Harddrive repair I would like to know how I can change a harddrive media &/or head for data recovery purpose

It's likely your external drive developed a fault. You could try data recovery software yourself. But the quickest and easiest way I can suggest to recovery your files is an online data recovery service like http://FreeDataRecovery.us

They offer both remote data recovery and do-it-yourself data recovery advice.

there are many freeware and pay data recovery programs available on the web

Try this freeware call smart Data Recovery
http://www.smartpctools.com/recovery/ind...
This is different from other recovery software because it not only recover lost file from harddrive and floppy like most do, but also recover from removable media like flash drive.

http://download.cnet.com/pandora-recovery/3000-2094_4-10694796.html

File recovery has never been easier thanks to Pandora Recovery. The program's wizard-like approach to finding and retrieving lost files will appeal to all users.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Accidentally deleted an important file? Lost something important when your computer crashed?

Downloads to Recover Your Files and Save Your Bacon and 10 Best Free Hard Drive Utilities.
hope this helps

I agree with the latter solution.

I would buy an inexpensive external enclosure, remove the harddrive from the SmartDisk, and install it.

It's the same procedure We Are Geeks are going to use. (But without the expense)

All of this hinges on was the harddrive in use when dropped?
If so don't get your hopes up. (Yeah, I know. I'm a ray of sunshine)

Basic construction of that harddrive inside the SmartDisk;

1) There are Platters inside. They resemble a CD or DVD disk.
Usually made of metal, or glass.
A magnetic compound is applied to the surfaces of the Top of the disk, and the Bottom.
(Usually a Ferrous substance)

The magnetic media is arranged in 0's and 1's.
This is changed into computer language.

There are usually 3 to 6 Platters inside.

They have a Spindle that goes up through the middle of them.
There is a Spindle Motor that spins the Platters.

2) For EACH Platter there are TWO Read/Write Heads. One above the Platter, and one below the Platter.
The Read portion does just as it implies. It reads whats on the Platter.
The Write portion writes information to the Platter.

There is an Actuator Arm for each Platter. The arm hold two Read/Write Heads.
There is an Actuator Motor that moves the Actuator Arms back, and forth across the Platters.
(When operating the arms can move the heads back, and forth across the Platters, at Hundreds of Times a Second)

Point of this 'dissertation' is that the Read/Write Heads are parked away from the Platters, when not in use. (No power to harddrive, and/or harddrive not in use)

When operating though, the Read/Write Heads are spaced above, (And Below), the Platters at a VERY close distance.
If memory serves it's around .0003
3 ten-thousandths.
An average human hair is .003.
3 thousandths thick.
One third the thickness of an average human hair.

When the harddrive is activated, a large bump, or a fall, could smack the Read/Write Heads right into the Platters.
This could result in wiping off some of the magnetic medium, and/or damage the Read/Write Heads.

IMHO I would buy an inexpensive external enclosure, and try it.

The harddrive inside is a laptop sized harddrive.
2.5 inches across in Width.
(2 and a half inches. A desktop harddrive is 3.5 inches across in Width)

It is a SATA harddrive.

Example of a 2.5 SATA external enclosure,

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3195233&CatId=2783

Inside the case of the Firelite SmartDisk 60GB external harddrive is also a small circuit board.
This is an Interface circuit board.
Allows the harddrive to be connected to a USB cable.

This small circuit board is the weakest link of an external harddrive.
Damage may have just been to it, and not the harddrive inside.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hard-disk.htm

How to open the SmartDisk enclosure:
There are no proper guides of course. The external harddrive manufacturers do not need you to know this information.
All I can offer is this,

1) The case comes apart like a clamshell. Two halves.
There may, or may not, be screws hidden under rubber feet, or labels.

The two case halves are pried apart.
Use CARE with the tool you use so you do not cause injury to yourself.

The case halves have plastic protrusions formed around the inside edges.
These protrusions snap into place when the two case halves are put together, and pop apart when the two case halves are separated.

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYCrFwMrEU&feature=related

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ_vjyvK28A

For additional questions please post in a Comment.

Regards,
joecoolvette

The Verbatim external harddrive may be damaged beyond warranting repairing, either from you, or a professional computer shop.

Allow me to explain the construction of an external Harddrive, plus the Harddrive located inside the case, and what may have resulted from the fall.

Basic construction of an external Harddrive, (IDE or SATA)

1) Plastic external case. Also referred to as an External Enclosure. Usually comes apart in two halves.
2) Small circuit board located inside, with an interface that the Harddrive plugs into.
3) Harddrive. IDE or SATA. Can be a 2.5 laptop harddrive, or a 3.5 desktop harddrive that is used.

[A laptop harddrive is 2-1/2 inches across in width. A desktop harddrive 3-1/2 inches.
If you have the Verbatim Leather Wallet 640 External HarDDrive it has a 2.5 inch laptop harddrive inside. The harddrive is a SATA unit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA

View of an average 2.5 inch (Laptop) 640GigaByte harddrive,

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5260951&CatId=2681

(The harddrive inside the Verbatim external harddrive enclosure, may not have a clear see-through cover to observe the internal workings )

The back end of the harddrive has contact pins. These pins line up with an interface.
The interface is a block with matching socket holes for the contact pins.
(Or more than one interface may be used)

The interface 'block' may be attached directly to the circuit board, that is inside the Verbatim external enclosure (Case), or may be attached to cables (Wires) that are then attached to the circuit board.

A) Point; The circuit board may have a crack. (Copper circuit trace is torn, or more than one)

[Circuit Board. Also known as PCB. Printed Circuit Board. Crude description of construction is a laminated board with very thin copper wires on it.
This information details out the construction of PCB's,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board ]

If cracked the circuit board MAY be repaired. Finding the open circuit, (Broken circuit trace. 'Copper wire'), may be VERY tough.
The circuit board may be replaced. From the factory will cost $$$$, and perhaps the loss of information that is on the harddrive.

To my knowledge the needed circuit board is not sold to the average consumer. This would mean obtaining another like Verbatim 640GB external harddrive, and using it's circuit board.
Not feasible.

More feasible; The harddrive would be removed, an inexpensive external enclosure procured, the harddrive then installed inside, then the USB cable from the external enclosure is attached to a working computer, and personal information is then copied off.
(Hope you're not an English teacher, and reading the above, lol!)


B) Basic construction of a Harddrive:

1) Inside the hollow empty metal shell of the Harddrive are two motors.
The Spindle motor, and the Actuator motor.

There are 3 to 6 Platters inside the Harddrive. (Perhaps more in today's Harddrive's)
The Platters resemble CD or DVD disks, and are usually composed of metal or glass.
The Spindle motor drives the Platters.

EACH Platter has a magnetic media applied to it's top surface, and bottom surface.
The magnetic media is arranged in a pattern of 0's and 1's.
1 being ON, 0 being OFF.

(The magnetic media is arranged in Sectors and Tracks much like a CD or DVD disk)

The Read/Write Head arranges the magnetic media. The Write portion of the Read/Write Head does this. (The Read portion does as it implies. It reads the information on the Platter)

There is a Read/Write Head on the Top, and on the bottom surface for EVERY Platter.

When the computer is off the Read/Write Head is in a parked position, and away from the Platter.
When the computer is on, the Read/Write Head is 'hovering' right above the surface of the Platter.
The distance of the Read/Write Head to the surface of the Platter is VERY CLOSE.

The Read/Write Head is attached to an Actuator Arm. This arm swings the Read/Write Head back, and forth across the surface of the Platter.
(When operating, the Actuator Arm can swing the Read/Write Head back, and forth across the Platter at Hundreds of Times a Second!)

Point; If the Verbatim 640GB was plugged into your computer with the computer on, and then dropped, one or more Read/Write Heads could have crashed into a Platter. (Or Platters)
This would result in wiping off some of the magnetic media, and may have rendered the Harddrive useless.

I know. I'm just a ray of sunshine.

I would suggest removing the harddrive out of the Verbatim's case, and installing it into a matching external enclosure, to try to remove any needed data.
OR take it to a professional service that recovers information from damaged harddrives.

An external enclosure is cheap,

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1086960&CatId=2781

This is to just check out the harddrive, and see if it's still functional.

For questions, or clarification to what I have stated please post in a Comment.
Regards,
joecoolvette

Looks like you have a harddrive problem.

It may be temporary, or the HDD may have failed completely; the latter may be for multiple reasons: impact, overheating, induced electromagnetic field (like a cellphone put in immediate vicinity of the drive), or just bad luck.

With such problems it's always a tough choice:
- try various methods of recovering the drive, reinstalling the system and so on, risking that the drive contents will be even harder to recover by a professional data recovery company
- or leave it as it is and seek professional help.

If you don't have anything so important on the HDD that would justify the big $$$ needed for data recovery, you can try various system recovery tools, and if they fail, just replace the harddrive with a new one and reinstall operating system from scratch.

Of course, if your laptop is still under warranty, you should call Dell for a warranty repair.

The answer is definitely Yes. You canrecover those deleted files. But you have to rely on somephoto recovery software as it's the most effective way. Try Card Data Recovery. This program applies advanced algorithm deep scan your memory card and harddrives to seek for your lost pictures and video files. You may get the programhere:
http://www.card-data-recovery.com

Harddrives are built in a 'Clean Room'.
99.9% dust, and foreign object free.

Inside the harddrive are Platters. They resemble a CD disk, and are made of glass, or metal. Their surface is very finely polished.
On the upper, and lower surfaces of these platters, are applied a magnetic media. (Usually Iron Ferrite)

This magnetic media is arranged in a pattern of 0's, and 1's, for the data put on it. The 0's and 1's are then changed into machine language, for the computer to read.

There may be 3 to 6 platters, inside an average harddrive. EACH platter has a Read/Write Head above it, and below it. (Read option of Read/Write head -> 'Reads' data. Write option 'Writes' data. Arranges that magnetic media for the data being applied to it, or taken away. {Address locater removed)

The Read/Write Heads are attached to an 'Arm'. The Arm moves back, and forth across the platter. The arm is actuated by an 'Actuator Motor'. The Actuator Motor is controlled by a circuit board on the bottom of the harddrive.

[More information: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hard-disk.htm ]

The reasoning of my long 'dissertation', is to help understand my solution/s.

1.It may just be that the circuit board for your harddrive, has burned out components on it. Replacing the circuit board may get your harddrive going again.

How? This may not be a simple task, understandably so. However, when faced with the cost of retrieving data from your harddrive, or finding a compatible circuit board, it may become more relative.

2.Since, removing the platters from the harddrive may be one of the ways the Pro's will use, remember that they have to open the harddrive in a clean room, and use special techniques, as well as special suits that they have to wear. (Lab controlled environment)
Part of the reasoning of the high cost.

3.The motor that drives the platters uses 12 volts. The actuator motor uses a LOT less. If either motor is fried, the platters will have to come out, to read, and copy data off of them, or the motor/s replaced. (Not likely)

Number 1 above, will cost you time to see if a computer shop, has the same type of circuit board you require, and probably around $10 to $20.

Number 2 and 3 above, (Last time I checked), will cost $75 an hour, and on up.

When disk does a noise like click click, that meant the hard drive heads are broken. Harddrive hardware is broken, data cannot be recover easily when it is like that , if the HDD contained very imprtant data you can send it an HDD data recovery.
Here is an HDD data recovery company in uk

This is the picture of a broken head:


regards

Formating harddrive doesnt mean you already lost your data. It is being converted into binary file so there is possible to recover. The problem is you need to buy a data recovery to recover all the data lost in your harddrive.

I can help you but you need to buy the recovery for $99.00. Gurranted money back if the problem did not meet your requirements.

Rate me SOLVED!

Philip