What happens when your backup drive fails?
Posted December 11th, 2007 at 21:01 by Quakindude
Updated December 13th, 2007 at 15:18 by Quakindude
Updated December 13th, 2007 at 15:18 by Quakindude
I have a Lacie 1Tb external drive. All my pictures, videos and files from Iraq are stored on this thing in addition to all of my family stuff for the last 2 years. Not to mention ALL of my insurance documents, pictures and emails with the Insurance company after our tornado damage earlier this year.
This drive has been through it all. Iraq, a tornado, where one of the FW800 plugs on the back was broken, and general all around usage. I've no complaints what-so-ever about the drive. It has been a rock.
However.
This drive holds 4x250Gb HDD's. The Raid controller card went out in this thing so I emailed Lacie tech support asking how much a replacement would be. The card is a proprietary type built specifically for Lacie. I've not been able to find an affordable after-market PCI card that uses the same chip for controlling the RAID system. I got an answer back from Lacie the other day about their replacement parts policy:
A data recovery service in Panama City, Florida wants $400+ to recover the data. That's just to start on the first drive. Additional charges WILL be applied per drive. There are 4 drives that were in this RAID setup. Other companies begin their pricing at $375. For a SINGLE drive.
I'm extremely upset over this whole thing. I cannot even begin to express the ass raping I feel like I've just gotten. If I find another Lacie drive that's the exact same one as mine, there's absolutely no guarantee's the RAID card from it would work with mine since they used 3 different ones over the product life. Their unwillingness to provide the consumer with repair parts for a drive that initially cost $900 is simply unbelievable.
After having tried two different RAID controllers, I'm left with having to buy recovery software to get my data off these drives. I would have happily paid $100 for a replacement card. This lack of repair parts for server class backup drives will prevent me from ever purchasing a Lacie drive again. Even though this thing has been rock solid, $900 is a lot of friggin cabbage for a door stop.
This drive has been through it all. Iraq, a tornado, where one of the FW800 plugs on the back was broken, and general all around usage. I've no complaints what-so-ever about the drive. It has been a rock.
However.
This drive holds 4x250Gb HDD's. The Raid controller card went out in this thing so I emailed Lacie tech support asking how much a replacement would be. The card is a proprietary type built specifically for Lacie. I've not been able to find an affordable after-market PCI card that uses the same chip for controlling the RAID system. I got an answer back from Lacie the other day about their replacement parts policy:
Quote:
Hello Thomas,
Unfortunately, per agreements made with our suppliers, the repair department has a strict policy that does not allow them to sell or otherwise distribute the internal case components.
In this situation, the only recourse for data recovery, is to consult a professional recovery service. The process often requires a clean, particle-free environment and very special, sensitive equipment. We recommend contacting Drive Savers at 800.440.1904. You may use any data recovery company you wish but we strongly recommend they must be certified and they have a class 100 clean room.
Another company I am aware of that our customers have used with success, is San Diego Data Recovery- Data Recovery San Diego, CA Raid, Disk & File Data Recovery, Hard Drive Repair.
Data recovery should be a category in your phone book, too. Bearing in mind the recommended certifications, you may have a company local for you.
Unfortunately, per agreements made with our suppliers, the repair department has a strict policy that does not allow them to sell or otherwise distribute the internal case components.
In this situation, the only recourse for data recovery, is to consult a professional recovery service. The process often requires a clean, particle-free environment and very special, sensitive equipment. We recommend contacting Drive Savers at 800.440.1904. You may use any data recovery company you wish but we strongly recommend they must be certified and they have a class 100 clean room.
Another company I am aware of that our customers have used with success, is San Diego Data Recovery- Data Recovery San Diego, CA Raid, Disk & File Data Recovery, Hard Drive Repair.
Data recovery should be a category in your phone book, too. Bearing in mind the recommended certifications, you may have a company local for you.
A data recovery service in Panama City, Florida wants $400+ to recover the data. That's just to start on the first drive. Additional charges WILL be applied per drive. There are 4 drives that were in this RAID setup. Other companies begin their pricing at $375. For a SINGLE drive.
I'm extremely upset over this whole thing. I cannot even begin to express the ass raping I feel like I've just gotten. If I find another Lacie drive that's the exact same one as mine, there's absolutely no guarantee's the RAID card from it would work with mine since they used 3 different ones over the product life. Their unwillingness to provide the consumer with repair parts for a drive that initially cost $900 is simply unbelievable.
After having tried two different RAID controllers, I'm left with having to buy recovery software to get my data off these drives. I would have happily paid $100 for a replacement card. This lack of repair parts for server class backup drives will prevent me from ever purchasing a Lacie drive again. Even though this thing has been rock solid, $900 is a lot of friggin cabbage for a door stop.
Total Comments 1
Comments
 |  Whadda you expect from a company that until recently built stuff mainly for Mac users. LOL I do have a Lacie external drive that I use daily...but it isn't a RAID drive. |
Posted December 24th, 2007 at 11:28 by fstroupe  |
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