Western Digital WD1600JB

[testr]

Have you tried putting it in the freezer? Sometimes it works just to get some of your data off it before it totally dies.

[PM4EVER]

Have you tried putting it in the freezer? Sometimes it works just to get some of your data off it before it totally dies.

Freezer? ...really?

Well, I didn't write it till yet. But it seems that the drive itself is working ok, but it's not recognized. Not in BIOS, not anywhere, so that why my main point is that the electrnoic outside the drive could be the problem.

But, well, if there is no other hope, I will try this! :P

[zaphodz]

Just out of interest:

PATA hard drives have some pins on the back to select master/slave or cable select for the drive.

Is there a little connector on these pins? Has it fallen off maybe?

Go here: http://support.wdc.com/product/download ... 02&lang=en

Try some of the datalife diagnostic tools on this disk maybe?

An alternative is to get a boot disk like: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
and try some of the drive testing tools to see if there is anything helpful it may discover.

Try hooking the drive up to a different computer?

It's just that it seems your disk is spinning and it is really unlikely the circuit board or internal parts of the drive is stuffed so there must be an easier way to access the drive. Hope some of these suggestions help.

[zaphodz]

Oh and the freezer trick is supposed to help in cases where the hard drive platter bearings have ceased up. Usually this occurs in drives that have been stored for a while and not used. It is worth a go. Just make sure you put it in a dry plastic bag and wipe off any moisture / dry it before plugging it back in.

[WAY]

You might also want to try putting one of those silica gel packets in the bag you're putting the HDD in before you put it in the freezer, just in case there is any moisture in there it doesn't freeze/collect over the components (unlikely, but if you've got one lying around from something you've bought and kept the packaging, it's worth putting it in there).

Zaph; I didn't actually know the reason as to why it was useful, just that it was usually worth a shot if the HDD is dead and you need to try and grab data off it. So.. I learnt something today. :)

[PM4EVER]

Wow...many thanks on such great tipps! :) :) :)

1. Yep, the pins were fine...I did check all these right after. :P
2. Well, it was kinda impossible, to do anything like diagnostics, since it was all gone. If it's not even existing!
3. I immediately hooked it on my notebook, but no,there it was also gone! ;(
4. Didn't try it yet, but I will do it with my old gone bad drives, I will write about that what happened with those! ;)

BUUUUT, guess what....I mentioned you guys, I dismounted the panel, off the HDD. It was kinda difficult to get such a special tiny screwdriver. But I did it, just to see if I can manage to change it, just in chase if I get a used one from eBay. Anyways...so I let the drive rest...since this testing mount I didn't turn it on. And some days ago, I sad: well, maybe I should try it now, "maybe" it works...and it did...amazingly I was so happy.....it showed up in BIOS...and they also in Win...everything was there.

Conclusion: I guess the dust must have been corrupting the panel, since I cleaned that one it works now. Anyways, just to make sure things, I'm burning like hell everything...and I couple of days I will get myself a 750GB hdd, just to make always a backup of everything! ;)

[Skinny Bastard]

That is great news indeed!

[jdog]

Always backup, bro. DVD+R media is your friend.

[AYHJA]

Great news man, I'm certainly glad to see you worked it out...Lesson learned..! DVD time, lol...

[zaphodz]

Glad it worked out for you