You aren't signed in     Sign In    Help

Scratchin’ My Head

Scratchin’ My Head by splorp.
This is definitely not what you want to see when the data recovery guys open up your hard drive.

I took a chance that there wasn’t any physical damage went I sent the Cobalt Qube’s drive off for a recovery quote. That being said, I kept my expectations extremely low. It’s a good thing I did, because the once the folks at Datacent opened up the dead Maxtor, this is what they found. They sent me this photo of the damage, along with their apologies:

“Even if we attempt to swap heads they will be immediately burnt out on this scratch. Sorry we couldn't help.”

C’est la vie. 

Comments

view profile

Stewf  Pro User  says:

Ouch, sorry Stefan. An experience had by too many of us. One day we won't use antiquated movable parts for storing data.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

schoschie  Pro User  says:

Yikes!! That's bad news.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

Thomas Brand says:

Have you ever spun up a drive and put a sharpie to it? Interesting patterns.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

.schill  Pro User  says:

Sucks! I think that's referred to as a "head crash." On the other side, you can get a bunch of dead platters and do this sort of thing.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

twatson  Pro User  says:

Hrmpf. Sorry man!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

splorp  Pro User  says:

@stewf Stefan? Whoops. Wrong comment thread there, my friend. Reliability aside, there’s something archaically satisfying about a physical mechanism shoving bits to and fro.

@schoschie Bad news, but not unexpected.

@thomas Can’t say as I have. I imagine it’s sort of like high speed spirograph meets spin art, I suppose.

@schill Ooh, now there’s something to try.

@twatson It’s ok. Life goes on, even if our drives don’t.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

Stewf  Pro User  says:

Oh my, I don't know why I had Kjartansson on the brain. I will blame it on the US>UK jet lag.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

splorp  Pro User  says:

No worries. We all slip a disk once in a while.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

brendan wilkinson  Pro User  says:

You have my sympathy.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

splorp  Pro User  says:

I’m adjusting to the loss.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

TahoeSunsets  Pro User  says:

One nice thing about a "Pass or Don't Pay" guarantee... if they say they can't fix it, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's gone, baby... gone.
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

splorp  Pro User  says:

C’est la vie, moi s’pose.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

lynx81  Pro User  says:

Waaah! Those are my bits all over the place...
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

TahoeSunsets  Pro User  says:

Yeah... all those bits, having bit the big one, leaves you with a feeling that "Life, it's so temporal." Doesn't it? Enough philosophizing... raise a glass, toss a coin in the pond, and toast, "Long live Newted.org!"

P.S. Really like what you've done with your avatar, Grant! Nice pic.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

splorp  Pro User  says:

@lynx81 Sorry Paul, the patient could not be resuscitated.

@tahoesunsets Newted.org shall return. Citius. Altius. Fortius.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

TahoeSunsets  Pro User  says:

Upon it's return, it would be nice to add a server (services or two) running along with it . I've always thought, "Gee... wouldn't it be nice to pony-up with Grant and give him my dial-up / NAT / servers I created. It runs on a couple of 840av's."

Technically, with the right smoothing out, an extra phone line or two, these guys (the two 840av's) could give newted.org some of those lost services that once existed for the Newton. Dial-up email, for 120's. Or, how about SMTP, that could be useful.

Alas, they too could fail. Lose a power supply or something. I do believe, one of mine was in service for nearly 10 years.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Would you like to comment?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).

[?]
view photos Uploaded on January 24, 2009
by splorp

splorp's photostream

1,845
uploads

This photo also belongs to:

Cobalt Qube (Set)

9
items
Part of: Thing

Compunabula (Set)

93
items
Part of: Thing

Abusing Personal Technology (Pool)

Alloys & Metal (Pool)

iFlickr (Pool)

Just Photos. (Pool)

Dead Computers (Pool)

Tags

Additional Information

AttributionNoncommercialNo Derivative Works Some rights reserved Anyone can see this photo

Add to your map