HDD Error Symptoms

The following list will give you symptoms and how to regconise them allowing you to approximate prices for recovery by comparing problem to pricelist.

1. The hard disk drive displays no sign of power and/or no sound of the drive "spinning up".
   1. If the hard disk drive that is properly plugged into a power cable of known working order and you have checked the functionality of the data ribbon, but there is no sound of the drive moving within its case. Light indicators (if applicable) on the logic board are not illuminated, indicating that the hard disk drive is not receiving power.
      
   2. Also you should check the logic board for signs of burnt chips. It is not all too uncommon for a logic board component to begin to smolder and burn. There are several reasons for this, such as sudden increase of power or a failure of a power regulator to function properly. In most cases, it is possible to see the location on the logic board which has received the damage.
2. The hard disk drive powers up & then spins constantly with a loud wining sound.
   1. The hard drive unit powers up and appears to spin out of control. The drive may or may not mount. If it does mount, it will most likely be sporadic in operation and not mount every time. This symptom is often indicative of a severe power regulation failure. The symptom could also be caused by a component malfunction within the drive. 
3. The hard disk drive spins up and then spins down again.
   1. The hard disk drive will power up, you can hear the unit wind up and then it suddenly powers down. The unit may or may not power up again. It would not be uncommon for a hard drive in this condition to function for a period of time and then fail again. It is likely that a drive in this condition has suffered from an inconsistent power feed. Low or inconsistent power supply can often cause more damage than an over power supply or surge.
4. The hard drive spins up but has occasional clicking sound.
   1. This is very common and often an overlooked sign of imminent drive failure. One of the locking points for the Cam/Actuator arm has malfunctioned and the arm swings overly wide, causing it to smack against the inner drive unit housing or stop block, which is usually made out of plastic. The drive most likely works and the volume is mounted and functioning perfectly.
      
   2. Be very careful of this condition as it gives a false sense of security and will often cause a user to ignore the obvious warning signs. Data should be copied from this drive without delay. The drive will most likely fail soon, although it could function for many months, failing without warning at an unknown time.
5. The hard disk drive emits a constant clicking sound when the computer is started.
   1. In this case a hard drive's cam/actuator arm has likely broken from its locking points and is swinging freely within the drive or swinging wide. This can also be caused by failure of the servo motor. The drive likely does not mount and appears not to function accept for the loud clicking sound. In this state, the drive is unable to read or write, to or from, the digital media on the drive platter. 
6. The hard drive unit powers up, but the drive does not mount, and there is no discernable data read/write sound.
   1. This condition is often caused by overheating and occurs when excessive heat causes one or more of the inner components to expand and stick to another component or to the housing unit itself.  This condition will cause the drive to stop reading or writing data. It is not uncommon for the unit to show up as a mounted drive under windows when this condition exists, however; no folders or files will be displayed. A prompt to format the drive may even be displayed, but the system will most likely lock up when attempting to access the volume. 
7. The drive spins up with a scrapping sound.
   1. STOP using this drive immediately. The scraping sound you hear, most likely, means that it is too late for any meaningful data recovery. The scraping sound is the read/write heads impacting with the drive platter. The read/write heads are scraping the magnetic media from the drive platter and throwing debris all about the inner drive housing unit, increasingly compounding the problem. If this condition just occurred, and little damage has taken place to the drive patter's digital magnetic media, it is possible to remove the broken read/write arm and replace it with a known good arm. Extensive and delicate cleanup will be necessary in order to remove the debris from the drive platters and drive housing unit. Data recovery rates dealing with this type of symptom are very low.  The drive should immediately be preserved and cared for by a data recovery specialist ASAP. It is unlikely all the data will be able to be recovered, but we can notify you of this when the drive is looked at.
      
8. The hard disk drive has suffered water damage.
   1. If you have a hard disk drive that has been immersed in or otherwise exposed to water. Even if the drive has been removed from the water and appears to be dry, do not attempt to power the drive up. If the drive was running at the time of exposure, it is possible that the logic board has been damaged beyond repair. All hard drives have ventilation ports, they are small and usually regulated by a flap type of control that allows air to escape, but does not allow for dust and debris to enter. Chances are good that this flap prevented water from entering the drive housing unit and reaching the digital media on the drive platters. The quicker this drive is given to us for recovery the better chance of total data recovery.
9. The hard disk drive has been exposed to fire damage.
   1. In this case a hard drive has been damaged by fire. The most delicate portions of the drive have likely been melted or damaged to some degree. Many individuals simply call it a lost cause at this point but not so fast, there is still hope. We have had a little success getting data back off these drives. Full extent of the damage is not known until the hard disk drive is opened by the technician in the clean box.