MP3 player
May. 18th, 2004 10:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciphergothI posted briefly about my MP3 player a while back. I've basically destroyed my entire music collection in the process of trying to back it up, and it brings me down quite a bit.
What happened was that the filesystem somehow became corrupted. I tried various ways of fixing it, but Linux always got stuck part way through analysing it and Windows couldn't see any problems (until it actually tried to use it, that is). So I concluded that the only way forward was to take the hard drive out, connect it directly to the computer, and try and fix it that way, or at least copy all the data I could in order to wipe and re-format the drive.
Except that laptop hard drives (as used in my Archos) aren't as idiot-proof as normal ones. It was at this point that I managed to connect the cable one step along from where it was supposed to be, put power across the data pins, and fritz the drive electronics.
The frustrating thing is that all the data is still there on the hard drive platters; it's just the electronics that's gone. I could try and find another drive of the same model and swap over the circuit board, but finding such a drive would be tricky and possibly expensive for a procedure whose success is far from certain. I could send it to a data recovery firm like Vogon, but they say they might charge up to £750, and that's only if my diagnosis is correct.
Most of the data on the drive is rips of my own CDs and so can be replaced relatively easily. But even then, it's a very time-consuming and error-prone process, and the CDs I've already ripped (ie my favourites) are all in storage. However, it's the rest of the data I'm most bothered about. CDs borrowed from friends, stuff picked up from the Net or from other people's MP3 collections, and other things that will be harder to replace. I *think* that all the non-music data on there is stuff I have copies of elsewhere, but I'm not entirely sure, and even that much doubt is depressing since I'll never know, now.
I'm currently wondering if I should cheer myself up by buying an iRiver iHP-140 and re-ripping all my music as OGG files...
What happened was that the filesystem somehow became corrupted. I tried various ways of fixing it, but Linux always got stuck part way through analysing it and Windows couldn't see any problems (until it actually tried to use it, that is). So I concluded that the only way forward was to take the hard drive out, connect it directly to the computer, and try and fix it that way, or at least copy all the data I could in order to wipe and re-format the drive.
Except that laptop hard drives (as used in my Archos) aren't as idiot-proof as normal ones. It was at this point that I managed to connect the cable one step along from where it was supposed to be, put power across the data pins, and fritz the drive electronics.
The frustrating thing is that all the data is still there on the hard drive platters; it's just the electronics that's gone. I could try and find another drive of the same model and swap over the circuit board, but finding such a drive would be tricky and possibly expensive for a procedure whose success is far from certain. I could send it to a data recovery firm like Vogon, but they say they might charge up to £750, and that's only if my diagnosis is correct.
Most of the data on the drive is rips of my own CDs and so can be replaced relatively easily. But even then, it's a very time-consuming and error-prone process, and the CDs I've already ripped (ie my favourites) are all in storage. However, it's the rest of the data I'm most bothered about. CDs borrowed from friends, stuff picked up from the Net or from other people's MP3 collections, and other things that will be harder to replace. I *think* that all the non-music data on there is stuff I have copies of elsewhere, but I'm not entirely sure, and even that much doubt is depressing since I'll never know, now.
I'm currently wondering if I should cheer myself up by buying an iRiver iHP-140 and re-ripping all my music as OGG files...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Can I help?
Date: 2004-05-18 03:05 am (UTC)Re: Can I help?
Date: 2004-05-18 03:13 am (UTC)If you need to change players, I'd find a copy of the AAC-unprotector and convert them.
Re: Can I help?
Date: 2004-05-18 05:50 am (UTC)The iTunes Music Store uses M4P, which is MPEG-4 audio with added PlayFair DRM.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 03:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 03:20 am (UTC)Backups ...
Date: 2004-05-18 03:18 am (UTC)(Real Soon Now I've got to get a 250Gb drive for the home network. Then I can back up my iPod before it goes the same way ...)
Re: Backups ...
Date: 2004-05-18 04:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 03:28 am (UTC)there was a small amount of non replaceable data on there but repair and recovery bills would be about £750. not really worth it.
i now have 2 120gb hard disks rsyncing to eachother every night. mount - rsync - unmount. they are in removable disk caddies and everything is surge protected.
I still need to do dvd backups every now and again though.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 04:09 am (UTC)Whenever I've seen this happen it's usually a sign that the drive is irretrievably broken. Err. Sorry not to be more positive.
I really like my iHP-120; the only thing I miss is a dynamic playlist.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 04:42 am (UTC)What's a dynamic playlist?
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 05:18 am (UTC)I mourn for your music box too :( But you'll be able to reuse your 'can I come up to your room and steal your MP3 collection' chat up lines on people who you've already done ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 05:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 06:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 07:25 am (UTC)Ooop. On the other hand... I *did* just get a DVD burner...
You should post a list of the stuff that you've lost.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 03:13 pm (UTC)I think all in all it best to assume it has gone though. I keep an old drive that I trashed the FAT16 file system on, but should be able to recover, with the right tools. I now have the right tools, but I've still yet to do it.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-18 08:26 pm (UTC)Also check out GRC's Spinrite (http://www.grc.com/srrecovery.htm) [grc.com]
-Roy