Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Symptom: Drive does not spin up: "Sticktion"
Treatment: Basics Lightly tap the side of the drive case with a screwdrive-r—no power
Lightly tap the side of the drive case with a screwdriver-—power on
Advanced Cold soak the drive: Freeze
in a zip-lock bag
Spray drive case with inverted can of canned air
Lightly slap the drive on a desk top: (mild frustration)
Repeated hammering
of the drive on a desk top: (last resort—total frustration only)
Symptom: Invalid media type
Treatment: Basics Boot with a FAT32 Windows 95 boot disk
Sys the drive
Advanced fdisk /mbr
Check for a virus from a known clean boot disk
These are but a few techniques for the doomed platters. These techniques can be used in
conjunction with one another to arrive at the desired solution. Lather, rinse, and repeat if
necessary.
From: Daniel Philpott
Here is the solutions checklist for this problem:
Tools needed:
• Bootable CD or locked floppy disk—Formatted with an OS that can see the file system of the
hard drive. DOS is usually the preferred OS for this function with NTFSDOS from Sysinternals
for NTFS reads and DOS utilities for diagnostics/repair.
• It should have the ability to boot to and/or see CD-ROM drives, read FAT, FAT32, NTFS, or
other common file systems, run common network card drivers and see the network, have disk
diagnostic and/or repair utilities, and have antivirus scanning software with current definitions.
• Computer Repair Tool Kit—Standard repair tools.
• Freezer-—The one in your kitchen will do quite nicely.
1. The first task to recovering a drive is not at all technical—It is social. Prepare your user for
the worst but also explain what the realistic chances of recovery are. Then start collecting
information that you will need. Here is what you need to know before starting:
• What is the goal of recovery, returning to the previous state or recovering the data?
• Which is most important?
• What is the client willing to spend on recovery?
• What OS (NT, 95, Linux) and DOS (FAT, NTFS, FAT32) was the system running?
• Where is the computer located?
2. Check the environment: The last question from step 1 is often forgotten and can lead to
extensive troubleshooting of a simple problem. Look for an environmental problem that may
cause problems for the hard drive. Are there magnets on the computer case close to the hard
drive? Is there a fan or heater near the computer? Is a transformer, electrical junction box, or
high energy device near the computer (on a floor above or in a nearby wall)? All of these will
produce a magnetic (or electromagnetic) field that can cause problems. Equipment that may
