Recovering a hard drive after a fall. Hard drive damage after laptop drop

If a sad situation occurs when hard drive received physical damage, whether it was damage from a fall or was simply hit, then you are not in a hurry to worry about the loss of data, because... We strive to talk about computers in Russian and as much as possible accessible language, we have prepared this article for you, from which you will learn how to restore external hard disk after falling.

In this article, we focus on methods and devices that can be used to eliminate mechanical problems, because it is because of them that violations occur that do not allow hard drive read the information.

How to recover a hard drive after a fall?

Even small falls hard drive can produce displacements of the mechanical internals, which, even with minimal deviations, will be enough for the heads to scratch the magnetic surface.

This often happens when the heads stick to the magnetic surface of the disk and are subsequently unable to unwind.

Occurs due to the fact that as a result of the fall they are displaced magnetic disks and the heads cannot find access to servo information. This is a critical case when the magnetic head unit needs to be replaced; a special “donor” is purchased for this procedure.

In this case, this is due to the heads scratching the magnetic surface, which leads to irreversible data loss without the possibility of recovery. Such a disc is under no circumstances recommended to be used and should be taken immediately to service center.

The disk does not spin up, but produces strange sounds when trying to work.

This happens due to the sticking of the hard drive heads to the magnetic surfaces, the motor tries to spin up, but it doesn’t work, which is why squeaks occur.

• Traces of impacts and dents.
• Engine bearing wedge.
• Scratches on the disc surface.
• Damage to the magnetic head unit.

1. Most frequent problems The non-functioning of the HDD is physical, which we similarly discussed above. Physical damage accounts for 59% of all cases where a hard drive becomes faulty. That is why in this article we will pay special attention to how to repair a hard drive after an impact.
2. Logical problems. They occur in cases where the hard drive was infected with a virus or was carelessly formatted. Among all cases of calls to service centers, logical problems account for 33 percent.
3. Software problems. Occurs when disruptions occur in personal operating system, on which the drive is running. The hard drive uses a huge amount of profile information: lists, placement zones, tables. From time to time, as in any other system, failures are also possible here. However, compared to other problems, software problems are still quite rare and occupy only 8% of all cases.

Since various damage to the magnetic head unit is the most common among physical problems, with which they contact the service, then let’s focus on this problem. We will need a donor, that is, a model identical to the one we will be repairing, and special professional tools, since we will be replacing magnetic heads. Also experience in data technical operations will also be very welcome, so if you are not confident in your abilities, then leave this work to specialists.

Before starting work, properly prepare your workplace, completely remove all dust from it, specialized tool must also be sterile and free of dust as much as possible.

1. Keep the work area sterile.
2. Don't rush, work carefully.
3. Select a compatible BMG donor.

Donor. What is it and how not to make a mistake when choosing it

A donor is a drive that is identical to the one you are about to replace in damaged HDD. In order not to make a mistake when choosing it, choose one that has the same model, record reading type and HDA.

After we have selected the right donor, we get down to work:

Often the BMG axle on the HDA cover is bolted, we unscrew it first. Next, unscrew the bolts that secure the HDA to the frame. The next step is to remove the cover, but do this carefully, under it there is a sealing gasket, which in no case should even be scratched. After removing the cover and protective film we see all the mechanisms that make up the HDA. Since we need to replace faulty heads, some of these mechanisms will have to be disassembled.

First, remove the main magnet in the positioning system located on top. We unscrew all the bolts that secure it and carefully take it out and press it with wire cutters, but hold it firmly, the magnets in the HDD are very strong, they easily attract each other and also easily fail if damaged.

Under the magnet you can see the positioning system along with the VCM coil. The head control connector is tightly screwed to the frame; we unscrew the screws holding it in place. Next, in order to remove the heads from the user area, we remove the limiters and the parking system.

Now comes the most difficult stage. If your HDD uses external system parking, then first you need to remove the heads from it. This is done like this: we continuously rotate the plates so that the heads do not stick to the surfaces, and remove the heads from the user area along with removing the parking system.

To remove the heads from the plates, make sure that they do not stick together. IN in this case It will not be possible to do without a container from HDRC specialized for these purposes, in which we place one of the heads.

If everything was done correctly, the heads will be packed and removed without damage. The time has come to remove the BMG. However, remember that it is very vulnerable to static voltage, so we advise you to properly ground the tools and work with gloves made of dielectric material. Well, unscrew the screw holding the BMG and pull the top and remove it from the axle. It is best to pull it with pliers so as not to damage the conductors.

Now we perform exactly the same operations for our donor and we have at our disposal a large set of good heads with which we replace the faulty heads in our damaged HDD. Now we carry out all the same operations as performed above, but only in reverse order. If you managed it before, you can do it now. However, it is especially worth paying attention to getting the heads on the surface. In order to move the heads apart, we will again use special tools from HDRC or tools from other specialized companies.

The next special point installation in progress parking element, special attention should be paid to ensure that it is installed without any noise, otherwise in the future during operation this will certainly lead to internal damage to the drive. Well, this is the most difficult stage.

We assemble the entire HDD together and close it with the lid. Now we turn it on to the network and if all the steps were carried out correctly and carefully, then reconnection will occur and the data will be restored.

1. If the BIOS does not see the hard drive, this does not mean that it is faulty or that its repair was unsuccessful. In this case, this is a purely software problem and can be treated by cleaning the bads or replacing software the disk itself.
2. A hard drive can last five hundred thousand hours, or about 50 years, without breaking down. In fact, this is not true. This just shows how much this model can theoretically hold out, but in practice we have the fact that half a ten percent of disks fail in the first year, so don’t rely too much on this number.
3. Don’t be fooled by the talk that professional data recovery from a hard drive after a fall is a very expensive procedure. This is not so, but only within one and a half thousand rubles, and diagnostics should be carried out completely free of charge.

If the hard drive has been subjected to mechanical stress and is damaged after being dropped or hit, then recovering data from it may be an impossible task for you. regular user. Specialized centers will, of course, help you, but if you decide to independently recover data lost after disk damage, then follow the recommendations below.

Connecting a damaged disk to a computer

Since the disk after a fall is unlikely to be correctly detected in the BIOS and the system will not be able to start from it, it is necessary to resolve the issue of connecting it to the computer. There are two options:

• Using the USB pocket.
• Connection as second hard drive using a SATA cable.

The method you choose depends on what you are connecting the hard drive to for data recovery. If it's for a laptop, you'll have to use an external pocket. A hard drive that does not work after a fall or other mechanical impact is placed in a pocket and connected to the laptop via a USB interface.

If you will use a computer to recover data lost after mechanical damage, then it is much more convenient to connect the hard drive as second hard drive using the SATA interface.

In any case, the system must be booted from another hard drive - the damaged media must be identified as a second disk with data. If you are using an IDE interface rather than SATA for connection, then do not forget to set the jumpers correctly and set auto-detection of disks in the BIOS. The leading disk (the one from which the system boots) will be “Master”, and the slave disk (damaged after a fall or impact) will be “Slave”.

File recovery

If you connected the hard drive and it is detected in the system, then you can begin data recovery. Quick search will not help, so we launch an in-depth scan with a search for signatures (parts of data that are repeated in the headers of files with the same extension) in the R-Studio program:

The search and recovery of files will begin, access to which was lost after disk damage. You need to wait until the data return procedure is completed, and then select necessary files, select them and click the “Restore” button. The recovered files should be saved to a working disk, since damaged media is unlikely to be used in the future.

Using the TestDisk utility

If you've ever worked with Linux, you must have heard of the testdisk utility, which is the data recovery standard in this environment. However, testdisk also has a version for Windows; she doesn't have a comfortable GUI, but it allows you to recover data even from damaged media that is not detected by the system and cannot be opened through the explorer.

Once the analysis is complete, a message will appear stating that no partitions were found. You have two options for further action:

1. Press “P” (English layout) to get a list of files contained on the disk.
2. Press "L" to load the partition table backup.

In this situation, the first function is more suitable for us, since the data displayed in the list can be moved to a working hard drive. So press "P" and wait for the list to form.

To restore important files, select them with the cursor and press the “c” key (English layout). The utility window will display file manager. Find the “restored” folder in the root of drive C and move it to it necessary information, confirming the copying by pressing the “Y” key.

When important files are stored elsewhere, you can try to resuscitate the hard drive by loading a backup copy of the partition table. Press "Q" to return to the recovery mode selection window. Next, press “L” and then “Load” and “Y” to confirm the actions.

If the recovery process is completed successfully, the hard drive should appear in the window Windows Explorer. However, if the media has been severely damaged physically, then software recovery will not help - here the only hope is the service center and specialized equipment to take a data image.

« Smart people We decided to hang a working external hard drive by a USB cord; at the time of the presentation it fell safely, but when we reconnected it, it even resolved itself and allowed us to finish the presentation. Upon arrival home, the drive was no longer ready, continuing to spin as usual...”

“The external hard drive fell and is now not detected, I tried to connect it to the computer - it periodically taps the heads.... "

“When working with files on an external hard drive, I accidentally touched it with my hand and the drive fell on the tiled floor... the drive works, but I can’t download the folders that I last accessed”

"The laptop fell onto the carpet along with the external drive, the laptop is intact, but the hard drive beeps and is not detected.... "

If not every second, then every third hard drive suffers from such a malfunction. And if scratches and marks have not yet settled on the surface of the hard drive, after long attempts by the client to read something on his own, then there is still a possibility to restore the information.

I visited our laboratory WD20NMVW-11AV3S3 with one of these problems.
At first, the client made a reservation that immediately after the fall of Western, he connected it to the computer and it long time worked without knocking, but was not ready. And only after the Nth attempt, it began to click periodically, but continued to spin and did not turn off the engine.

At first glance, we are dealing with damage to one or more service heads, and possible damage to the service area of ​​the drive. In the first case, if we are dealing with damage to one or more magnetic heads, then we can subtract information on the remaining workers. If the result is not satisfactory, then you cannot do without replacing the entire unit. The third option is damage to the service area, or more precisely to its modules necessary for initializing the drive. In this case, the modules are edited and if the service heads are still capable of writing, then the drive’s functionality is restored while the data is read from external drive it will succeed.

Before connecting the drive, think 10 times whether your actions will make it worse! If you do connect it, then you should not expect that if it is not detected within a short time, you need to wait another N - number of minutes until it starts clicking its heads and, holy Cats forbid, files down the surface!

If the manufacturer's warranty is important to you, I strongly recommend that you do nothing. In most cases, if the drive has no external defects, it will be taken away under warranty, but if you have it all open and scratched, difficulties will most likely arise.

Pre-preparing an external hard drive by replacing the USB controller

Testing service area modules, searching for damaged modules

List of Shrek LT family drives

Also, without module 11, it is not possible to work with the service area using other copies. Holy Cats!
When the module from a close relative was finally found, we gain access to the service area and other heads. Well, let's try to re-read the modules for all heads. The waves rocked our bank, the wind fluttered our sails with ferocious squeals: module 03 – yes, module 40 – yes…. The shores of a painfully familiar green clearing were visible, when suddenly we ran aground... The original module 31 and 11 were still unreadable. And a few seconds later the sails were torn off. The disk sank, and with it our hope of arriving on time.

Preparing an external hard drive for replacing the magnetic head unit

Replacing the magnetic head unit. Fixing damaged modules. Data recovery from an external hard drive - proofreading (presence of bad sectors)

The entire recovery procedure took no more than 8 days (6 days for reading the entire data block and 2 days for reading the files that were in the area with a large number Bad sectors). The client needed some files that were in the area most affected by the fall. In this regard, the process was extended by 2 days - since when reading data in that area, the heads “caught”. This ultimately required additional surface treatment of the plates external hard disk.

With the growth of the laptop and portable market hard drives They are increasingly becoming the main characters in the chronicles of accidents. The disk “fell”, “it was hit”, “the laptop was accidentally stepped on” or “it was smashed against the wall” - situations familiar to many.

With the advent of such situations, they began to occur much more often. Regular hard The disk can also be dropped, but it must first be removed from the computer case. And external hard drives They regularly fall during transportation and even just from the table during operation.

Manufacturers external hard discs use various tricks, make special protective boxes, add rubber bumpers and this can increase the chances HDD disk for survival. Sometimes you just get lucky, the disk falls, you connect it to the computer, and it still works.

Even if there is no visible damage or signs of impact, micro-displacements are enough to cause mechanical damage to the hard drive. So if the drive works after being dropped, the first thing to do is save your valuable data to another drive. Because the next time you connect it, it may no longer work. In any case, it is better not to trust such a disk with valuable data; there must be a copy on another medium.

What to do if you drop your hard drive and it doesn't work

First determine the value of the data that was on the disk. If the information is valuable and cannot be obtained from other sources, then it is better to entrust it to professionals in the field of data recovery, and besides, we have it completely free.

If there is no valuable data, and the disk cannot be detected after a fall, then it is better to simply buy a new one. Either makes sense only for information recovery, in other situations best strategy– replacement with a new disk.

You should only repair those media that contain the data you really need. If there are such, and they were saved in only one copy, then do not rush to get upset, because the chances of restoring them are quite high.

What can happen to a hard drive after a fall?

• displacement of magnetic plates relative to each other;

All these damages are mechanical in nature, so no program will help.

If a laptop or media connected to a computer is dropped during operation, the hard drive heads may become deformed. This can cause them to scratch the magnetic surface, making data recovery, let alone repair, unlikely.

What should you not do with your hard drive?

After a disk falls, especially if the media falls during operation, mechanical damage most often occurs. Therefore, if there is valuable data on the disk and it stops working, the first and main rule is do not try to restore it yourself and turn it on repeatedly. With insufficient experience, this will lead to much more serious problems, such as a malfunction of the head unit and damage to the magnetic plates.

Warped heads can scratch the magnetic surface more and more each time you turn them on, reducing your chances of successful data recovery. In addition, attempts to turn on a damaged disk can lead to a whole chain of damage following each other, as a result of which the media will be completely unsuitable for further use.

Make it a rule to never store important data in one copy. The hard drive may fail cloud storage it just “disappears” from the network, and the flash drive gets lost. By creating, you reliably protect yourself from losing valuable data, which means this situation will never happen again.

As a conclusion, I would like to remind you that you should not recover data and repair a damaged hard drive yourself - you may not only fail to do this, but also complicate (or even make impossible) the work of a professional. By contacting a specialist immediately after a breakdown, you increase your chances of successful data recovery. Only he will be able to correctly determine the nature of the damage and how to eliminate it.

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Every day everything more people prefer using laptops over traditional ones desktop computers. One of the factors that influence this choice is portability, relatively light weight and size. You can take a netbook or laptop with you on a long business trip or trip; you can simply move the device around your apartment or office.

Unfortunately, the consequence of this mobility is a high probability of damage to the device.

Chips and cracks in the case, damage to the screen and hard drive are a very common breakdown after a laptop is dropped. It is worth understanding that all damage from a fall has very serious consequences, and troubleshooting the problems that arise will require significant time and effort.

If your laptop falls, you should pay special attention checking hard disk, since this device is very sensitive to falls and shocks and, as a result, the safety of information may be in question even as a result of minor damage.

Common hard drive damage caused by dropping a laptop.

Such breakdowns include: damage to the surface of the hard drive, sticking of magnetic heads and wedge of the hard drive spindle, damage to the electronics.

One of the most common defects that appear when a laptop is dropped is bearing jamming on HDD spindle motor. In the event of such a breakdown, the computer cannot start working, since the hard drive simply cannot spin up due to the spindle wedge. To correct this problem, the magnetic surfaces are rearranged damaged disk into the case of another HDD, with an attempt to further recover data. With this defect, the probability of data recovery is high.

Recovering a hard drive in case magnetic heads sticking is carried out by removing them from the surface of the hard drive and then reading the information with the native HDD heads. If such actions do not bring the desired result, you can try the option of replacing the entire set of magnetic heads of the hard drive. In this case, the chances of success are also very high.

The most unfavorable mechanical damage is physical impact on the magnetic surface of the HDD. When a hard drive is dropped, the heads become deformed, which can scratch the magnetic surface. If a fall occurs during operation, concentric scratches may form on the surfaces of the hard drive, which makes Repair HDD and recovery of information is unlikely.

Elimination of mechanical damage to the hard drive caused by dropping a laptop is carried out by service workshop specialists, however this operation very expensive and takes a long time.

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