Something you can try, when you get a replacement HD up and running, I mean, is to stick the dead one in the fridge for an hour or two (tops). Not the
freezer! You don't want to risk condensation. But in the fridge, wrapped in a paper towel to ward off moisture.
Then immediately stick it in the machine on the secondary connection, power on, and see if you have enough time before it dies again to pull your data off.
This doesn't work all the time, but the clicking sound you describe and the slow response time make me think it's either a servo motor or a bearing
that's bit it, and both of those tend to respond well to thermal shock. (For sufficiently loose values of 'well', I should add.)
(Alternatively, if you happen to have some Freeze-It! circuit coolant or similar product, you can give it a good healthy blast with that. But the fridge is
cheaper.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
freezer! You don't want to risk condensation. But in the fridge, wrapped in a paper towel to ward off moisture.
Then immediately stick it in the machine on the secondary connection, power on, and see if you have enough time before it dies again to pull your data off.
This doesn't work all the time, but the clicking sound you describe and the slow response time make me think it's either a servo motor or a bearing
that's bit it, and both of those tend to respond well to thermal shock. (For sufficiently loose values of 'well', I should add.)
(Alternatively, if you happen to have some Freeze-It! circuit coolant or similar product, you can give it a good healthy blast with that. But the fridge is
cheaper.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs