How to wake up PC, the HDD of which can not rotate

In case of computers (PC) which we have been using for more than about two years, we sometimes face against such accidents that the computer won't wake up only by tuning off and on the power.

The wake-up process stops, after some message output such as:

"Operating System Not Found"

(it means that the core file of Operating System cannot be read from the input device),

"Missing Operating System",
"Hard drive not installed",
"Invalid system disk"

or stops after the removable medium (floppy disk [TM] (or diskette, or flexible disk), CD-ROM, DVD, etc.) accessing sound and such message:

"Select boot drive"
(or some message like that)

     If it has occured, first, you had better turn on the power of the computer again!

     If a removable medium are inserted in the drive of the computer, you had better eject the removable medium from the drive.

     Usually, the system will succeed the boot immediately by execution of the above method once.

     The following is one of methods to solve the problem. which will help you when you cannot solve it by the above simple method.

RECENTLY, I have come to the idea that my method below is inferior to the latest data salvage firm's comprehensive methods. They write as follows (not in English but in Japanese):

* The common sense about data recovery and hard disk is wrong, notice! (the Okuyama Cyber Studio)

They say: Contact us (the salvage firms) before power off/on trial or opening the drive case for keeping probability of salvage success.

     I think that in many times the hard disk cannot rotate because of friction, as some dust has entered into the disk case, or the oil has become very hard, or so.
     From the noise, you can imagine the situation as a car, the engine of which cannot start.
     The situation is that:
     For several seconds the motor is trying to rotate with the noise like Shrrrr-shrrrrr-shrrrrr, and the noise stops and it become quiet.
     Otherwise, the motor is rotating weakly at very low rate with the noise like Purrrr-rrrr-rrrrrrr-rrrrr-rrrr-rrr-rr-rrrrrrrr-rr, though it rotates vigorly with the sound Shuuuuuuun when it is healthy.
     (On the other hand, even in such state, the cooling fan can rotate with the weak noise like Phhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

     What you can do then is the two:

(1) You may expect the probability that the disk will be recovered by chance by turning off and on the power of the computer.
When you try some times to some hundred times, one chance might come.

(2) You ask someone (including you?) or some shop, who can repair electric products, to open the rear lid of the computer,
Open the lid of the hard disk drive carefully to expose the disk and the read-write head.
A mini plus driver (the tip of which is about 2 mm) might be nesessary to open the disk box.
Blow away dust on and under the disk, to reduce the influence of the dust. Wipe the axle/hole.
Rotate the disk by your fingers as rapidly as possible like Pyunnnnnn Pyunnnnnn as many many times
Touch carefully only the side circumference of the disk to avoid polution or damage to the disk surface.

hard disk http://www.kayoo.org/home/mext/joho-kiki/ contents for education

     In any case, if you could wake up the computer in success, you MUST backup files before turning off the power.
     You write necessary files in external storage media, like, floppy, MO, PD, auxiliary HDD, flash memory, etc., or
     You transfer the files to some site to keep files on the network, or
     You print them on papers.
     You MUST NOT turn the power off before the backup even if it takes many days, for such chance would not visit you again.

     Even if the above mothods have failed, you could consult experts (shop) of data recovery of HDD.
Let's search information by the keywords "salvage", "recovery" of data and file by search engines like Google, Yahoo, Altavista, Excite, goo, etc.

[example] keyword='salvage recovery hard disk file service'

     I experienced this trouble about PC of company A, and PC of company B.
I solved the problems by the above method (1), that is, hundred times power off/on.

     I coped with computer A by the method (1), make the interval of backup of disk files to external media shorter and shorter. In several months the phenomenon became worse and worse. Once the rotation stop phenomenon occured, it came to take from 5 minetes to 10 minutes.

     One day, it occurred again, and I failed even I tried for more than 30 minutes. But I did not give up, and I invented the above method (2), that is, hundred times manual rotation of the exposed disk.

     To my joy of miracle, the computer started only once try of method (2). So, I could copy all the latest files from computer A to computer B, which I had bought, because I have felt some new computer would be needed, for computer A became worse and worse.

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