Hi,

New user here, looking for some help. I dropped my external hard drive and hoping to recover the files

I did a dmesg | tail -n 20
[ 1107.165918] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#0 CDB: Read(16) 88 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 00
[ 1107.165921] print_req_error: critical target error, dev sde, sector 0
[ 1107.165926] Buffer I/O error on dev sde, logical block 0, async page read
[ 1110.518054] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] Unaligned partial completion (resid=2044, sector_sz=512)
[ 1110.518075] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#1 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[ 1110.518080] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#1 Sense Key : Illegal Request [current]
[ 1110.518084] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#1 Add. Sense: Invalid command operation code
[ 1110.518089] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#1 CDB: Read(16) 88 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 04 00 00
[ 1110.518093] print_req_error: critical target error, dev sde, sector 4
[ 1110.518100] Buffer I/O error on dev sde, logical block 1, async page read
[ 1110.548280] sd 11:0:0:0: tag#2 data cmplt err -75 uas-tag 3 inflight:
[ 1110.548285] sd 11:0:0:0: tag#2 CDB: Mode Sense(6) 1a 00 3f 00 04 00
[ 1110.576032] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] Attached SCSI disk
[ 1110.583456] attempt to access beyond end of device
[ 1110.583458] unknown-block(8,64): rw=0, want=8, limit=1
[ 1131.933531] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[ 1131.933547] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#0 Sense Key : Aborted Command [current]
[ 1131.933552] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#0 Add. Sense: Information unit iuCRC error detected
[ 1131.933557] sd 11:0:0:0: [sde] tag#0 CDB: Read(16) 88 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00
[ 1131.933561] print_req_error: I/O error, dev sde, sector 0


The SDE I assume is the failed disk, is it possible to still copy the files?

thanks in advance

My guess is you are up the creek without a paddle.

I've dropped many a disk and got away with it. You're not so lucky, it seems. Guessing, the disk is a platter (Well, is it?) and there's some head, motor or pcb error. If the pcb is cracked, I have recovered a percentage of such by stripping 25-50mm of multi-strand cable, leave a little insulation, and then snip it off. You now can bridge tracks by scraping them back, pick out a single strand of your multi-strand cable, soldering it over the crack, and snip the excess.

I would seek out the manufacturer if you want to pay for the service. I was able to get a pcb for one drive under warranty. They have the parts. Don't open it yourself.

so this would require opening the disk?
thanks I guess I would have to find a professional to recover it then?

you might get away with finding another pcb board with the same id numbers, (google it) and get another one to replace it. I've seen them on eBay, and it is just a shot in the dark, btw.

thanks for the advice but that probably out of my abilities

its just a few screws ...

doesnt require soldering ?

not the hard drives I've taken apart, it is just that circuit board. it has numbers on it .. you'd have to do he research to find our what numbers you need to try and match it up. From what I've read about this, that you cannot use any one, but it has to match because they mix and match the chips on the board, whatever they have on hand at the time, so it has to be one that came off of the same lot your came from.

this is what you need to do and research your specific hdd brand/model.

https://www.hddzone.com/fix_hard_drive_pcb_board.html

Don't open the disk if you want my advice. People will only abuse anjd blame you. Some disks come with an external board. Yours evidently doesn't, so the advice doesn't apply.

I have fixed cracked/broken pcbs by touching up the tracks and adding strength, usually in industrial machines, where the cost wasn't the €2k-€3k it cost to replace the board, but the machine down time while the company hemorrhaged profits until a replacement arrived. You end up doing extreme and unorthodox things to keep something limping along while a part comes through. Companies have gone bankrupt over broken machinery.

The likelihood is that if your board isn't external, it's ok. The finger of suspicion then points at mechanical parts. Try a professional if you like, if the data is worth it to you. He might be good.