Failed Toshiba SSD need to recover baby photos

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

As stated I have a Toshiba lappy with a toshiba SSD in side it, my guess is it was dropped but they swear it wasn't and there is no trace of an impact. Regardless the SSD is missing and my friend has her grand daughters photos on it and wants them back.
I tried all i know cant get it to recognize the SSD, I put in a SSD from an Xbox, but still need the photo's....................CRIKETS ANYBODY!!!

I'd be greatly indebted to you!:Hi:

[2chesapeakes]

Do you have an external dock you can put it in?

[BenchZowner]

Sounds like you've got a dead SSD PCB ( something or more than just one things on it are dead ).
Sorry to bring the bad news home, but your only choice is a data recovery corporation with the necessary tools for SSD data recovery.

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Do you have an external dock you can put it in?


Yes I do,
I found a video on U tube the guy used heat on the main bearing, as I guess they wear out and go bad. Aside from that I'm very open to any and all suggestions, when I heat the bearing I'll assume its all or nothing from that point on...........

[2chesapeakes]

Have you tried putting the SSD in the dock to see if it was recognized?
I may be wrong but I don't think there is a main bearing on an SSD. Is this a Hybrid SSD? I have used Gillware.Inc (http://gillware.com/) before for data recovery and they were able to get all data off my drive. They were also the most reasonably priced company. Be careful if you go the data recovery rout. I found a lot of people operating out of their home with half baked recovery options based on you tube do it yourself videos.

[BenchZowner]

There's no bearing, no mechanical parts in any non-Hybrid SSD ( Hybrid SSD = a HDD & SSD combo where the SSD acts as a cache ) [ stupid thing anyway :D ]

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Have you tried putting the SSD in the dock to see if it was recognized?
I may be wrong but I don't think there is a main bearing on an SSD. Is this a Hybrid SSD? I have used Gillware.Inc (http://gillware.com/) before for data recovery and they were able to get all data off my drive. They were also the most reasonably priced company. Be careful if you go the data recovery rout. I found a lot of people operating out of their home with half baked recovery options based on you tube do it yourself videos.


Yeah I tried to dock it, nothing. Even with windows disk and adding drivers it wouldn't pick up. I know there's many scammer's, I'm trying to do it for a friend just for kicks. Your right there is no moving parts in a SSD, not sure what I was thinking!!!! :good:

Here's the video, his seems to work and its the same SSD.

ITs an HDD, so is mine. thought it was a SSD...............Damn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTdXQaqNS_k

[BenchZowner]

that's NOT A SSD man :D

it's a regular slow 2.5" 5.4kRPM traditional HDD

[2chesapeakes]

Yeah I tried to dock it, nothing. Even with windows disk and adding drivers it wouldn't pick up. I know there's many scammer's, I'm trying to do it for a friend just for kicks. Your right there is no moving parts in a SSD, not sure what I was thinking!!!! :good:

Here's the video, his seems to work and its the same SSD.

ITs an HDD, so is mine. thought it was a SSD...............Damn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTdXQaqNS_k
From all the research I did when my drive died it seemed to be a one shot deal at recovering the data. I had all my daughters 1st year pictures on the drive and had just formatted my backup to use on my sons xbox. It was probably the best $800 dollars I ever spent to get the pictures back.

Depending on how much your friend values the pictures of her grand daughter you should use extreme caution in trying any recovery attempt. She may not be a friend for long if you mess with the drive and it becomes unrecoverable. The best part of Gillware is they send a file similar to the windows folder structure of all data they can recover and it is up to you to decide if it is worth the money or not.

The HDD that died on me would instantly cause blue screens and was a known firmware issue with Seagate drives. Unfortunately the free recovery from Seagate was stopped for the drives and they quoted me between $3500 and $4500 for the recovery.

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

yeah I know,
I feel pretty confident as it's the same HDD as in his video, but I don't have the pen heater he has. I do have a heat gun, witch spreads the heat out more.
Most likely I'll give her the HDD for safe keeping, if she ever comes into money she can have it recovered. This way, I'm not the bad guy I did get her lappy going with a left over Xbox hard drive I had sitting around. I just don't want to be the one to tell her your picture's are gone..........

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

well I hooked it up to my home computer for shits n giggles, then scanned the other hard drives for changes. It see's the hard drive but fails to install drivers? Suggestions..............

[BenchZowner]

How is the drive recognized in the BIOS ?
With the right name or with weird or random characters ?

[MaadDaawg]

when you click on it does it say you are not authorized to access the drive?

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

How is the drive recognized in the BIOS ?
With the right name or with weird or random characters ?


Well, the computer never gets a chance to see it. I hooked it up in the other room so I could listen to it, it tries to spin up a couple times then fades out so I assume like the video the bearing is gone.
I may open it up and try to re seat the pickup in the off ramp.

@Maadawg,
It never see's it, in the video I linked to on the other page It shows dude working on the same HDD. Reason I thought it was a SSD was cause it's2.5 inch, so I just assumed(didn't know the made regular Hdd'S in the 2.5 size)..........In that video he heats up the bearing long enough to pull the data off the drives.

[BenchZowner]

Could you take a video of it so we can hear the noises the drive makes ?
It could be a PCB malfunction as well ( and if it's that, you're pretty lucky, since finding the same PCB from another HDD and swapping it in will allow you to get all the data )

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Could you take a video of it so we can hear the noises the drive makes ?
It could be a PCB malfunction as well ( and if it's that, you're pretty lucky, since finding the same PCB from another HDD and swapping it in will allow you to get all the data )

I could make a video but you wont be able to hear the noise, its so faint. I assume though if it were a bad PCB I would have no spin up, hence why I think the pick up is stuck on the disc not in the off ramp. I checked it again, keeps making the same noise over n over but it seems to fade out as well(like its stuck).

Sounds like its trying to spin up then re starts..........

[BenchZowner]

I could make a video but you wont be able to hear the noise, its so faint. I assume though if it were a bad PCB I would have no spin up, hence why I think the pick up is stuck on the disc not in the off ramp. I checked it again, keeps making the same noise over n over but it seems to fade out as well(like its stuck).

Sounds like its trying to spin up then re starts..........

Bad assumption.
Bad PCB doesn't mean that you won't get spin-up.
Bad PCB can cause all kinds of stuff... ticking/clicking... spin up... spin down... spin up again loops, spin up and stall, incorrectly recognized HDD name, lost partition, etc etc.

What you're describing sounds more like PCB issue ( and that's a good thing ).

If I were you, I'd look for another HDD ( same model ) and swap PCBs ;)

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Bad assumption.
Bad PCB doesn't mean that you won't get spin-up.
Bad PCB can cause all kinds of stuff... ticking/clicking... spin up... spin down... spin up again loops, spin up and stall, incorrectly recognized HDD name, lost partition, etc etc.

What you're describing sounds more like PCB issue ( and that's a good thing ).

If I were you, I'd look for another HDD ( same model ) and swap PCBs ;)


I understand, if I do get the PCB it is out of my own pocket(can get one cheap). Plus if its not the PCB I can still open it up after the fact.:thumbsup: I think I can get one under ten bucks on flee bay.

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

I got it,
I'll post some picture's latter, the pick up was stuck on the platter. I used a pick and spun the platter counter clock wise as I pulled the pick up towards the edge(into parking spot). Powered right up, I'm now backing up all photo on a extra hard drive.


Thanks all for the help suggestions!!!!:Hi:

Again I'll post some photo's of the hard drive and insides soon

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Some photo's of the drive, I just finished pulling everything off it and it died again! :blink:

as you can see the drive was full, and the pick up stuck on the platter. I tore it up to get inside it....................:laughing:

[Kal-EL]

Wow, awesome sauce PhiL, good job dude, I've never had to go platter diving before :)

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Wow, awesome sauce PhiL, good job dude, I've never had to go platter diving before :)


Yeah,
Its not the best method by far, but she got what she paid for(or didn't) :taunt:. I would suggest using something, so as to keep dust out if you plan on using the drive. Even a large kitchen bag, could be used. Place the tools inside with the drive, zip it shut then you can open it.
My first failed hard drive ever, as I've never had one go bad. I suspect the lap top was dropped, though they swear it wasn't. I pretty much knew going in, it would be what it was a stuck pick up(probably from a impact).
Cheers!:good:

[GFDuke]

cool beams!

[Neuromancer]

Yeah dying in that position sounds liek drop damage to me too.

Congrats on fixing it :)

[MaadDaawg]

Awesome work dude :thumbsup:

[Witchdoctor]

HardCore bro .......... :thumbsup:

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

HardCore bro .......... :thumbsup:


Hanging out with greatness, makes us all better! :Hi:

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

I wanted to post this up as I used this tool re cover a jump drive I had some photo's on I did not want to lose. The drive failed and would not give up the goods, this little software tool went in recovered everything I needed. HINT* If you save small files at a time, you do NOT have to buy it. If what you need is priceless I would say this software is da bomb! Minin tool Power Data Recovery free edition 6.6
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/minitool_power_data_recovery_free_edition.html