Dead 2.5 Hdd. Or, Is It Really Dead?

Hello,

I hope you all are doing fine.

I know this is a software forum, but maybe someone can point me in the right direction as I have no major clues about what to do.

Long history short: I have this 2.5 750gb Samsung HDD ST750LM022 which I took from a dead laptop and it was running very well in my PS3 since almost 2 years. I connected that HDD to a computer (power) while being used in my PS3, tried to update the PS3, it was updating, and now is ... dead? I can't tell what really happen but after that operation neither the PS3 nor my Desktop PC (an old Pentium 4 with 2gb of RAM) recognize it (nor Windows nor the computer BIOS).

Funny thing is that when connected to the PS3, it says that no storage media is detected.

When connected to my desktop computer, it becomes sloowwwwwwwwww, but still doesn't recognize it.

I tried placing it into a laptop, and the system diagnostic tools can't find the HDD.

So, what kepts my attention is that SMART seems to be completelly dead, but every time that the power is on, I can hear the HDD is running.

Is there any software that can force it to be recognized so I can try at least to format it?

 

It seems you have tried it in multiple systems to no avail so it most likely is dead. The fact you hear it running just means the drive or spinner motor is spinning. It does not mean the stepper motor that moves the Read/Write heads back and forth works, nor does it mean the controller board which control the R/W head, among other things, works. It just means the drive motor is getting power.

Since it cannot be recognized in your laptop, PC or PS3, or in the computer BIOS even if there was software, the drive still needs to be seen in order for the software to find it. Sorry.

 

I see. What should I tell to the experts to check in that drive?

I also have a 3.5 HDD which I used to connect to the PS3 like an internal drive with a SATA extension cable, powered by an Xbox that I place besides it (because the PS3 does not provides enough juice for it to function). Have been like 2 years since I do not use that drive (because I started using the 2.5 which is now dead), but now I want to retrieve the information in the 3.5 drive.

This 3.5 drive does works and is recognized for all the systems where is plugged but can't be used in the PS3 because I need to update its firware (PS3's), which I don't want to. I think that the drive must be locked / encrypted or something like that for obvious reasons, but, is there a software that may help me to access to it? I find a PS3 specialized forum where some tools are pointed out but maybe someone here can tell me about a better tool?

 

Ummm, I don't think you do see. You have tried that drive in multiple systems and none recognize the drive. So there's nothing more an expert can either - unless you take the drive to a data recovery service. But understand those services are very expensive, and cost many $100s or even $1000s with no guarantee of success.

For the 3.5 inch drive - you said it works in your computers. Why can't you copy the data you want to retrieve from that drive and save it to your computer's drive?

 

I can't just plug the 3.5 HDD to a Windows computer and explore it because the PS3 encrypted the data stored in it, and also, the file format isn't Windows compatible. That's why people uses other tools but, data is data, there should be a tool that makes it easier to access to it.

 

Sorry. Now I understand what you mean. From what I am reading, there's no way to recover data from the PS3 hard drive in a Windows or even a Linux based PC. I will keep looking. In the meantime, hopefully someone else will come buy who has successfully done this.

 

Never mind, I was able to access to the 3.5 HDD with the PS3 and was also able to recover the data in it.

Now, if anyone can point me out with a software that may be able to recover the 2.5 HFF, please, go ahead and tell me!

 

How? Forums are about sharing what we have learned.

 

I got some courage and decided to plug in the 3.5 hdd to the PS3 with the same Frankenstein method -I didnt want to because I was afraid it could damage that drive as well, update it and it worked!

 

Thanks.