Question : Problem: What are Recommended Hard Drive Data Recovery Techniques and Services?

I own a <2yr old Dell Laptop that has recently ceased to recognize my hard drive, which is a Hitachi Travelstar.  I have taken the drive out and attempted to read it in another computer, as well as through a USB reader interface, with no luck.  I also took it to Best Buy's "Geek Squad," who advised me that the data was probably okay but the "motor inside the drive" was no longer working.

I have only a one year warranty through Dell, who will no longer help me, and when I attempted to contact Toshiba, they told me that only Dell could offer me support because it was not a retail hard drive purchase.

Here are my questions:

1) Can Toshiba really not offer me any help because I bought the PC through Dell?  Can Dell really offer me no help because I declined to extend my warranty beyond 1 year?  I don't operate my PC in any kind  of rough conditions.  How can they refuse to stand behind hardware that can't even last a year and a half?

2) As described above, I have had no success at reading the drive through any other system.  Are there other options available?  I have heard that Linux might be able to read it.  Is this true, even if Windows-based PCs can't recognize it?  What about swapping out the circuit board on the drive?  Would this fix the "bad motor," as described by Best Buy?

3) As a last resort, I would like to send this drive in to a data recovery service.  I have been shopping around, and have seen prices range from $350 to $4000.  Can anyone make a recommendation for a specific company?  I am looking for the cheapest available, but still a reputable vendor.  I am looking for a serious recommendation based on experience or word of mouth.

Thank you.

Answer : Problem: What are Recommended Hard Drive Data Recovery Techniques and Services?

Be VERY careful if you use the "freezer" method.   Be SURE the drive is air-tight in a bag when you do that.   Yes, you CAN do more damage ... if moisture gets into the drive (in case part of the issue is an incomplete seal).   But if you're VERY careful it shouldn't hurt anything ... although UNLESS you have some success with it, I would not repeat it.   IF you find that doing this lets you copy SOME data when you hook up the drive; then it's okay to repeat it and copy more on each successive pass.

But if it doesn't work, I'd just send the drive off to Gillware.   As for why I recommend them ... they're simply very good and one of the most reasonably priced outfits I know.   I've used OnTrack (when I was working and didn't have to pay the bill) => they're also very good, but are also very pricey (think a couple thousand at least).