waterlogged hard drive recovery

Fri Nov 18 19:50:36 PST 2005

> I would expect the drive mechanism is watertight, but the circuitry on
> the outside may be ruined.  So maybe by getting another drive of the
> exact same model and switching the circuitboards, one could get one to
> work?  Seems logical to me at least but I know nothing of the data
> recovery business.

Actually, I wouldn't even expect the electronics to have any problems
unless someone turned them on the unit before it was cleaned.  Rinsing
a PC boards in water with a detergent (like Formula 409) is the first
step most real repair places used to do, back when things came with
schematics and you could really troubleshoot the circuit.  

I watched the pro's "fix" flood-damaged tv's by the dozens.  The steps
were always the same.  Hose off the boards, spray with '409, hosed off
again, dry with compressed air, let sit overnight to finish drying and
then plug in to test.  Normally the units just worked.  The ones that
someone turned on while filled with mud were often toast since higher
voltages often shorted to low-voltage items.  The only step left
before the units were sent back out was to re-lubricated all the
connectors and the pot's wipers with tuner-cleaner.  The units were
then good to go for another year till the spring floods submerged them
again the next time around. ;-)

-wolfgang
-- 
Wolfgang S. Rupprecht                http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/