Drive Died, Data Recovery Option?

Turned my computer off for 30 minutes and when I turned my computer back on it wouldn’t load the Windows7. Claims i/o error. The drive is making what sounds similar to the “click of death” but I’m not sure; it does sound like it has a seeking problem.

I tried plugging the drive into another computer as if it was an external but the driver never appeared in ‘my computer’ or in the device manager.

My symptom searches of course came up bleak…unless I want to spend $100+…I’m wondering what options I have.

My drive is a WD Caviar Black, dated 02 Dec 2009. Model WD1001FALS - 00J7B0

…I read on multiple webpages that the “freezer trick” works as a last resort…sometimes even fixes

Hi cfran,

Ye that clicking sound is a safety feature when there is a fualt either on the board or the head (that and other problems), this means when/if you want to recover the data they just replace the faulty parts. Freezing the drive is a “temp” solution but sometime it does “knock a capacitor into place” :stuck_out_tongue:

Here is a link

http://harddriveclicking.net/hard-drive-clicking/click-of-death

I would recommend data recovery. It is the best bet when you need the data. Unfortunately, it can get costly but several of the WD partners will give you a free consultation and let you know the cost and if the data is recoverable.

Freezing the drive isn’t recommended. It was a method that could have worked on old ball bearing drives to help re-seat the bearing and realign the spindle for a short period of time but it could put the drive below it’s temperature range and can cause more damage.

Data Recovery Partners

http://support.wdc.com/recovery/index.asp?wdc_lang=en

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@cfran100, try cleaning the PCB contacts. Often they become oxidised.

Oxidisation on Western Digital PCBs:
http://www.alexsoft.org/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=649&p=1789