iF MY HARD DRIVE HAS FAILED, CAN I TRANSFER FILES TO A NEW COMPUTER

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dsoucie

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Jun 16, 2015
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Today, on my return to work my HP Pavillion which is just a bit over 1 yr old gave an error message of 1720 Smart Hard Drive failure imminent. It will not let me go past that screen. If I get a new computer, can I transfer files from the dead drive to the new one or are the files lost? Also,
should I replace the hard drive or get a new computer. What is the most economical thing to do? Thanks
 
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popatim

popatim

Titan
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Dec 2, 2009
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Since most laptops only have 1 hard drive - when it fails all your files are gone. While you may be able to recover some or even all, in reality don't count on it. Everything you can recover is a bonus. And in the future keep in mind that this is what backups are for.
 
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onichikun

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Nov 13, 2009
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If the hard drive is already dead, and it is a mechanical drive (not SSD) then you can try the freezer trick (http://lifehacker.com/5515337/save-a-failed-hard-drive-in-your-freezer-redux) and see if you can get it to work long enough to get data off of it;.
 
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D_Know_WD

D_Know_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hi there dsoucie,

You can boot Ubuntu from a CD or USB flash drive and see whether you will be able to access the HDD and transfer your most important data. Check this out: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/267999-32-recover-data-mode
In case your computer was working just fine, I don't see why you need to get another one. HDDs are not that expensive.

Also, I don't think that freezer trick would do the job. Most of the times, it damages the HDD further.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD
 
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onichikun

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I have used the freezer trick to recover data off of more than 10 failed mechanical drives over the past decade. It works. Is it dangerous? Not really, you just need to make sure you understand what you are doing, and how to prevent condensation.

The first time I did the freezer trick I had encased my drive in a vacuum-sealed bag, then submerged it (with the wires pointing up) in a tub of ice water in an ice cream maker. This allowed me to copy files for over an hour and get my data off (this was back when SATA was still in development). As soon as the drive warmed up, it started reporting SMART errors.

Will it work in all cases? No. But if the drive is failed, and you need your data, it doesn't hurt to try.
 
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