[tlug] Dead HDD

[CL <az.4tlug@example.com>]

Well ... it happened.  I have a VERY DEAD HDD with no backup and I
NEED the data that is on there ASAP.  Over the summer, I built a new
work PC.  Since the mobo was mini-ATX, I recycled an old mini-tower
case and power supply as well as the Hitachi 7200rpm 1TB HDD from the
old machine whose larger case, full-ATX mobo and "slow" CPU became the
base of a new torrenting machine. The new mobo didn't have IDE
connectors so I didn't install the old data backup 320GB HDD, which
was noisy anyway, and I made a note to get one of the super-cheap SATA
HDDs advertized weekly "later."  A male cat sprayed the case (extended
explanation follows below) and cat pee got into the connector end of
the HDD and between the HDD case and controller board (the usually
green one screwed on to the HDD case with the orange plastic printed
circuit strap that goes to the motor.  All I could find on the shelves
of PC Depot were 2TB Hitachi Deskstars for more than double the price
in the two-week-old chirashi ... but I bought it anyway.  It is
mounted in a "high" slot in the case and not in the standard drive
bay.

The current status of the HDD is "doesn't spin."  I suspect that cat
pee grounded something on the control board and toasted it.  I need
solutions for getting the data, including two VBoxes, off the disk
platters.  Most of the data rescue places want circa
JPY150,000~250,000 to get it off for me which isn't in the cards
thanks to a sharp drop in post-earthquake business.  So  ... anyone
know of a (much) low(er)-cost way to get this recovery done?

-  I am thinking that, if the circuit board could be changed out, I
could spin the platters up.
-  All of my other 1TB drives are Seagate Barracudas so cannibalizing
locally is not possible.
-  I don't know any junk shops that might have this specific model
with trashed platters just laying around.  Leads are welcome.
-  I also don't see how to unplug the printed motor connector strap
from the circuit board as the connector appears to be crimped or
clamped in place.  Anyone disconnected one of these plugs?

Suggestions regarding data recovery gratefully accepted.  Keep your
opinions about the disposition of the cat to yourselves.  And I
stipulate that I "should have" gotten a backup disk sooner.  So, let's
_try_ to keep the focus on getting data back.  I have enough stored
off-machine to get sort of running right away but need a lot of stuff
off that HDD to walk upright again.

BACKGROUND

Yesterday morning, one of our male cats (who is angry with the world)
got into the office (from which he is normally banned) and unloaded
against the side of the tower case.  He shot pee directly into a cool
air grille (round holes in a square pattern at the lower front of the
case where there is room for three 3.5" drives to be mounted standing
on a long edge with their connectors facing out) which means he got
pee on the HDD power connector, the SATA connector, and between the
HDD case and control board ... as well as flooding the floor of the
case.  I found the damage maybe half an hour later when I sat down to
check mail.  The machine was off and both the power supply and HDD
were very hot to the touch.  After removing the HDD I cleaned up the
case, wiring that may have been hit and the rubber anti-vibration pad
the case normally sits on, I dried everything with a hair dryer and
waited an hour before starting the machine.  Everything works fine
running a borrowed SATA HDD on the same connectors that were peed on,
running from a USB connection, and running the test suite from RAM on
the Linux OS from Ultimate Boot CD. So, the rest of the PC is out of
the equation.

HDD:  I neutralized the pee and used a small syringe filled with clear
water to rinse it out.  I then used compressed air and a hair dryer to
dry out the water.  The disk would not start and the usual "system not
found" messages ensued.  I bought a Torx driver and removed the
circuit board.  I cleaned the back of the board, case, and connectors
with "dry" ethanol and dried with a hair dryer before reassembling.
Still no joy.  I am pretty sure that damage is limited to that circuit
board, which "ought" to be replaceable (hey, I'm a car guy).

-- 
CL (sent from my diskless thin client)