Replacement HDD For Laptop + Data Recovery

[Mister Pink]

Hi,

 

My HDD bust. I got the clicking sound common in broken HDD's. I've one important folder of photographs to recover. The rest was all backed up. So, I'm looking to replace the HDD myself, which seems easy enough. However I'm not really sure if say, this is compatible..

 

http://www.dabs.ie/products/toshiba-320gb-...drive-7K2D.html

 

..with my Toshiba Sattelite P200... I think it may? This is the current HDD in my laptop..

 

Hard Disk Drive: 160GB, 9.5mm height, S-ATA, 5400rpm

 

Also, I was thinking, just to leave it in for the data recovery but I'm not sure if when you recover data that even stuff that was deleted will pop up again i.e. all the porn I've watched and deleted over time. That would be kind of embarassing for me going in and collecting it, especially when they notice I'm in scat.

 

Joking aside, can any of you guys tell me with experience what the jazz is all about when it comes to data recovery. Is it still really expensive? Can I do it myself and what do I need? Do I need to hook the HDD up to a desktop PC with the adapter cable? Is it easy enough?

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

[Slamman]

Drives that are mechanically injured can corrupt that data, or just maybe impossible to retrieve, even if you pay the big bucks, they might find only parts of the data, for a service to do it, it will cost you over $100 I believe. I would try Craigslist to see if anyone has the tools and know how on the cheap, if I were dealing with the problem. I started a thread based on info I got about Clonezilla, though I've not used it yet, it keeps annual updates to an external or back up drive.

 

My move would be a 7200 2.5" SATA drive, the same laptop drives work in Playstation 3, it's all done simply, all you need is to format once it's slipped in the caddy and screwed back in. The 5400 speed dates back to the year 2000-01! I kid you not.

 

Here's a handy parts view so you know, and we know what it must look like in person

 

http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/tosh...therboard-1.htm

 

The modem cover, seen on the lower right APPEARS to allow another HDD ...what looks like a SATA port, but it's geared mainly for a (seen missing) 56K modem card. I'd see if a manual recommends what goes in that cavity

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-c...-upgrading.html

 

Well, I didn't read though all of this as I was looking at useful links, but he does say here...

 

"the bottom of my laptop has two more compartments, although they are physically not labeled, the manual claims that one is HDD1 and the other HDD2"

 

That means there are in fact, DUAL attachment caddy locations for HDD, much like Dell has offered in the past, this means an easy back up or dual boot device. I'd put your old one in the spare HDD2, and reformat anew with HDD1, then try and locate those missing files from a workable Win install OS, or alternative!! That's a nice find!

 

Specs are similar to the HP/Compaq I last had, I pawned it, but saved the Windows 7 Enterprise drive from it, so I could again get my hands on the same laptop later on! hahaha It had a finger print ID reader as well, but no numeric pad. I upgraded from the C2D T7100 to T7200, same as this spec;

 

Satellite P200

 

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB)

2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx2)

17.0" Diagonal Widescreen XGA+ TruBrite display

nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 with 256MB dedicated graphics memory

120GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA)

DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash drive

Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (Good job Toshiba! This card has been around forever!)

Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965 AGN (802.11a/g/n)

Bluetooth v.2.0 + EDR

harmon/kardon stereo speakers

Li-Ion Battery (9-cell, 6000mAH)

 

Here's how Dell does it, and this might work for some other systems, I believe a Caddy or connector is given the angle of connectors shown, it seems there's something reversing the SATA direction, Look into any docs on it

 

http://www.pro-battery.com/battery-detail.asp?id=589

 

The faux DVD ROM is a caddy for HDD or SDD as mentioned, and affordable too. ^

Edited November 30, 2011 by Slamman

[Wolf68k]

As long as the drive is SATA you can use anything you want. You can uses a 5400RPM or even a 7200RPM drive if you want, but keep in mind the higher RPM the more battery drain. You can use a SSD if you want to really speed things up and have a longer battery life.

 

For getting the files off that you want. How badly damaged is the drive? If you can still access the drive then hopefully you can just get them off like normal. Else I might start with SpinRight, it's not cheap for what you end up downloading but it does have a high record for data recovery. After that you might have to send/take it someone that can professionally remove the platters and put them into a working drive and see what they can pull off from there, however that is very expensive I'm talking $100s-$1000 easy.

[Slamman]

Using the two drive HDD2 slot, and a good replacement, he should see they're additional drive letters if Windows can see it, showing up under MY COMPUTER, in standard Windows. You just right click and Explore, or search for the photo folder, that would work if the boot record is damaged

[Wolf68k]

Just because they guy had HDD2 in his manual doesn't mean anything.

I downloaded the manual for the P200 and no where does it show that image, nor does it even mention a place to put a 2nd HDD that's built in.

[Slamman]

Dude, don't get dumb on me, the laptop is the same, the one I culled pictures and information means he has available slots for TWO Hard Drive systems, and the OEM never ships a computer with two hard drives, you supply whatever extra one you want, here he has his crashing and can stand to use a replacement.

This from the service manual PDF for the P200 ...same one I mentioned below \/

 

=-=-

 

Removing the Main HDD

The Dual HDD feature makes it easy to handle demanding applications while running

background applications such as system backup and virus scans.

Follow the steps below to remove the main HDD module:

1. Turn the computer upside down

 

-=-=

 

SATA is rather affordable, even with the hard drive shortage, there is bound to be a deal from a used seller. Going back to 5400 is not the best move, since speed is everything when it comes to computing on the go, Most people tend to agree, Batteries can be bought that have more cells then the stock OEM ship, most likely. I know my Acer has a 12 cell available for it. (Made in 2007) His manual ALSO states specs for batteries and all manner of attributes, in this case it's two options as well; 6 or 9 cell variations, 10.8 volts each, 6 version is 4000mAH, and the 9 version is 6000mAH.

 

I opened the PDF service manual online too, it says CLEARLY for models P200 and P205

 

There can't be more then one with the same designation, here's the HDD mention from that official manual:

 

‰ HDD

• 9.5mm/12.5mm, 2.5” HDD support

• Serial ATA interface

• Single or Dual HDD support

• Up to 250GB per drive

 

That means two (DUAL) ^

 

I'm looking at the last section of the service manual, shows exploded views of all the components, a 17 inch display, numeric keypad as mentioned, fingerprint reader, a web cam, and ...unique for a Toshiba from the ones I've owned, removable VGA graphics card with it's own heat sink AND a subwoofer system (harmon/kardan audio optioned) is internal as well!! Awesome considering.

It supports Celeron M, Core Duo and Core 2 Duo CPUs and 4GB Dual channel, now the specs surely have to match between the "two"?!

 

Further details on those CPUs; the models compatible are two Celerons (no one is too hyped on an upgrade to them, so...), Core Duo, the originals, like my Acer 4710, are models T2050, T2060, T2250 667Mhz FSB

Core 2 Duo ... the ones to consider for an upgrade; T7600, T7400, T7200 (I believe he'd have OEM), T5600, T5500

 

More from the service manual I saw;

 

 

The 2

nd

HDD module or system board may be disconnected or damaged. Disassemble the

computer following the steps described in Chapter 4, Replacement Procedures, and perform

the following checks.

Check 1 Make sure that the 2

nd

HDD module is securely slotted into the system board. If

the problem persists, go to Check 2.

Check 2 The 2

nd

HDD module may be damaged. Replace it with a new one following the

instructions in Chapter 4. If the problem still exists, perform Check 3.

Check 3 The system board may be damaged. Replace it with a new one following the

instructions in Chapter 4

 

Troubleshooting section referring to CHapter 4 (check yours again, using that info)

Edited December 2, 2011 by Slamman