Is it possible to replace a hard disk head by myself

[Samusky Hodder]

I dont know how does installing a rgb controller software can my the hard disk. i literally just extract the setup and then my hard disk makes weird clicking noise, because i dont know what to do i just restart my pc and now it doesnt boot. the motherboard detect the hard disk but when im trying to boot it it doesnt boot even i replaced the sata cable. Somehow when i shake the hard disk it makes squeeqy scratching sounds. I think it might be the head is died so can i replace the head by myself?

[Electronics Wizardy]

In order to do this correctly, you need a clean room, so no you can't do it your self.

 

Also if its scratching, there is a good change there is platter damange, so its more than a simple fix.

 

Just get a new hdd, there pretty cheap.

[Samusky Hodder]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

In order to do this correctly, you need a clean room, so no you can't do it your self.

 

Also if its scratching, there is a good change there is platter damange, so its more than a simple fix.

 

Just get a new hdd, there pretty cheap.

no i really need the data 

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Samusky Hodder said:

no i really need the data 

then send it to a data recovery service. Doing it yourself will just make it harder to get the data fi you need to use a pro later on.

 

Data recovery stuff you don't want to diy normally

[WereCatf]

9 minutes ago, Samusky Hodder said:

when i shake the hard disk it makes squeeqy scratching sounds

Congratulations, you just damaged your drive even further.

 

10 minutes ago, Samusky Hodder said:

so can i replace the head by myself?

No, you can't.

[Samusky Hodder]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

then send it to a data recovery service. Doing it yourself will just make it harder to get the data fi you need to use a pro later on.

 

Data recovery stuff you don't want to diy normally

how does it normally cost

[WereCatf]

Just now, Samusky Hodder said:

how does it normally cost

Typically several thousand bucks. Can run into tens of thousands, if the data is difficult to get.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Samusky Hodder said:

how does it normally cost

Depends on the exact issue and the shop, probably between 300 and a few thousand. Also not guaranteed, good chance they will get nothing

 

Make backups next time.

[dalekphalm]

5 minutes ago, Samusky Hodder said:

no i really need the data 

It's unfortunate, and I really feel bad for your situation. But this is what happens when you don't backup your data.

 

If the HDD is making noises, the head likely crashed into the platter, possibly scraping it, possibly even breaking the platter.

 

Even if you were just going to replace the head (and the platters were fine), you'd need to do it in a clean room to have a good chance of success. Doing it outside a clean room will mean microscopic dust in the air that you can't even see will get inside the drive housing - this can cause the HDD to seize up even worse, scratching the platter, and destroying even more data.

 

If you absolutely need that data, send it to a data recovery specialist immediately.

 

And for god's sake, don't shake a HDD under any circumstances!

 

Lastly, once you're back up and running, invest in an external USB HDD and backup your data on a regular schedule.

[Samusky Hodder]

3 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

It's unfortunate, and I really feel bad for your situation. But this is what happens when you don't backup your data.

 

If the HDD is making noises, the head likely crashed into the platter, possibly scraping it, possibly even breaking the platter.

 

Even if you were just going to replace the head (and the platters were fine), you'd need to do it in a clean room to have a good chance of success. Doing it outside a clean room will mean microscopic dust in the air that you can't even see will get inside the drive housing - this can cause the HDD to seize up even worse, scratching the platter, and destroying even more data.

 

If you absolutely need that data, send it to a data recovery specialist immediately.

 

And for god's sake, don't shake a HDD under any circumstances!

 

Lastly, once you're back up and running, invest in an external USB HDD and backup your data on a regular schedule.

i doesnt shake it that bad im just give it a little wiggle

[dalekphalm]

6 minutes ago, Samusky Hodder said:

i doesnt shake it that bad im just give it a little wiggle

Never the less, HDD's can be delicate, so be careful when handling them.

 

Reach out to a data recovery service - there may be local ones, or you may have to mail it away.

 

And buy a backup HDD!

[rapidkillerx]

as far as backups would go, it could be a good idea to invest in a offsite backup, something like backblaze, if you have important data on your hard drive, that way even in case of something like a fire your data is still fine.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, rapidkillerx said:

as far as backups would go, it could be a good idea to invest in a offsite backup, something like backblaze, if you have important data on your hard drive, that way even in case of something like a fire your data is still fine.

Not a terrible suggestion, but I would still have a local backup first and then expand to offsite backups.

 

You can also backup important files to OneDrive or Google Drive as well.

[rapidkillerx]

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

Not a terrible suggestion, but I would still have a local backup first and then expand to offsite backups.

what would be the reason for that? just ease of recovery? asking for myself.

[dalekphalm]

5 minutes ago, rapidkillerx said:

what would be the reason for that? just ease of recovery? asking for myself.

Ease of recovery, yes. Plus, not putting all your eggs in one basket. You're now trusting a third party to take care of your data, and you're relying on a different third party (your ISP) to access that data.

 

There also may be restrictions on how or how often you can retrieve data, or there may be a cost associated with it.

 

I'd always recommend having a local backup, and if you can afford it (or the data is crucial), then have an off-site backup in addition to the local.

 

Basically, if you want to follow the industry best practice, you use the 3-2-1 method:

3 copies of the data (The host computer can be considered one of these copies, unless you delete the data from your host computer)

2 different storage mediums used (Eg: SSD + HDD, or HDD + Tape, etc)

1 copy off-site

 

For most home users, this is overkill though - so having an external USB HDD backing up data is often enough - and for super critical data (financial documents, pictures you cannot lose (wedding, baby pics, etc), and so on), have them copied to your OneDrive or Google Drive account.

 

However, as I said, if the OP can afford it after buying an external HDD, paying for a cloud backup subscription is a great addition.

 

Another relatively easy thing to do that avoids recurring subscription fees is to have rotating off-site backups to HDD. Buy 2 external USB HDD's, backup to one, then move the drive off-site (family member's house, friend's place, bank deposit box, etc), then the next week, backup the 2nd drive, and swap them, and so on.

 

That way there's always a copy safe off-site and you still have a copy locally.

[rapidkillerx]

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

Ease of recovery, yes. Plus, not putting all your eggs in one basket. You're now trusting a third party to take care of your data, and you're relying on a different third party (your ISP) to access that data.

 

There also may be restrictions on how or how often you can retrieve data, or there may be a cost associated with it.

 

I'd always recommend having a local backup, and if you can afford it (or the data is crucial), then have an off-site backup in addition to the local.

 

Basically, if you want to follow the industry best practice, you use the 3-2-1 method:

3 copies of the data (The host computer can be considered one of these copies, unless you delete the data from your host computer)

2 different storage mediums used (Eg: SSD + HDD, or HDD + Tape, etc)

1 copy off-site

 

For most home users, this is overkill though - so having an external USB HDD backing up data is often enough - and for super critical data (financial documents, pictures you cannot lose (wedding, baby pics, etc), and so on), have them copied to your OneDrive or Google Drive account.

 

However, as I said, if the OP can afford it after buying an external HDD, paying for a cloud backup subscription is a great addition.

 

Another relatively easy thing to do that avoids recurring subscription fees is to have rotating off-site backups to HDD. Buy 2 external USB HDD's, backup to one, then move the drive off-site (family member's house, friend's place, bank deposit box, etc), then the next week, backup the 2nd drive, and swap them, and so on.

 

That way there's always a copy safe off-site and you still have a copy locally.

Thanks for the advice. btw, at least for backblaze, you dont need to use your ISP to access the data if you can wait a few days (obviously more inconvenient), as they will mail you a usb drive/stick and refund you if you send it back. (promise im not a backblaze shill lol)