Don't be a chump like me - BACK UP YOUR HDD TODAY!

mainstreetprod

mainstreetprod

Veteran
I have 4 external drives - one Raid I do most of my work on, and 3 others just to store files. A 750gb Maxtor ended up being the one used to store ALL my stock footage, shot over the last 3 years. Being a cheapskate, I didn't get another 750 gig drive to back it up. All the stock has been uploaded to various sites for sale, but the HD came in handy whenver I wanted to use the clips in my own projects. A couple of days ago I wanted to do a Memorial day tribute and typed in "Flag" in finder. Nothing came up - when there should have been 75 or more waving flags of various types. Then I checked the drive and heard only a clicking sound, doesn't even seem to be spinning. Any way to possibly resurrect it from the dead?

At least everyone can learn from my mistake. If it's important to you- BACK IT UP NOW!:cry:
 
As soon as you can, get an EXACT version of the same drive. Then you can replace the logic board on the dead one with the logic board from the new one and it should be back working.

I've resurrected a few seagate and wd drives for others, and most recently a 750gb samsung of my own which had many files that weren't backed up. I counted myself very lucky I could save it. Had to trawl forums to get a drive with the same firmware version and eventually a guy with three in his computer gave me two in exchange for a brand new 2tb drive. It was worth the money!

The hardest thing is getting the EXACT version of the drive (sometimes you can get away with a slightly different manufacture date but with the same firmware, but not always). If it's an old drive, it may be hard to find one with the same firmware. Good luck ;)
 
if its clicking its probably not the logic board; again go with the freezer method, but make sure it is NOT HUMID and try not to let it warm up or build condensation.
 
I got a reprieve- first disassembled the drive, all inside looked fine, then for the heck of it, plugged it into a different power supply. Eureka! She spins up again. Files all there. Must be my lucky day. Off to Office Depot tomorrow for a backup! I've learned a valuable lesson. :thumbsup:
 
Never really worked for Z-Rims, either.

acs85zrims.jpg
 
Oh hell, way too late for me. I lost 40 gig of sound files and SFX sounds about a year ago. Value= 6500 bucks. All the back up discs were stolen out of my truck back in 2008.

Ironic thing....I just bought a new larger HDD and downloaded the software to mirror the drive onto the new one. Got all set up, turned old drive on, and, wait for it.............bzzzzzt! with a puff of smoke out of the old drive. That was the most expensive puff of smoke I have ever seen.
 
One thing I learned is, even if you see a puff of smoke, don't give up too soon. Pull that drive out of the enclosure and test it in another enclosure or in your desktop.
Could be the power supply or controller card that's smokin' instead of your drive.
 
I love Time Machine for backing up my main HDD every hour. But for footy, I usually have like 4 copies of everything, cause I'm paranoid.
 
for the freezer method, i probably invented it many years ago, when disk were so big that you would better have a pretty big freezer (i had used it a lot and saved dozen of disk like this, and i shared this on many forums that is why i suspect i discovered it, but i am no so that i would made any claim on it).
 
mainstreetprod said:
A 750gb Maxtor ended up being the one used to store ALL my stock footage, shot over the last 3 years.
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This is your problem, right here.

Maxtor drives are ****.
I've had two or three over the years when my economy was worse, and they've all had the same problems. Once they reach about two years they die, killing everything on them. I used a few techniques to save some stuff, but on the one occasion where I actually managed to get the drive working again every single one of the files on it were completely corrupted.

Just stay away from Maxtor.
 
you are right , maxtor has more bad records than others , but is more model dependant than brand dependant. Seagate and western digital and Hitachi and IBM also have some bad stories.
Sometime it is even in the same model, it depends if it has been made in Malaysia or Poland there is a difference.
My best guess is always purchase disk by pair if you are usingsingle disks or by three if you use them mirrored, because problem usually happens years after the purchase when model is not more available.
Today disks cost nothing and you will always use empty space, even if you think you got more than enough.
 
Pookie said:
It's a method to pretend you can get the data off the dead drive. I just doesn't work, although many will pretend it does.

Buy a new drive.
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I used it...and it worked. If your drive goes ker-chunk, ker-chunk on startup, it might work for your drive. That's the read arm crashing into the platters, and freezing contracts the metal and pulls it away. If not you might be SOL.
 
nosys70 said:
you are right , maxtor has more bad records than others , but is more model dependant than brand dependant. Seagate and western digital and Hitachi and IBM also have some bad stories.
Click to expand...
I just had an external Seagate Blackarmor ws 110 die on me in the middle of shooting MARIANNE after less than two weeks usage.
Most likely it was the power adapter inside the external cover that broke, but it's still in the shop.

We got it covered and didn't lose any data because we had another, but it was just one of those nightmares.

Now I'm just worrying about that hard drive with 250gb of material for MARIANNE that sits at the repair shop.
 
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