[t0adman]

Hi all,

I've been using my Maxtor OneTouch 4 to back up all my most important image, video, finance and personal files. The other day while it was spinning the enclosure tipped over when the cord was accidentally kicked. The unit did not fall off of anything it simply tipped on its side. Since then the unit won't spin up and it makes a series of short buzzing noises (buzz, pause, buzz, pause, etc) for about 1 min then stops completely and the light on the front stays illuminated continuously. It no longer shows up in Windows 7.

What likely happened? What would you guys/gals do? If it turns out I need to send it in for data recovery, can someone recommend a very affordable option? I'm out of work (join the club I know) and have limited resources. Thanks in advance.

 

[raptor_pa]

It could be a seized/bent spindle, not uncommon for Maxtor/Seagates with impact. First thing to do is get the disk out of the enclosure and mount it into a desktop as an internal drive to verify if the enclosure may have been damaged. Unfortunately, the chances of an affordable recovery on those drives is pretty slim if it is a spindle issue. Probably in the $1200 - $1500 range. It would require a platter swap into a compatible drive - and those drives have baffle plates between the platters which makes it a highly specialized operation.

 

[t0adman]

It could be a seized/bent spindle, not uncommon for Maxtor/Seagates with impact. First thing to do is get the disk out of the enclosure and mount it into a desktop as an internal drive to verify if the enclosure may have been damaged. Unfortunately, the chances of an affordable recovery on those drives is pretty slim if it is a spindle issue. Probably in the $1200 - $1500 range. It would require a platter swap into a compatible drive - and those drives have baffle plates between the platters which makes it a highly specialized operation.

Charge.....clear....KA-THUMP! beep...beep...beep....whew. Now that I've got a heartbeat again I should say thanks for the reply. I've had a post on the Seagate forums for several days now and not a single reply. The warranty on the drive means nothing to me so I'll just pull the thing apart per instructions in numerous threads I've read on the subject. If I can get it to work mounted internally on my desktop I'll be pumped. If not, can anyone recommend the most affordable recovery option?

 

[raptor_pa]

Once you get it out, post the model number. Also see if any of these sounds are what you hear.. http://datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php

 

[t0adman]

Okay I pulled this thing apart and here are the specs.

Barracuda 7200.11
1000 Gbytes
S/N: 9QJ0M4W1
P/N: 9BX158-568
Firmware: SD81
Date Code: 08454
Site Code: KRATSG

It also says warranty is void if drive experiences shock in excess of 300 Gs. Really? 300? This thing tipped over....that's it. It didn't fall it tipped over! 300 Gs is huge unless I'm interpreting that wrong.

My next dilemma is that my home desktop is antiquated (although it's running Win7 like a champ) and I don't have SATA connections. I need to find someone with a new machine and test this thing. It just can't be easy can it.

Does the info above offer any insight into what might be going on or what I should do?

 

[raptor_pa]

It's like anything else, under the right conditions, it might take a LOT less. Let us know when you get it in a system internally and we'll go from there, it could be an issue with the housing too, that probably isn't rated for 300 Gs. I checked the serial, there is no firmware upgrade for that particular drive. Some of the 7200.11 drives had a firmware issue, but the symptoms were different and your drive is not one of the affected drives. D Is there anything here similar tot he sounds? http://www.datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php

 

[t0adman]

Okay, I'm here at my buddy's place and he has a new Gateway FX desktop with what appears to be two SATA expansion bays on the front of this thing. I inserted my drive into one of the carriages and slid it into the front. I can hear the drive spin up...maybe...and it sounds like it's searching for data. It never shows up in Explorer though. Do I need to do anything in Vista to get it to recognize a SATA drive in the bay? I'm also assuming it's hot swappable, right?

 

[t0adman]

Greeeeeeeat. I know it's bad news when only one guy (thanks raptor_pa) replies to my post and now he's not around. I'm am straight up hosed here. Special thanks to Maxtor/Seagate for making a miserably bad product. I've since gotten a 1TB Verbatim multi-connection external drive and it's clearly leagues better than the Maxtor pond scum.

 

[raptor_pa]

I hate to tell you, your verbatim probably has either a Seagte or Maxtor drive inside - verbatim does not make the disks, just the enclosure. Sorry missed your last post, I would never assume hot swap on a drive, and always insert the drive when the system is down when connecting to a SATA port. The key is whether the drive is found in BIOS.

 

[t0adman]

Sounds like I'll be making another trip to his house. Thanks again raptor_pa.