Oh, no, my hard drive is dead...

There isn't much you can do ... if it won't spin up, then nothing will really help.

Sucks, but this is why a backup is important.

If the drive is truly dead and won't even spin up then you're out of luck, short of spending a fair amount on professional data recovery. Depends how valuable your data is to you.

Your drive is suffering from internal mechanical failure if it is clicking. This cannot be fixed. In the page you linked to the problem was logic board failure, which could simply be replaced.

If you plan on trying a data recovery service, DO NOT power-up that drive anymore or you'll continue to damage the platters. There are some (google it) that will evaluate your drive for free (you pay shipping), give you an idea what can be recovered and quote you a price.

I know it's after the fact, but I highly recommend CrashPlan to protect yourself in the future.

Best of luck (I know and been in your shoes).

Put it in the fridge overnight.

MovieCutter said:

Put it in the fridge overnight.

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I've actually done this before and it helps for a very short time. Immediately power it up and copy the data off if it works, then go out and buy two more (one for primary, one for backup).

macandal said:

Thanks, Tim, this is good to know. How do you know which are the best services? Did you use one when your hard drive crashed?...

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There are the big name ones that advertise nationally, but they usually charge a lot. Check locally. I did not have to use one because I was able to piece together about 75% of the data from various disks, but I did loose a significant amount of valuable data. In the end, it was not worth the going rate at that time and since I've been religious about backing-up.

MovieCutter said:

Put it in the fridge overnight.

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Actually, this is a good suggestion. I did this for a friend's hd that crapped out and was able to get the important files copied. I wish I knew this trick back when I had that first drive die, might have recovered all of it.

Google this and you'll see it's not a joke. It doesn't work all the time, but might be worth a shot, unless you absolutely can't afford to loose the data then go to a recovery service.

You have to remove the drive and place it in a zip-lock (freezer kind) to protect it against condensation. Let it be for 24 hours. Install a new hard drive and get it up and running with the OS. Then, buy an external enclosure for your failed drive, or even a bare drive connector. Because time is limited, get the fastest connection (FW800 if you have it) Have your computer running, connect the failed drive and power it up. Once mounted, go after the most important data immediately and copy it to the new hard drive. You might get 15-20 minutes, but plan on less. You might get lucky and do this several times. If it doesn't mount, pull the plug, it's time to contact the pros. Be warned, this technique will cause more damage and eventually total failure.

macandal said:

I think I'll pass on this one. If anyone can recommend a good data recovery service I would appreciate it.

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You think I'm kidding...but if you don't believe me, by all means, go spend all your money on a data recovery service when chances are...you could do this yourself for free using my suggestion. Google is your friend slick.

"Oh, no, my hard drive is dead.....and, of course, I have no back up. This is my music library, about 8000 songs. I turn on the hard drive and it goes, "click, click, click" and my MacBook Pro does not recognize it. Please tell me that there is something I can do to recover my stuff, and if so, what? Thank you very much."

You have just learned the HARD WAY about why it's necessary to back up stuff that's important to you.

If the drive is truly broken - by that I mean an internal hardware failure that won't let the drive spin - and you decide to choose a "professional data recovery" place, be prepared to spend upwards of $750 to $1,500 to get your data back.

But before you do that, consider: "Do I really want to spend this much for some music?"

Let me offer you a strategy for future backups:
1. Get one of these gadgets:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=usb+sata+dock&x=0&y=0
(Many items show, all are cheap, all work the same)
2. Then, get AT LEAST TWO "bare hard drives" from the vendor of your choice. (I like newegg.com)
3. Get the FREE "CarbonCopyCloner" backup utility from bombich.com.

You can swap drives around for backing up, quick and easy.