Hard Drive File Recovery, please help...

I have the following hard drive http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/dk/2/23ea40spec.html
I took it off a HP ZE5375US model that went dead, got one of this http://www.granitedigital.com/catalog/pg64_usbtosataidebridge.htm to extract my files from the Hitachi drive to my VISTA BUSINESS DV2000T. The DV2000T can see the hard drive and recognize it as such but I cannot access the drive at all, I also tried it in an XP environment and the XP just shuts down once it recognize the drive. Anyone in here know why I cannot get into the Hitachi drive at all? Could it be that the drive it self is not working anymore? Anyway for me to tell that the drive spindle is still working?

Thank you in advance...

 

well when the drive is plugged in via USB, it should start scanning the drive then telling what you would like to do. unless u have disabled that feature or already told it what to do when it does that. if it does that then its obvious the drive can be accessed and is working fine at least to some degree but if not then it cud be broken or the file system cud be damaged. u cud try a file recovery program. and what do u mean XP shuts down? did ur laptop have some encryption chip or software?

 

From my personal experience, if ALL else (ALL ELSE) fails, plastic wrap the drive, then wrap in a paper towel, then in a shopping bag, and put in the freezer for 2 days. Unwrap it and take it out, access the drive in linux (linux seems to be able to access it more often than windows, of course, welcome to try in windows ), and it is likely the drive will work for a while. Once the drive thaws, it will stop working. This method can get you anywhere between 5-15 minutes to access the drive freely. The lower the drive's RPM, and the lower the ambient temperature of the room your in, the longer it will probably last.

Keep in mind most linux distro's can read NTFS file systems, but can't write to them.

When it thaws, try placing it back in the freezer for another 2 days (wrapped the way I explained, it keeps moisture out). Your mileage may vary.

Again, only when all else fails. If you try this method and it doesn't work, then the hard drive will most likely never work again. I might add that this method seems rather.. unorthodox, but a lot of people have been surprised at how often it works. Go ahead and Google it if you don't believe me .

In my case, I dropped a 100 GB 7200 rpm drive on the floor while watching a movie. I did the freezer thing, and got about 1 GB before the drive would stop. I put it back in the freezer for a day, and got another GB. I did it about 6 times before the drive stopped.