HOW DO I BUILD MY PC NOW IVE BOUGHT ALL THE BITS?

scrlk · 27 Dec 2010 at 10:17

This is a long shot, but it might work.

Download a x86 copy of Ubuntu:
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Boot up the live cd - and look under the places menu. If your HDD appearers, you're in luck and therefore you can copy off the data. If it doesn't, send it to a data recovery service.

welshdragon · 27 Dec 2010 at 13:39

Try a new sata/ power cable as suggested above as cables can and do fail.

Also, if oyu ahve access to another pc pop it in as a secondary drive and if ts recognised dump everything onto the host hard drive.

As for new HD's I use a Western Digital Black drive as my main drive. I have found ti very good. You could get a Western Digital Green for your backups and setup regular backups. I would do this first as last while pc is open.

Bob Wya Jnr · 1 Jan 2011 at 11:07

Hi all,

Sorry to hear about your loss benenhausen!! I really feel for you! I'm sure we've all been there... :confused:

A few comments:
1) Do try using some fancy latching+shielded SATA cables - if you aren't already doing so. The bog standard SATA cables can be really crap.

2) Don't let machine get clogged up with dust. That will eventually lead to hardware failures (component overheating or the air hole filter on your harddisks will get saturated with dust, etc.)... I don't think the Antec 300 has dust filters so you would need to do this cleaning operation more often!!

3) In the future learn from your mistakes. Use some kind of data redundancy. Be it online (e.g. Jungle Disk or Dropbox) or a backup harddisk. A backup harddisk is best run offline (i.e. only plugged in when you are actually backing up data - say each week or month). RAIDing together harddisks (for data redundancy) is useless without a very good quality uninterruptable powersupply (UPS). Otherwise a power-spike or brownout can potentially take out >1 drive.

4) To all those people suggesting booting into Linux or using this/that data recovery software... benenhausen quite clearly said he couldn't see the drive in the BIOS!!

5) Most Seagate drives have a minimum of a 36 month warranty (however OEM drives can carry a 12 month warranty -don't think OcUK sell these hoever!!) However they will take your drive, try to fix it and send you a different refurbished drive (the expiry date on this warranty on this will be the same as your existing drive). All your old data will be lost forever...

6) Data recovery firms will charge you an arm and a leg (plus a head for good measure) to get the data back for you!! I have had a go with the freezer technique and can't really comment on it. In my case the drive wasn't damaged by freezing it (but I did let it warm up to room temperature before using it - with a fan blowing over it to avoid condensation buildup). If trying this method you would need a second harddisk to backup all the data to immediately...

Ideally you would a very tech savvy friend to help you (for a few beers perhaps

). You going to need someone who is able to get 'hands on' with you harddisk...

Bob

benenhausen · 20 Jan 2011 at 16:27

ok, thanks for all the pointers but im resigned to data recovery or nothing and buying a new harddrive, an external 2nd hard drive and a memory stick - what i need now, having not looked for products since 2009 when i bought the bits for this system, is some guidance on the harddrives i can buy as a replacement for the broken one - one that will slot straight into the system i have. ideally i want one that will enhance my lotro experience, for all those gamers out there!
also any advice on an external harddrive that will slot straight into my system. i have never bought an external harddrive so please explain jargon where possible!

i intend to buy both the harddrives on recommendation at the end of this month

thanks you kind OC'ers

Addicted · 20 Jan 2011 at 16:52

external drive shouldn't be slotting into your system, it's EXTERNAL!

in terms of drives, Samsung Spinpoint F4's (320Gb ones) are extremely fast for the money!

benenhausen · 20 Jan 2011 at 16:55

cheers mate, will that slot straight into my system?, as in i wont have any unfriendly wiring/component issues to deal with?

and is an external drive running off the pc via usb or something?

benenhausen · 20 Jan 2011 at 17:01

Samsung Spinpoint F4 320GB Hard Drive - HDD
320GB Samsung HD322GJ Spinpoint F4, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ

found this one - is this the one you mean?

ShaolinDreams · 20 Jan 2011 at 17:56

One time my system drive failed on me, somehow i got to backup some important data by installing Windows 7 again, during installation i managed get an open file option and then navigate to my files, cutting them and pasting them onto my secondary storage drive. Crazy way but managed to save 90% of my data that was on my C: drive.

If you havent another internal hdd i suggest getting one you'll need it anyway, Samsung or WD should do the trick, then you can try a few tests from there.

FatRakoon · 20 Jan 2011 at 18:11

Ok, as has already been mentioned, EXTERNAL DRIVES DO NOT SLOT INTO YOUR PC

So, stop using that term.

An INTERNAL Drive will slot into it and an External one will plug into it ok?

External ones will have a power cable going to a wall socket for the electricity and it will have a data cable going to your PC. This data cable can be a number of ways, but yes, usually its going to be a USB one.

If External, the use of USB also means that there is absolutely no difference between the slowest rubbish drive and the fastest one on the planet, so dont be fooled by hype about big numbers with an External drive... They are all the same speed.

If you want a fast external drive then chose Firewire or eSata

Internally then as suggested, the Samsung 320 is indeed a nippy Drive.

My sons PC is using 2 of them in RAID and its a quick setup

I would in the past suggest Seagate however Im getting fed up of the number of returns that I have had to do lately... I even have 2 Drives sitting here in front of me that are getting RMA'ed tomorrow.

.Ox. · 20 Jan 2011 at 18:15

Bob Wya Jnr said:
Sorry to hear about your loss benenhausen

Karma for using caps in the title.

Bob Wya Jnr · 21 Jan 2011 at 22:05

.Ox. said:
Karma for using caps in the title.

Hey give the guy some credit. This thread has an arc. Everyone has an off day with the CAPS-LOCK key...

There frustration at the start. :mad:

Then triumph as the machine is tamed and made to work.

Then complacency sets in.

The pron collection grows in size. :cool:

Then tradegidy as the machine blows up - due to neglect... :eek:

Even ol' Will couldn't have penned it better...

Bob

benenhausen · 22 Jan 2011 at 10:18

to answer an earlier point when booted i think the drive clicks initially then seems to die.
im going to buy the recommended samsung drive on the 31st feb - ive also seen a 1tb version for about £40 with 32mb cache which, although i dont really know how it will improve things, should improve performance? and hopefully where gaming is concerned.
i will also be buying an external harddrive and usb mem stick.
it will be interesting if i plug in the new hdd and it also doesnt work! that will give me a new problem but will probably mean that my original hardrive, with old pictures, etc, is actually fine!
we shall see!ill keep you all posted

lttlejoe · 23 Jan 2011 at 00:06

benenhausen said:
ok, thanks for all the pointers but im resigned to data recovery or nothing and buying a new harddrive, an external 2nd hard drive and a memory stick - what i need now, having not looked for products since 2009 when i bought the bits for this system, is some guidance on the harddrives i can buy as a replacement for the broken one - one that will slot straight into the system i have. ideally i want one that will enhance my lotro experience, for all those gamers out there!
also any advice on an external harddrive that will slot straight into my system. i have never bought an external harddrive so please explain jargon where possible!

i intend to buy both the harddrives on recommendation at the end of this month

thanks you kind OC'ers

It's awful when a hard drive packs up with all your data on it so, I can empathise with you and hope you are able to recover your lost files! I do a lot of serious photography and use external backup drives for everything these days, after I too lost important images some years ago! I had them stored on a second internal drive in the computer which I thought was foolproof but, it was this storage drive upon which I kept all my files, that failed so, I now double backup everything on external drives just to be sure.
If I shoot someone's wedding, I have 3 backups including 2 on external drives and one on DVD's which are placed in a fireproof safe. Wedding photographs are un-repeatable - there is no room for errors or excuses so, it's a case of backup, backup and backup again.

benenhausen · 7 Jun 2011 at 17:54

got HDD direct replacement from seagate, bought external seagate hard-drive and 32gb sandisk sd card too. cant replace lost data but hey you live and learn

chuck990 · 8 Jun 2011 at 17:18

no one cares anymore... just sayin'

benenhausen · 31 Oct 2013 at 20:43

My hard drives gone again, does anyone know what Harddrive will go with my set up?(see component list pg 1 of this thread)
Or can I get an exact replacement for cheap anywhere?

Many thanks

benenhausen · 31 Oct 2013 at 20:45

The HD is, or was(!), a seagate 500gb ST3500320AS

CaptainRAVE · 31 Oct 2013 at 20:47

Holy thread revival!

Addicted · 31 Oct 2013 at 20:51

Avoid anything Seagate, nasty nasty drives, I'd never and have never bought any for years.

We had to send a drive back for replacement 7 times in a year, after that we just gave up.

benenhausen · 31 Oct 2013 at 21:00

Yh I've had 2 go now. Is there any drive that won't work with my setup. I'm ready to buy but I'm not techy so just need to know what I can buy and replace the dead one with