Imminent Drive Failure

[rabidaardvark]

Have a Seagate Barracuda 500 GB that is in the process of failing.

I started copying files off of it and got about 60 gigs in when it stopped transferring. Seatools couldn't complete a test but it did let me know that the drive had once been over 70C. I tried retesting with the drive cooling to ~20C and it gets 90% through and stalls each time.

So assuming the damage is thermal; which is more likely affected, the platters or the rest of the drive?

There is no way I can afford to have the rest of the data recovered so I'd be up to swapping the platters into a new drive.

Any other way to try to extract files from an unfailed yet gimped as all get out drive?

thanks
shawn

[osprey4]

Shawn:

Why not just copy your important files and ignore the rest? Your OS and apps can be easily reloaded onto another drive.

[rabidaardvark]

It was a slave drive so it just has data.

But I can't start XP now if it's attached, normally or in safe mode. I also tried running Slax from CD to transfer the files but the drive doesn't show up.

[JPMiller]

1st off, attach it externally through USB after the OS has loaded.
make sure it is WELL cooled, I.E. sitting on a cool metal surface with a fan blowing directly on it.
backup the data in chunks instead of all at once, with a cooldown period in-between transfers.

[rabidaardvark]

Yeah, I hooked it up through USB. Windows recognizes it in Device Manger but not in my computer or Drive management. In device manage it says that the device is working properly but when I go into properties/Volumes it lists status as unreadable and all other info as unknown.

Linux still doesn't see it on USB.

[MTAtech]

I know this isn't helpful now but you shouldn't wait until the horses escape before closing the barn door. One should always have at least one backup.