How can I Recover From Damaged Drive?

Question

Hi,
I've had an internal HD corrupt in my new Mac Pro, and I'm wondering what I can do to recover the data.  I've looked at this several posts including this one listing 3 data recovery software apps:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15249262#15249262
I also considered using Ubuntu Remix as described here, but it's looking like the dd tool exists in OSX as a command from terminal?  That led me to this article, describing how to use the dd tool.  So IS this something that's just included in OSX?  Also, I'm not really clear on what to enter for the Unix drive path.  The drive shows up in Disk Utility as a 4.14TB drive (even though it's only 2TB), but is not mounted, and so I don't know what the drive path would be. . . would it still be /volumes/Archive?  Or would it be the name I see in Disk Utility? 
I've already tried Disk Warrior (booting to the CD even though the drive in question is not my OSX drive), and it said the drive couldn't be rebuilt.  When I startup the computer, it gives me a message saying the drive couldn't be initialized, and the option to initialize, eject, or (I think) ignore. 
Does anyone have any thoughts on the best methods from what I've listed here?  I can supply more information if needed.  Just tell me what to look for.
Thanks,
Lawrence

Answer 1

Lawrence,
The same has happened to my gf's iMac. She has 27" iMac mid 2011 and today the drive went down. Instead of 1TB HD with two partitions Disk Utility lists it as "4.14 GB ST_M13FQBL Media" with no partitions. On top of that there is a strange noise generated - I believe this is fan related.
It took me a while to workout what the heck was going on with it as Apple Hardware Testing (AHT) does not list any problems. Initially I thought that MBR was wiped due to Windows 7 service pack installation, but when run Disk Utility I realized that there is something wrong with HD.
Apple started replacement program for faulty Seagate HDs for iMac sold between late 2009 and mid 2011. Unfortuantely her iMac is not eligible, but luckilly it is still on warranty. More details about the recall can be found here http://www.apple.com/uk/support/imac-harddrive/
I have read a bit about the issue and I found this link was very usefull:
When a drive powers up, its MCU (microcontroller) puts it through a self test during which it confirms the integrity of the SDRAM and serial flash memory, among other things. It then consults the PUIS flag and, if disabled, it commands the motor controller IC to spin up the motor. The drive then accesses the hidden System Area (also called the Service Area or Negative Cylinders) on the platters and retrieves information such as the runtime ATA firmware, P-list and G-list (factory defects and grown defects), translator (to convert LBAs to physical Cylinder/Head/Sector), etc. If any of these modules are corrupted or inaccessible, then the drive powers up in a kind of "safe" mode. In this mode there is no access to user data. Sometimes the drive reports 0 LBAs, as is the case with some Seagate models that have corrupted G-lists or SMART data. At other times the drive identifies itself with its "factory alias" (eg ST_M13FQBL or ROM MODEL HAWK) rather than its actual model number. This alias is stored within the serial flash memory on the PCB.
Milos on his blog (http://www.milos.ivanovic.co.nz/blog/218) explains similar problem and shows the solution how to perform a DIY repair of the HD. Unfortunately I am not sure if the fix applies to this case, and also, I do not have required hardware to perform the repair (and additional machine I could temporaily plug the HD to power it up)
Lawrence, it would be great if you shared your experience on recovering the data from that drive. My gf does not want to turn her iMac to Apple service yet as she wants to get her data back from the drive. I am planning to run some data recovery apps against that HD, and if nothing, I will send the HD to Seagate Recovery Services and hope to get it done for free as it is their faulty drives.
Thanks,