On the subject of data loss
One of my customers has an old Novell server on which the hard drive has failed.

The last backup of their data was 2 years ago.

The drive is currently in the freezer, which has worked for me before - only problem being that if it does work, I don't know enough about Novell to copy the files off in the short time that the drive is still working.

So basically, to sum it up, they're fucked. Back up your files, folks.

(Sorry to hijack the QOTW, but does anyone know, perchance, how to mount a Novell drive under Windows?)
(Half of Stephen Fry's right buttock pissed on your dog on, Wed 14 May 2008, 11:04, 6 replies)

I'd recommend
Sending Legless a message, he's pretty good with this kinda stuff.
( Cawl, Wed 14 May 2008, 11:09, closed)

We've all been there mate...
... and its like its the sysadmins fault. Just yesterday I got re-called to a PC for a missing document. User had been working all day on a temporary profile because theirs was corrupt and saved it to the desktop. So when she logged out it zapped it.
Somehow it was my fault. - Despite her getting messages when she logged in saying that changes would be lost when she logs out.
(Miggyman, Wed 14 May 2008, 11:20, closed)

If you
Can get the drive working again, take a disk image of the fucker.

www.trtec.com.br/pages/NGhostnetware.html

Then, assuming it images OK, splat the image onto a disk bigger than the original.

Job's done and you'll look like a demi-God.

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Wed 14 May 2008, 12:11, closed)

Cheers everyone
I found a piece of software called Captain Nemo which can pull files off Novell drives.

Unfortunately, I think the drive is just too far gone. The motor isn't even spinning when it's plugged in. It's just making funny noises.
(Half of Stephen Fry's right buttock pissed on your dog on, Wed 14 May 2008, 12:26, closed)

Data Recovery Peeps
they'll recover the data for about £400, bung it on a DVD and send it to you - had to do it for an academic recently - 300 grands worth of research data never backed up. Also apparently my fault for never telling her that hard drives are not waterproof.


ahem.


/techie



p.s. isn't 90% of this site techies?
(TheManofScience, Wed 14 May 2008, 13:29, closed)

Whack it
Seriously

If all elese has failed, and I do mean all other options are exhausted ... estimate where the spindle will be, get a short bit of wooden dowel or the end of a wooden spoon, position it over the location of the spindle and give the dowel a firm whack with a plastic mallet.

Its worked for me on 4 or 5 "dead" drives where the spindle has stuck.

If it works ... get the data off sharpish!
( RadG Drinking Mojitos in the sun, Wed 14 May 2008, 14:11, closed)