FAQ
The specialists answer to you
FAQ
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Symptoms
With a RAID 1 system, all the HDDs are like mirrors of the others.
What to do about them ?
If all the HDDs are defective, you should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
Should the opposite occur, it means that the copy HDD is still intact. So, you can plug it on a computer and recover your data.
Symptoms
If your hard drive has been through flood or fire, you'll have to face a physical problem. Many problems can ensue from fire/flood, such as melting of components, dampness into the disk, defectiveness of the electronics.
What to do about them ?
Don't dry your HDD with a hairdryer, and don't open it to clean possible soot stains. Don't try to repair or plug your hard drive on your own.
Contact a specialist who will be able to determine the problem and to act consequently in a suitable environment.
Symptoms
If your USB key is detected by your operating system, it could be a software problem with partitionning. In a few cases, the problem can come from a physical damage of the memory chips or controller.
What to do about them ?
Try to plug your USB key on another computer to see if it's detected. Check if the LED light is visible. If the LED is off or blinking, then your USB device must be defective.
Symptoms
A noise such as a jingle, « clac-clac-clac », shrill noise, or a dull sound are probably due to a physical problem involving the reading heads.
This noise is typical of a reading head's problem. Either one or more heads are defetcive and can't read the disk, or the platter's surface is damaged, so the reading heads can't read it.
What to do about them ?
If your hard drive makes that kind of noises, you're facing a big problem that you won't be able to solve on your own. Don't use your hard drive and bring it to a specialist who will be able to deal with the problem.
Symptoms
The LED of your USB key doesn't ignite anymore, or is blinking. It's an internal problem. This may be due to an alimentation problem, but more probably to an internal component problem.
What to do about them ?
You can't go any further by yourself without risking to damage more your USB key. Please contact a specialist who will be able to detect the exact problem and fix it.
Symptoms
The RAID controller indicate that the RAID system is in failsoft mode. Nevertheless, the controller can still be functional. You should solve the problem quickly.
What to do about them ?
Define why the RAID system is in failsoft mode. Most probably a hard drive is defective and so the RAID system can't function properly. If this is the case, then change the defective hard drive as soon as possible, as far as the RAID system allows you to do so.
Symptoms
If your USB key is so damaged that it's broken in pieces, it's really important to avoid touching the pieces as much as possible. Don't try to patch it up or to take the components out of the USB key.
What to do about them ?
Pick up all the pieces, put it in a sachet. You can then ask a professional to try to recover the data that was on the USB key.
Symptoms
If the disk falls, its surface or reading heads can be damaged. If the hard drive doesn't start, don't try to start it over and over because you may damage the disk more seriously.
What to do about them ?
If you hear a noise such as a jingle, the problem is probably involving the reading heads. If you don't hear any noise, but your drive don't start due to a fall, it may be another physical problem. At any rate, bring it quickly to a professional and don't try to fix it yourself.
- do not open it, you may damage some internal components
- do not format it, you may lose your data for good
- do not try to hit it on any side, you may phisically damage internal components
- do not try to turn it off and on many times, you may cause electric surge
Symptoms
Your RAID 5 system has at least 3 HDDs. If a HDD is defective, your RAID 5 system is in failsoft mode but still working.
What to do about them ?
You should change the defective drive as soon as possible. Normally, the RAID controller will integrate the new HDD and recreate the data, so your RAID system will be completely secured again. This operation may last a few hours.
- put your hard drive in the fridge. It may bring dampness into it.
- hit the disk on the side or on the top. You may damage the reading heads and the platters.
- open the hard drive by your own. Open the disk in a non-sterile environment may bring some particles into the disk and damage the platters' surface.
- in case of shock, don't try to fix it yourself, you may damage the disk. Appeal to a professional !
In general, when the disk isn't functional anymore, the more you try to use it, the more you risk breaking it definitively. As the reading heads are sliding about 7 nanometers over the platters, any shock or any dust particle could severly damage the platters' surface, making the data impossible to read.
Symptoms
Your hard drive isn't detected by the operating system anymore, it may be a physical problem. It can also be a simple software problem if the operating system itself is defective.
What to do about them ?
If it's an external drive, verify connections, then reboot the drive. You can also try to plug the disk on another computer. If it's an internal hard drive, it may mean that the masterboot record is defective (message « no system found »). Then check if the hard drive is detected by the BIOS.
Symptoms
Your circuit board is defective due to a failure or an overvoltage, then your hard drive isn't detected anymore.
What to do about them ?
Don't try to open your HDD on your own. Contact a specialist who will be able to find if the problem comes from your circuit board.
Symptoms
Your RAID 5 system can take a single HDD breakdown, not more. Your RAID system isn't functional anymore.
What to do about them ?
You should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
Symptoms
The LED light of your SSD is off or blinking. It could be either a problem with the drive power supply, or most likely with an internal component, as controller or memory chip.
What to do about them ?
If your SSD does not show up in BIOS, you cannot do anything without risks to damage your drive even more. Contact a specialist who will be able to solve the problem.