Dropped an HDD, it became unreadable. Can it be fixed?

Beginner Macro Device · Mar 31, 2024

The HDD in question is a Samsung HD502HI.

However, boot time got increased by ~7 minutes and this is what I see:

AOMEI Partition Assistant proved to be the only 3rd party software capable of "seeing" this HDD but it crashes upon any attempt to recover data on this HDD. Don't ask me what I did, I tried every button and it resulted in crash every time.

Tried different SATA cables/ports to absolutely no avail. Also checked on a different PC, same behaviour. All other drives behave normally.

Looks like this HDD is super dead. Or am I wrong? How can I be 100% sure?

And, yeah, the reason I care is crucial data on this HDD that I haven't managed to back up.

KedsDead · Mar 31, 2024

oh.. the old platters.. I have thrown mine against a wall once, did get this problem.. but alas.. Have you tried loosening the screws on the PCB to center it?

The good thing about platters is, the data is still on the disk. But if the heads are bad, or the motor isnt spinning up fast enough, the data can be recovered, but they will need to pulls the platters and put it into a different chassis with a working motor / or head.

Also, If the drive was not powered on, then the heads were in park, so there should be no damage to the disks themselves. If it was powered and it say, fell from your desk, :slap:

then the disks are most likely scratched.

Beginner Macro Device · Mar 31, 2024

KedsDead said:
Have you tried loosening the screws on the PCB to center it?

Don't have a screwdriver for that unfortunately.

KedsDead said:
they will need to pulls the platters and put it into a different chassis with a working motor / or head.

How much will it cost?

KedsDead · Mar 31, 2024

Depends on what you local data recovery shop charges. I personally have not used the service, its more intended for enterprise.

DataLabs is right next store to Microcenter here in Denver. They dont list any prices on the website, but they do have a quote section.

Data Labs

Beginner Macro Device · Mar 31, 2024

KedsDead said:
here in Denver

I'm a little bit outside the US (Russia to be more precise) so will have to ask locals I guess...

KedsDead · Mar 31, 2024

good luck..

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 15, 2024

Got my crap together and now this HDD is undergoing treatment in a workshop. We'll see how it goes.

remixedcat · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
Got my crap together and now this HDD is undergoing treatment in a workshop. We'll see how it goes.

good luck.. it's not a seagate bc if it was you'd be worse off lmao

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 17, 2024

remixedcat said:
good luck.. it's not a seagate bc if it was you'd be worse off lmao

Doesn't matter in the end. The HDD is complete toast. Luckily enough we found the data on a different drive. Rest in peace, little metal brick.

remixedcat · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
Doesn't matter in the end. The HDD is complete toast. Luckily enough we found the data on a different drive. Rest in peace, little metal brick.

pressing F to pay respects...

micropage7 · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
Doesn't matter in the end. The HDD is complete toast. Luckily enough we found the data on a different drive. Rest in peace, little metal brick.

that's why backup is important and if you use HDD please avoid drop it, some may survive but the risk is the head, the platter and scratching it means it's gone

RJARRRPCGP · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
The HDD in question is a Samsung HD502HI.

View attachment 341413 View attachment 341414

However, boot time got increased by ~7 minutes and this is what I see:
View attachment 341416 View attachment 341417

I suspect a controller board fault. Just as likely, if not more likely, would be a broken or missing SMD component that possibly fell somewhere in the house!
I can't rule out the possibility of a part that vanished off of the PCB. I see multiple spots where one could have came off.

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 17, 2024

micropage7 said:
that's why backup is important and if you use HDD please avoid drop it, some may survive but the risk is the head, the platter and scratching it means it's gone

You don't say... I was moving this HDD precisely because I wanted to back data up. As bad of luck as it could be.

RJARRRPCGP said:
would be a broken or missing SMD component that possibly fell somewhere in the house!

Missing? Totally not, I would've found them otherwise. Broken? Totally yes. Also all the platters inside are broken as well as the heads.

RJARRRPCGP · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
You don't say... I was moving this HDD precisely because I wanted to back data up. As bad of luck as it could be.

Missing? Totally not, I would've found them otherwise. Broken? Totally yes. Also all the platters inside are broken as well as the heads.

So you opened it? I sometimes wonder if some of those components can come off clean and be on the floor somewhere. I've lost tiny things of that size before and can't find them on the floor, LOL.

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 17, 2024

RJARRRPCGP said:
So you opened it?

Not me but the guys with special equipment. They analysed the spinner, showed me pictures, this guro spoke for itself. Unfortunately, didn't save the pics, can't show them.

Errr, whatever, what's done is done. Not gonna sob upon losing a 500 GB HDD especially since the data I wanted to recover had been recovered from a drive I wasn't expecting to store it. Only lost a bit of cash and a couple weeks, that's not the end of the world.

RJARRRPCGP said:
some of those components can come off clean and be on the floor somewhere

Might be a shot in some cases but not in mine. Nothing is missing, it's just a lot is broken.

KedsDead · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
You don't say... I was moving this HDD precisely because I wanted to back data up. As bad of luck as it could be.

Missing? Totally not, I would've found them otherwise. Broken? Totally yes. Also all the platters inside are broken as well as the heads.

Jebus... How far did you drop the thing? I have dropped a couple drives a few time even, back in the days, when I had a distro site, prolly shouldnt say that, but it was 20 years ago. They even had dings on the corner from hitting the asphalt. Still worked, I guess they just built them better then.

AleXXX666 · Apr 17, 2024

KedsDead said:
Jebus... How far did you drop the thing? I have dropped a couple drives a few time even, back in the days, when I had a distro site, prolly shouldnt say that, but it was 20 years ago. They even had dings on the corner from hitting the asphalt. Still worked, I guess they just built them better then.

depends if it was dropped in working state or disconnected.

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 17, 2024

KedsDead said:
How far did you drop the thing?

No more than 4 feet. More likely, 3. It wasn't connected to anything in the moment.

overclockedamd · Apr 17, 2024

KedsDead said:
Jebus... How far did you drop the thing? I have dropped a couple drives a few time even, back in the days, when I had a distro site, prolly shouldnt say that, but it was 20 years ago. They even had dings on the corner from hitting the asphalt. Still worked, I guess they just built them better then.

I mean yahoo lost ungodly amounts of HDD's (500 IIRC) just by transporting them on a flatbed across a parking lot. So a 3 foot drop killing a drive does not surprise me at all.

A Computer Guy · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
No more than 4 feet. More likely, 3. It wasn't connected to anything in the moment.

This reminds me when my 3yr old wanted to play catch and grabbed one of my unopened HDD boxes and threw it across the room before I could stop him.

Beginner Macro Device · Apr 17, 2024

A Computer Guy said:
This reminds me when my 3yr old wanted to play catch and grabbed one of my unopened HDD boxes and threw it across the room before I could stop him.

One of the reasons why my office is child-free. They can break my stuff ez pz, break themselves even easier.

A Computer Guy · Apr 17, 2024

Beginner Macro Device said:
One of the reasons why my office is child-free. They can break my stuff ez pz, break themselves even easier.

Luckily with the padding still in the box the HDD was unharmed.

System Name	DLSS / YOLO-PC
Processor	i5-12400F / 10600KF
Motherboard	Gigabyte B760M DS3H / Z490 Vision D
Cooling	Laminar RM1 / Gammaxx 400
Memory	32 GB DDR4-3200 / 16 GB DDR4-3333
Video Card(s)	RX 6700 XT / RX 480 8 GB
Storage	A couple SSDs, m.2 NVMe included / 240 GB CX1 + 1 TB WD HDD
Display(s)	Compit HA2704 / Viewsonic VX3276-MHD-2
Case	Matrexx 55 / Junkyard special
Audio Device(s)	Want loud, use headphones. Want quiet, use satellites.
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1000 W / FSP Epsilon 700 W / Corsair CX650M [backup]
Mouse	Don't disturb, cheese eating in progress...
Keyboard	Makes some noise. Probably onto something.
VR HMD	I live in real reality and don't need a virtual one.
Software	Windows 10 and 11

System Name	Keds
Processor	5600X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	32 GB Team Force DDR4 3200 CL16
Video Card(s)	Power Color RX 7900 XT Red Devil
Storage	2x 1TB SSD / NVME
Display(s)	AOpen 27in 1440p 170hz (27HC5UR)
Case	Modified Corsair 540 Air
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G35 / Corsair HS80
Power Supply	EVGA 850GQ
Mouse	Corsair M65
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe Silent
Software	Win 11 Home (Modded)
Benchmark Scores	It will beat a snail in a down hill race.

System Name	DLSS / YOLO-PC
Processor	i5-12400F / 10600KF
Motherboard	Gigabyte B760M DS3H / Z490 Vision D
Cooling	Laminar RM1 / Gammaxx 400
Memory	32 GB DDR4-3200 / 16 GB DDR4-3333
Video Card(s)	RX 6700 XT / RX 480 8 GB
Storage	A couple SSDs, m.2 NVMe included / 240 GB CX1 + 1 TB WD HDD
Display(s)	Compit HA2704 / Viewsonic VX3276-MHD-2
Case	Matrexx 55 / Junkyard special
Audio Device(s)	Want loud, use headphones. Want quiet, use satellites.
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1000 W / FSP Epsilon 700 W / Corsair CX650M [backup]
Mouse	Don't disturb, cheese eating in progress...
Keyboard	Makes some noise. Probably onto something.
VR HMD	I live in real reality and don't need a virtual one.
Software	Windows 10 and 11

System Name	Keds
Processor	5600X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	32 GB Team Force DDR4 3200 CL16
Video Card(s)	Power Color RX 7900 XT Red Devil
Storage	2x 1TB SSD / NVME
Display(s)	AOpen 27in 1440p 170hz (27HC5UR)
Case	Modified Corsair 540 Air
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G35 / Corsair HS80
Power Supply	EVGA 850GQ
Mouse	Corsair M65
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe Silent
Software	Win 11 Home (Modded)
Benchmark Scores	It will beat a snail in a down hill race.

System Name	DLSS / YOLO-PC
Processor	i5-12400F / 10600KF
Motherboard	Gigabyte B760M DS3H / Z490 Vision D
Cooling	Laminar RM1 / Gammaxx 400
Memory	32 GB DDR4-3200 / 16 GB DDR4-3333
Video Card(s)	RX 6700 XT / RX 480 8 GB
Storage	A couple SSDs, m.2 NVMe included / 240 GB CX1 + 1 TB WD HDD
Display(s)	Compit HA2704 / Viewsonic VX3276-MHD-2
Case	Matrexx 55 / Junkyard special
Audio Device(s)	Want loud, use headphones. Want quiet, use satellites.
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1000 W / FSP Epsilon 700 W / Corsair CX650M [backup]
Mouse	Don't disturb, cheese eating in progress...
Keyboard	Makes some noise. Probably onto something.
VR HMD	I live in real reality and don't need a virtual one.
Software	Windows 10 and 11

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

System Name	micropage7
Processor	Intel Xeon X3470
Motherboard	Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. P55A-UD3R (Socket 1156)
Cooling	Enermax ETS-T40F
Memory	Samsung 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3
Video Card(s)	NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800
Storage	V-GEN03AS18EU120GB, Seagate 2 x 1TB and Seagate 4TB
Display(s)	Samsung 21 inch LCD Wide Screen
Case	Icute Super 18
Audio Device(s)	Auzentech X-Fi Forte
Power Supply	Silverstone 600 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Sades Excalibur + Taihao keycaps
Software	Win 7 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	Classified

System Name	KHR-1
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard	ASRock B550 PG Velocita (UEFI-BIOS P3.40)
Memory	32 GB G.Skill RipJawsV F4-3200C16D-32GVR
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 6750 XT
Storage	Western Digital Black SN850 1 TB NVMe SSD
Display(s)	Alienware AW3423DWF OLED-ASRock PG27Q15R2A (backup)
Case	Corsair 275R
Audio Device(s)	Technics SA-EX140 receiver with Polk VT60 speakers
Power Supply	eVGA Supernova G3 750W
Mouse	Logitech G Pro (Hero)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2

System Name	ASUS TUF F15
Processor	Intel Core i5-10300H
Motherboard	ASUS FX506LHB
Cooling	Laptop built-in cooling lol
Memory	24GB @ 2933 Dual Channel
Video Card(s)	Intel UHD & Nvidia GTX 1650 Mobile
Storage	WD Black SN770 NVMe 1TB PCIe 4.0
Display(s)	Dell 27 4K Monitor S2721QS; Samsung Odyssey G55 Curved 2K 144 Hz LC27G55TQWRXEN
Audio Device(s)	LOGITECH 2.1-channel
Power Supply	ASUS 180W PSU (from more powerful ASUS TUF DASH F15 lol)
Mouse	Logitech G604
Keyboard	SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL
Software	Windows 11 Pro

Processor	AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard	MSI B650 Tomahawk
Cooling	Noctua NHU12S
Memory	2x16 GB GSKILL 6000MHZ CL28
Video Card(s)	Powercolor 7900 GRE
Storage	1TB Samsung 980 PRO
Display(s)	LG 32GP750 31.5" 2K QHD (2560 x 1440) 165Hz Gaming Monitor
Case	Coolermater HAF 650
Audio Device(s)	BeyerDynamic Amiron Home
Power Supply	Seasonic 850W Gold

System Name	Not a thread ripper but pretty good.
Processor	Ryzen 9 5950x
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Taichi (revision 1.06, BIOS/UEFI version P5.50)
Cooling	EK-Quantum Velocity, EK-Quantum Reflection PC-O11, EK-CoolStream PE 360, XSPC TX360
Memory	Micron DDR4-3200 ECC Unbuffered Memory (4 sticks, 128GB, 18ASF4G72AZ-3G2F1)
Video Card(s)	XFX Radeon RX 5700 & EK-Quantum Vector Radeon RX 5700 +XT & Backplate
Storage	Samsung 2TB 980 PRO 2TB Gen4x4 NVMe, 2 x Samsung 2TB 970 EVO Plus Gen3x4 NVMe
Display(s)	2 x 4K LG 27UL600-W (and HUANUO Dual Monitor Mount)
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Black (original model)
Power Supply	Corsair RM750x
Mouse	Logitech M575
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2
Software	Windows 10 Professional (64bit)
Benchmark Scores	Typical for non-overclocked CPU.