Data Recovery Case File · Second Fixes & Trade Handoffs · Closing It Was Correct
He Stopped Partway and That Matters
His enquiry admits something people usually leave out. A drive dropped and clicking: "stupidly I opened it, although I believe I should not have. I have it closed again but need help to extract all the data from it and have it moved to another disk." He also has a second drive and a memory card to look at. Opening it was a mistake and closing it again was the right response — and volunteering both is worth more than either, because how a drive was handled changes how it is approached.
| Media | 3TB portable hard drive following an impact — sealed assembly opened by the owner and subsequently reclosed; additional drive and memory card also presented |
| Reported situation | Drive dropped and producing clicking · sealed assembly opened by the owner · assembly reclosed by the owner · drive not powered since to the owner's account · contents required on replacement media · a further drive and a memory card also awaiting assessment |
| Fault class | Post-impact head positioning failure with ambient exposure — contamination assumed; handling history material to the approach |
| Equipment used | Full account of the opening obtained before assessment · drive handled as contaminated throughout · laminar flow bench inspection with surface and particulate assessment before any spin attempt · matched donor parts as indicated · additional devices triaged separately by prospect and priority |
The decode: what closing it achieved, and the three things to say
Why opening it was the mistake he thinks it was: a drive's heads fly above the platter at a height smaller than a particle of smoke, which is why the assembly is sealed. Opening it in ordinary room air admits dust, skin cells and fibres — all enormous at that scale — and any that settle on a surface will be struck by a head the moment the drive turns.
Why closing it again was the right thing to do: it stops further contamination arriving. The dust admitted during the time it was open is inside, and nothing changes that — but a drive left open on a bench collects more with every hour, and one that has been reclosed has stopped accumulating. Reclosing is not undoing; it is limiting. The instinct that led him to do it was correct.
What matters even more, and it is the reason to be glad he said so: a drive known to have been opened is handled completely differently from one that has not. It is treated as contaminated from the outset, inspected for particulate before any attempt at rotation, and never casually spun to see what happens. A drive opened and not disclosed gets discovered anyway — contamination is visible — but discovered after decisions have been made on wrong assumptions.
The three things worth stating, and none of them invite criticism. Whether the drive was powered while open, which is the single most damaging thing possible and produces very different surface damage. Whether the heads were moved by hand, which scores the platter where it happened. And roughly how long it was open and in what environment, which bears on how much came in.
Why the clicking is consistent with the drop rather than the opening: the drive was clicking before he opened it, which is head positioning failure following an impact. That is the original fault, and it requires the assembly to be opened under filtered air regardless — so the necessary work was always going to involve opening it. What his attempt changed is the cleanliness, not the nature of the job.
On the other devices: worth triaging rather than treating as one job. A second drive and a memory card have their own faults, their own prospects and their own costs, and knowing what matters most on each lets the work be ordered sensibly.
On the bench
A full account of the opening was obtained before assessment — specifically whether the drive had been powered while open, whether the heads had been moved by hand, and how long it stood exposed, each producing different and identifiable damage. The drive was handled as contaminated throughout. Inspection ran under the laminar flow bench with surface and particulate assessment before any spin attempt, matched donor parts were fitted as indicated, and the additional devices triaged separately by prospect and priority.
The outcome
The handling history established first, the drive treated as contaminated and inspected before any rotation, with the further devices triaged separately. Free assessment, one fixed written figure including VAT, 50% of parts and labour upfront with the balance only on successful recovery. The decode: closing it again was right — it stops more dust arriving, which is limiting rather than undoing. And saying you opened it is worth more than either, because a drive known to have been opened is handled as contaminated from the start rather than discovered to be later.
If you have opened a drive and shut it again
Closing it was the right call — the dust admitted while it was open is inside and nothing changes that, but a drive left open collects more every hour, so reclosing stops the accumulation. Then say so, in detail, because it costs you nothing and changes how the drive is approached: one known to have been opened is treated as contaminated from the start and inspected for particulate before any attempt at rotation. Three things are worth stating. Whether it was powered while open, which is the most damaging thing possible. Whether the heads were moved by hand, which scores the surface where it happened. And roughly how long it stood open, and where. Nobody will be cross about any of it.
Closing it was right — call Guildford Data Recovery on 01483 901310; full handling account taken before assessment, treated as contaminated, inspected with particulate assessment before any spin attempt.
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Our case files are drawn from genuine enquiries received by our laboratory over the past ten years, anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Each one describes the diagnostic and recovery procedure our engineers apply to that fault, using the equipment listed.