Data recovery support tools

Introduction 

In order to share our knowledge and experience, we decided to create this blog, so we can further explain our products and methods. Our plan is to make this blog as a place for writting about our solutions, ideas and vision.

HddSurgery tools

Hard disk drives are compact electro-mechanical devices, which means that movement of their mechanical parts (heads and motor) is electronically controlled.

These HDD moving parts are very prone to different types of malfunctions. These failures are typical consequences of physical impacts on HDDs, especially during its work.

Failures of hard drive heads for example demand replacement of damaged head assembly with functional one. Although definition of head replacement process sounds simple, operation can be covered only to experienced DR technicians, since the smallest error in the process can lead to permanent data loss.

During the process, DR technician needs to take care that heads (or anything else) don't come in any kind of contact with HDD platters and also to prevent mutual contact between the read/write heads. In the time before HddSurgery tools, these contacts were prevented with pieces of paper, cardboard, rubber, foil and similar materials.

Lot of steps in the process in combination with the use of unreliable (soft and easy) materials consequently led to mistakes and chances of their appearance was always high.

These non-standard head replacement procedures in data recovery practice were thorn in the flash for HelpDisc Data Recovery Service technicians. Their ideas in combination with knowledge and experience of mechanical engineers from Erozimat company, led to development and production of the first head replacement tool for Maxtor hard drives DiamondMax9 and DiamondMax10.

This tool enabled head replacement without any contact between tool or heads with the platters and prevented mutual contact between the heads themselves. Tool was followed with detailed user manual in which all steps in the process were described in detail which standardized the process. Video and animation guides followed.

Joint opinion of data recovery community was positive - head replacement process became easier, less prone to mistakes caused by human factor and as such - less stressful.

Positive response from colleagues and friends led to creation of HddSurgery - at first as a tool brand and later as an independent company. In the years that followed, tools were developed for many different types of hard drives and their mechanics.

Hard drive technology developed, many things changed over the years from head parking spot through heads connection with hard drive casing to the appearance of helium filled HDDs. Each change brings new issue to DR professionals and new challenge to the HddSurgery engineers.

 

Žarko Damjanović - Development Engineer
Miloš Gizdovski - Marketing manager