[Veritas&Equitas]

So, my mom's Macbook just conked out yesterday...she said that it got really slow, and then froze. She then turned it off, and when she tried to boot it again, the folder with a question mark showed up on the boot screen.

I took out the hard drive, and tried to boot it up externally, which was not successful. I've also tried Disk Warrior and Data Rescue II, neither of which can recognize the drive. However, it clicks for about 20 seconds when it powers up, then simply goes into a solid state where the drive is up and running, but no longer clicks or anything. So, it would seem that it can still get power, I just don't know why anything can't recognize it?

I've tried the "Freezer Trick" where you put the drive in a plastic ziplock, and try to run it from in the freezer using a long cable to connect it externally to my MBP, but it still won't recognize.

Do you guys have any other ideas of what I should try/do before I just give up? There are some pretty important business files and the like on the drive, and I really don't want to pony up $2k for a data recovery business. Any help would be appreciated...thanks!

[Sherman Homan]

It is a sad state of events when a drive dies. I gotta say, though, I have never heard of someone trying to access the drive while it was still in the freezer! Usually the trick involves letting it warm back up after a night in the cooler.
The pro repair shops would be the way to go next, but they are freakishly expensive. I hope your second attempt at the freezer works. After this is over, what will be your new backup scheme?!

[mduell]

Where'd you learn the 'freezer trick'? Sounds like an urban legend.

If you didn't pay $100 to make backups, then you're going to have to pay $1000+ for recovery.

[Big Mac]

Freeze your hard drive to recover data: Myth or reality? - [Geeks are Sexy] technology news

The day after, I shoved the hard drive back in the freezer for 24 hours. After getting it out, I was able to get 20 more minutes of life out it.

macosxhints.com - Freeze a dead hard drive to copy its data

There are anecdotes all over the net about getting drives to work by sticking them in the freezer for a period of time. People seem to have really high rates of success with the technique. Of course, as you said, it's infinitely better to have backups; with the astoundingly cheap cost of hard drives in contemporary times there's no reason not to have at least one back up drive.

[ghporter]

The "freezer trick" does NOT depend on actually running the drive while it's in the freezer. In the bag? YES. That's so it doesn't get all wet from condensation. You would try that if you had no backups at all, or if you'd just put irreplaceable data on it and didn't have a chance to back it up before the drive went south.

I'd try to use a USB adapter (either IDE or SATA, depending on which type of drive you have, instead of actually plugging it into the computer directly.

The idea is that a strong thermal cycle might correct electronic problems on the drive's circuit board, or (more of a stretch) that the spindle and/or head actuator might be more responsive at very low temperatures. It's much better to get into a solid habit of backing up your stuff on a regular basis. Which reminds me that I need to do a full backup this week...

[peeb]

I've used the freezer trick before. I think the theory is that the temperature difference can cause small changes in the alignments of the heads. I don't recommend it, except as a last ditch effort. Far better to keep regular backups.

[Corpse of Chewbacca]

Did it work?

[PhotoBug]

Haha never heard of this. Im curious to see if it worked as well.

[Aegis]

I put a HD in the freezer about a year ago. But, to no avail.

[peeb]

Originally Posted by Corpse of Chewbacca 

Did it work?

Briefly.

[bluedog]

MDuell,
It sounds like the stuff of urban legend, but I can confirm without a doubt that I recovered data from a previously unrecoverable state. I troubleshoot hardware/software not as a primary for my job but this drive just wouldn't respond well to anything because of hardware failing.

As I've heard it described on some drives that have had excessive heat, the read head which is a small thread of metal has actually expanded from the heat to a size that becomes out of spec for reading the tracks and sectors properly.

Freezing it can be just enough to bring it down to size. Everyone who has recommended this says it is a temporary fix and probably the last time you'll use the drive. Be prepared to boot the drive without letting it rewarm up after taking it out of the freezer, then do everything you can do recover your data while it is still cool.

People claim it works and it did for me in one instance of using it, I believe its really only when a specific but common hardware failure occurs. I tried it on two other drives with no luck. The clicking sound you hear may be the thermal recalibration cycle of the drive which may actually still work with the freezer trick. If it is the read head misaligned and knocking against the internal spindle or other mechanisms you're probably SOL.

Just a note, if the drive was in a notebook as you described you should recommend to your mother to NOT place the laptop on a soft surface. A pillow or blanket may provide protection from you getting a hot/warm lap, but it IS decreasing the ability for the radiant heat to escape. Its a real no-no to run your laptop on a blanket, bed, pillow for this reason. Its possible that is the cause for failure, or as we all know drive manufacturers have defective products from time to time.

[peeb]

It's a variation on percussive therapy.

[hadocon]

Can't your mother just get the data from her backup?

[Eriamjh]

It could work. If the reason for failure is a cracked solder joint or other electrical connection, the cold might shrink things enough to bring them together, making contact long enough to work. The same can occur when heating a drive (not really recommended).

So it's not an urban legend, its a mechanical possibility through the magic of thermodynamics.

[PEPPERRULES]

This freezer trick explains a lot. Once my hard drive stop working and I left it overnight in the frigid Canadian winter in my car and it worked in the morning.