Looking for Seagate 250GB HDD

S

SouthBit

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Hi all,

I'm looking for the following drive for parts. If anyone has one I'm willing to pay good money.

Seagate 250GB 7200.10 SATA HDD

It must have the following on the label:

Model: ST3250410AS
Site code: TK
Firmware: 3.AAC (not essential)

Thanks
 
Need the head stack for a head swap. It's easy to get parts from the States on eBay, the problem being the $40 shipping and 2 week wait. I managed to source a donor drive locally this evening though, so I'm sorted. Have a good weekend.
 
I have a ST3250310AS with that firmware, sorry.
 
Data Recovery

South_Bit said:
Need the head stack for a head swap.
It's easy to get parts from the States on eBay, the problem being the $40 shipping and 2 week wait.
I managed to source a donor drive locally this evening though, so I'm sorted.
Have a good weekend.
Click to expand...

I must assume that this is for data recovery -- as to rebuild a 250GB drive is insanity when you can buy a good working one for about R200.00

I always thought that the professional data recovery guys had a special "universal" HDD assembly ( in a clean room ) that one just attached the platters to ?

:confused:
 
Last edited:
MidnightWizard said:
I always thought that the professional data recovery guys had a special "universal" HDD assembly ( in a clean room ) that one just attached the platters to ?

:confused:
Click to expand...

You're assumptions are wrong, no such thing exists.
 
Perhaps it DOES ?

ponder said:
You're assumptions are wrong, no such thing exists.
Click to expand...

Forgive me for double quoting :erm:

I just dislike it when someone says the above WITHOUT providing anything to backup their assertion :(

Now I might be wrong but this is pretty much what I think my memory is telling me I saw in that image.

Spindle thing = "Spin Stand" OK ........


Spin-Stand Microscopy

There is however another technique that could be used for whole platter imaging that do not suffer the limitations posed by MFM based techniques.

Most significantly, Spin-stand microscopy is an imaging method where imaging is performed ex-situ on the disk platter which is mounted on a spin-stand.

This method is far faster than any other form of microscopy as well as being non-invasive.
It also has the capability to provide for the nanoscale resolution of the platter through a combination of track-wise and cross-wise sector analysis and reconstruction.

If a severely damaged drive platter needs to be examined and forensically reconstructed, Spin-stand microscopy (SSP) is the only viable option for high density drives.
In addition, SSP does not introduce scanning induced hysteresis effects and incorporates the ability to use spatial averaging to minimize media noise.

SSP does not provide more than a stochastic calculation of the previously encoded data from an overwritten value.
Hence, it cannot be used to recover data following an overwrite (as was determined using an MFM).
The primary advantages of SSM is that it is far simpler to locate the position of a particular track on the disk platter and it is feasible to image an entire platter using this technique.
What this technique does offer is the ability to image a drive in weeks rather than years.


Source: Spin-Stand Microscopy of Hard Disk Data


Now this is high end FORENSIC data recovery and I have NO idea if anyone in SA provides this type of service ?

I rather suspect that forensics at this level would be sent to the FBI / CIA / NSA / DIA etc etc
 
MidnightWizard said:
I remember seeing an ad with a picture of a guy in a clean room suit with a sort of spindle thing with HDD platters on it.

Data recovery in the First World

Data Recovery "Down Under"
Click to expand...

What you are referring to is a platter extractor. It is used to ensure the platters are locked into place because if a single platter moves by a micro meter you will no longer be able to read the data or use the drive.

The first link you provided shows their big HDD inventory they use for data recovery, logic boards, head stacks & spindle motors from good drives are used to recover data from faulty drives.

The second link you provided shows images of platter extractors.
 
MidnightWizard said:
I must assume that this is for data recovery -- as to rebuild a 250GB drive is insanity when you can buy a good working one for about R200.00

I always thought that the professional data recovery guys had a special "universal" HDD assembly ( in a clean room ) that one just attached the platters to ?

:confused:
Click to expand...

Yes, I am needing the drive for parts for data recovery.

I'm afraid nothing like that exists, a 'tool' that can read hard drive platters. When you understand the way a HDD works then you'll see why it's impossible to manufacture something like that. The closest thing is something like this, but it's not practical.
 
MidnightWizard said:
Spindle thing = "Spin Stand" OK ........
Click to expand...

Spinstands are magnetic test & measurement devices. http://www.guzik.com/product_n.asp

Yes you should be able to record a "magnetic image" of the drive surface. Problem is that magnetic image does not represent your data. You will have to decode several layers of the image to get to your data. The encoding techniques are proprietary vendor specific information and differs between manufacturers, models, series and years so you have a boatload of possible multilayer encoding schemes. Yes if you have the time and the brains you can reverse engineer these encoding schemes. Having multiple platters just makes it even more complex as the data is split across them. There is no 'click a button' solution for this, it will be on a case by case basis.

That research paper used single platter drives with known files written to known tracks/sectors which is much easier than looking for the unknown. Some more time will have to pass & more development done before that becomes a viable option for data recovery. Maybe in 10yrs time or so but it would require the HDD manufacturers to play ball and make their encoding schemes public knowledge which I doubt they will do.

If your data is that valuable you would have backups before going down this time consuming route.

If anybody wants to have a look at the paper/book PM me.
 
Last edited:
R&D

South_Bit said:
Yes, I am needing the drive for parts for data recovery.

I'm afraid nothing like that exists, a 'tool' that can read hard drive platters.
When you understand the way a HDD works then you'll see why it's impossible to manufacture something like that.
The closest thing is something like this, but it's not practical.
Click to expand...

OK

What about this ?

Data recovery Spinstand

Advanced Data Recovery - Research and Development

I guess it looks something like that "universal" HDD that I was talking about ?

Nothing is not nothing & never is never ......... ;):D
 
Guzik ~ !

ponder said:
Spinstands are magnetic test & measurement devices. http://www.guzik.com/product_n.asp
If your data is that valuable you would have backups before going down this time consuming route.
Click to expand...

Now that I have found the "magic words" Google has opened her vast vaults of information :)


Spinstand by Guzik

Many universities, research and development organisations and some data recovery companies use the Guzik Spinstand for R&D

however its ability to perform any commercial data recovery has never been proven.

Data Recovery companies in the UK that claim to perform data recovery using Spinstand include DataClinic and Xytron.

A more practicable method of imaging a hard disk drive is provided by hardware produced by data recovery equipment such as Acelabs, Atola, Deepspar and SalvationData.


Source: ---> Data Recovery Companies
 
Forensics !

ponder said:
If your data is that valuable you would have backups before going down this time consuming route.
If anybody wants to have a look at the paper/book PM me.
Click to expand...

In forensics -- by defnition -- there is NO backup ! ( that is why you have to make one )

You can read this book online

"Spin-Stand Microscopy of Hard Disk Data" Authors ; Isaak Meyergoyz / Chun Tse

:)
 
MidnightWizard said:
Spinstand by Guzik

Many universities, research and development organisations and some data recovery companies use the Guzik Spinstand for R&D

however its ability to perform any commercial data recovery has never been proven.

Data Recovery companies in the UK that claim to perform data recovery using Spinstand include DataClinic and Xytron.

A more practicable method of imaging a hard disk drive is provided by hardware produced by data recovery equipment such as Acelabs, Atola, Deepspar and SalvationData.
[/I]

Source: ---> Data Recovery Companies
Click to expand...

As it says, it has never been proven to actually work for data recovery. If it did then every data recovery business would own one. I'll be amazed if their invention actually works at some point, I highly doubt it.

As they mentioned, actual data recovery tools that are used worldwide are products from the Likes of ACE Lab and DeepSpar (for imaging). Salvation Data and Atola are fairly new on the scene and still have a lot of progress to make.
 
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