Quick problem

[PaulxHan]

Hello everyone,
i have a quick problem..

i recently bough a 320gb simple tech external hard drive. It was working fine, untill my dog had hit it and it hit the ground. Right now, my computer can somewhat read it, but it will not open nor will it show up in "My Computer." And i havent told my parents yet :dead: So before i tell my parents, i would like to see if i am able to fix it.
Thanks for any tips.

 

[woody1191]

If your dog has hit it, Possibly this may have knocked the arm which would read the disk and open the files.
It would be bad if it has knocked the arm because you wouldn't be able to open the HDD which is air tight (So no dirt or dust can get on the disk) to fix it.

 

[PaulxHan]

anyway that i may be able to fix it?
or should i take it to a repair center?

 

[woody1191]

A HDD can't be fixed once broken because as i said they are made air tight when built in the factories they can't be opened up because of dirt and dust it would automatically make the disk unreadable if it was opened.

If you have the receipt and a guarantee for it you can get it replaced but if you haven't, then it looks like your in trouble from your parents
There maybe another reason though? You could still send it to a repair center and they will probably tell you exactly what is wrong.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The internal components of an HDD can generally only be repaired by firms dedicated to doing so. It's not something you'd usually have done in a standard repair shop, and certainly not on your own. The amount that it'd cost to have repaired far exceeds the cost of a new drive.

What I believe woody1191 is suggesting is commonly referred to as a "head crash". When the drive is in use, the read/write head slides on the platter surface as it speeds up, until a very thin gap of air builds up between the head and platter surface, causing the head to "lift off" and remain gliding a short distance off of the platter. If the air cushion is disturbed by a particle of dust or shock, the head can come into contact with the platter while it is spinning at full speed.

A "head crash" can result in anything from a lost byte or two of data to a completely ruined drive. However, most HDD platters today have very hardened surfaces and are usually coated in some form of lubricant to help prevent "head crashes".

Regardless of the type of damage there probably isn't anything you can do. Go tell your parents Fido ruined your HDD.

 

[PaulxHan]

gah.. ill tell my parents.. but the thing is, i bought it from costco, and when it came, the "information" cd it came with was broken. And since my parents were stressed out, i forgot to tell them. Maybe i can sneak return it.. anyway thanks for the help guys.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Good luck, hopefully you don't cause them any gray hairs.