like a bad dream. This problem is completely solvable and we will certainly solve it together with you.
How to repair a hard drive after a fall?
The main thing is not to panic!
So, at the very beginning, we are trying to understand how hard our hard drive was hit, and what type of damage it has and how it behaves after the fall.
Well, let's start diagnosing possible problems:
- Scratches, dents and other mechanical damage. Our hard drive, with a light hand, foot, or someone's furry paw, fell to the floor with a crash and received mechanical damage; in this situation, the hard drive experiences violations of the geometric parameters of the HDA and the internal parts of the hard drive. Even a normal small displacement is enough to prevent the heads from catching the track or damaging the magnetic surface.
- The pancakes don't want to unscrew. This situation occurs when some kind of obstacle is formed, something gets stuck in the engine, right in the middle of the seal. It happens that the heads can stick to the magnetic surface of the disk, so the pancakes do not unscrew.
- The heads click, knocking and clicking noises are heard. This tells us that the heads cannot detect servo information because the disk hit and, as a result, the magnetic disks shifted. In case of such a breakdown, spare parts are needed, namely, we are talking about replacing an entire block of magnetic heads.
- Extraneous mechanical noises (squeaking and grinding) are heard. When a hard drive is dropped, we can often hear the disks spinning noisily, which indicates that the disks are scratching the magnetic surface of the hard drive as they rotate. In such a combination of circumstances, the data cannot be restored. But still, a very important aspect is that the disk was turned off when it fell, if so, then under no circumstances should you turn it on, but you should take it to the nearest repair shop and then everything will be fine.
- The disk does not spin up. But at the same time you can hear strange sounds, either a squeak or a whistle. This indicates to us that the heads are stuck to the magnetic surface. The disk tries to spin, makes jerks, but nothing happens. How can a problem cause this? The block of magnetic heads is severely damaged, the plates have shifted and are not relative to each other (in new models we can often see as many as four plates), the motor bearing is jammed and the hard drive refuses to spin, the surface of the disks has mechanical defects.
Problems associated with hard drive crashes and their percentage
Physical problems: various damage to magnetic heads, plates, motor wedge. And physical injuries account for 59% of cases breakdown of hard disk exactly after the fall.
Logical problems: As a rule, this is an infection hard data disk, which occurred after malware got there. A virus can significantly damage data or completely erase it. Per share software problems accounts for 33%.
Software problems. This type of problem is a consequence of “glitches” or serious problems with the internal hdd systems. Software problems account for only 8% of all the above problems. Let's focus on the most common problems: breakdown of the magnetic head unit and motor bearing wedge. If a magnetic block breaks down, we cannot do without a similar spare part, that is, this very block. The magnetic heads will have to be replaced; this will require special equipment and appropriate skill. If the disk jams, it is necessary to replace the disk package, for which you also need necessary equipment and a special skill.
Replacing the heads of the magnetic block
This type of repair is started if the heads break or the switch preamplifier is damaged. To fix such a problem, we need an identical part, namely a working HDA with the required number of plates and heads, respectively. In some cases, replacing a unit must be approached with special responsibility, since in some models we can observe such a picture as a combination of several types of switches.
At hard repair disk, first of all you need to remove the block of magnetic heads, then unscrew the bolts that secure the magnetic plate and contacts. This must be done carefully, without overdoing it, by picking up tweezers and grasping the plate, thus separating it from the hermetic layer and the hermetic block itself. The most important thing is not to damage the cable connecting the HDA to the contact group. Then we unscrew the bolts, and before our eyes such a component of the hard drive appears as an external magnet. There may be problems with its removal, since if it is removed carelessly, the magnet can “jump out”, which can lead to unpleasant consequences. The magnets installed on hard drives are very powerful and their removal requires a special approach, so we arm ourselves with wire cutters or small pliers and, resting on the base of the hard drive, use the tool as a lever, thus removing it smoothly, the same pattern must be followed when reverse installation magnet. When removing the magnet, it is very important not to damage the heads so that they do not move anywhere from the parking area.
After the magnet is removed, we can observe what is underneath it, namely: the axis of the magnetic head unit, the coil and the bearing. Then unscrew the central bolt and carefully pull the structure out of the sealed block. After this, the heads must be carefully inspected for scratches and other defects. If any defects are found, then the heads must be replaced urgently.
So, we remove the block from the latch and in its place we put a “healthy part” purchased somewhere in advance or removed from another “experimental hard drive.” New heads are carefully placed in the parking area of the hard drive being repaired. The retainer forks also need to be removed from under the block of magnetic heads, after which, when gently held, the heads lie on the parking strip. After the heads are neatly placed, we turn the lock and remove it, thereby moving its levers outside the plates. We tighten the main screw that holds the axis of the magnetic head unit inside the sealed unit. We put the top magnet and magnetic circuit in place, just as carefully as we removed it, secure it well with screws, and then screw the cover on.
Replacing the magnetic disk package
This procedure is quite complex and scrupulous and therefore it is better to entrust it to the experts. service center. But if you are confident in your abilities, then we will need exactly the same donor, and we will reinstall the entire package of plates. When replacing, it is impossible to allow interaxial displacement of each plate; if at least one plate shifts, then it will be impossible to read the information. It would seem nothing complicated, but the work is practically jewelry.
What to do if the spindle is jammed...?
The spindle wedge can occur in different scenarios; we will be most lucky if its upper surface or the heel of the shaft itself begins to jam. In this case, you won’t have to spend a lot of work, you just need to remove the lock washer, which serves as the base of the bearing cup; you don’t even have to open the sealed block, but simply release the stuck shaft.
When working with a hermetic block, it is very important to evaluate your strengths and capabilities, since such a seemingly small mechanism, but it works quite difficult, so you need to carefully select the tool and maintain workplace clean, avoiding even dust. After all, even the slightest grain of sand can throw the entire repair process down the drain. Thermoblock is a delicate matter, this is probably what professionals who have devoted many years to this matter say.
Well...I sincerely believe that I managed to describe in Russian how to repair a hard drive after a fall, and to you, or rather your hard drive I wish you not to fall and work without complaints.
Over the years, we at Storelab Data Recovery have collected a small collection of myths about data loss and recovery. Some of them are actively replicated on various computer and non-computer forums - so we hope this article will be useful to those who are looking for help when a disk breaks or data is lost. So, a post about how not to make a difficult situation even worse.
The photo shows the result of “cooling” the hard drive
1. Shock-resistant enclosures for external drives
This is a marketing ploy - rubberized cases do not protect the hard drive from damage after a fall, for example. They, of course, look beautiful and impressive, and give the hard drive itself an appearance of reliability that instills confidence in the buyer - that’s why they buy them. However, they very slightly reduce the overload on the disk parts during an impact or fall. This can save if the height is small (up to about 50 cm for 2.5-inch hard drives, up to 20 cm for 3.5-inch drives) and for the drive when it is turned off. When turned on, the disk will almost always break, because... the maximum permissible overload on a working disk is 5-7 times less than on a disabled one. We crash tested two-terabyte drives from Samsung, Hitachi, WD, and Seagate. They dropped it on, starting from a height of 5 cm, then ten, then every 10 cm. All the drives, except the Samsung, were broken after 15 cm. The Samsung broke at 40 cm due to the rubber dampers located between the hard drive itself and the case. All drives were external 3.5-inch.2. If the hard drive is acting up, tap it while booting, for example, with a screwdriver
To achieve this effect, you can also lightly tap the disc on the floor. But it won’t be a “repair effect.” As a result of such dancing with a tambourine, small particles of what breaks off inside will scratch the disk, and the data will no longer be restored. Data can be destroyed especially efficiently if you turn on the disk and then drop it from a height of about a meter (see the previous paragraph). Beautiful cuts form on its surface, after which it will be impossible to restore the data.3. There is a vacuum inside the hard drive
- or, as some of our clients say, “inert gas”. Therefore, if you accidentally open the hard drive, you will be sucked into it due to the fact that the air from the room is “sucked” into the vacuum space of the hard drive. Good myth, it’s a pity to dispel it: maybe this way it will be possible to dissuade some “craftsmen” from making their data “irrecoverable” by disassembling the disk? However, in fact, inside the disk there is just clean, dust-free air so that nothing gets into the space between the disk and the head.About 10-15 years ago, disks were actually made completely sealed; you could even fill them with water, drown them, then wipe the electronics board and continue using them - no water got inside. On modern disks there are always holes in the HDA core or cover with the inscription “DO NOT COVER THIS HOLE”; under them there are air filters that trap unwanted particles. This change was made by manufacturers due to the introduction of new production technologies, cheaper production costs and a number of other reasons. If such a disk is dipped into water, it will enter the hermetic unit through the filter.
4. A “clean room” can be provided at home and the disk can be disassembled
For example, you can disassemble and reassemble the disk in the bathroom if you wash it clean first. This is one of our favorite misconceptions. Even an experienced specialist is unlikely to cope without a comfortable table, chair, necessary tripods, tweezers, screwdrivers and pullers. And the user will not organize a full-fledged workplace at home in the bathroom with all the necessary tools, at least for economic reasons, because... Usually they try to repair disks themselves just to save money. As we said in the previous post, the disk is assembled and disassembled in a special dust-free space, and the specialist working with the disk is dressed in special clothing. Although, if you wash the bathtub properly... No, we still do not recommend doing this.5. If the BIOS or axis does not see your hard drive, it means it is broken and needs to be disassembled
In fact, if it is not possible to come to an agreement with the disk in software terms, specially trained hardware is used that establishes a “dialogue” with the problem disk. At this level you can clean bads, replace broken software the disk itself, you can “remove” information from the bads and transfer it to another medium, etc.You only need to disassemble the disk when it is physically defective.