Hard Drive Dead - Data Recovery??

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Hi Albert,

I can't advise a UK recovery recovery company but I can advise that
you unplug your disk until you find one. Just running it in a damaged
state can cause irretrievable track damage resulting in permanent data
loss.

In answer to your question about whether recovery can be done by a
local PC shop: no way! This sort of thing required a dust-free clean
room and specialists.

Many data recovery companies really gouge since they know they've got
you in a bad spot. The best price I've found in the US is from
Nationwide Data Recovery in Miami. They charge $100-$500 with no charge
if data is not recovered. I know that doesn't help you much in the UK
but you might use that as a price point to try to match.

If your data is not critical, you might try one of two things: 1) the
freezer trick. Many people seem to be able to get data back by throwing
the drive in a ziplock bag, putting it in the freezer overnight and
then, in the morning, plug it in and copy off the data before it warms
up. NOTE: I've never done this myself and I cannot see why it would
work.

The other thing you might try is simple data mining with data recovery
software. Here are a few freeware data recovery tools which you can
try:

http://free-backup.info/data-recovery-software.htm

Again, don't mess around with your drive if your data is critical!

Good luck!
Chad