Fixing a hard disc

[k0pp0]

Although I'm an IT bod, I don't know much about actually fixing hard disc hardware... I've got a maxtor drive, and it looks as though something has blown on the controller card. Essentially if put any power through it one of the chips on the controller get's very very hot. If I plug in an identical drive, then all the chips stay at the same temp. So obviously somethings amiss..

Problem is, I've got about 100GB of stuff on there which I really really want back.. It's taken a long time to get it all, and I'd be gutted to lose it.

Anyone got any ideas? I'm currently thinking of taking the control card of the working drive and (if that's easy) replacing the one on the faulty drive.. But I'm ****ting it.

Don't suppose anyone works for a company that does this sort of thing?

[Widegoat]

http://www.datarecoverydoctor.co.uk/

We use these guys when our stuff packs up - that sounds like a problem they'd be able to fix. Not cheap though.

[k0pp0]

Cheers.. There's a few of those companies, all charging 200 quid-ish for the same thing.. Hoping I can get around it without going down that route..

*update* swapped the controller board, powered it up, and it now transpires that the head is ****ed. At least that's what I put the mad clacking sound down to. Good bye data.

[Purpledump]

Not much help to you now, but only want to say: I feel for ya! Lost about gigs of personal photos & edited videos and assorted flash animation projects a few months ago and it hurts! I still keep the hard drive hoping that one day I can afford to recover all that data. Maybe in the not too distant future, I can.