Diagnose this sound?

[edwinhane]

Hi friendos.

Long story short. Old iMac wouldn't boot, made a weird noise. Data is more important than the machine (specifically, one audio recording).

Ripped the HDD out, put it in a 3.5mm USB enclosure. Doesn't mount ...same noise.

It's a very specific sound. I'm sure this might sound familiar to one of you professionals: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nUm7b1 ... sp=sharing

Fingers crossed that there might be a fix. Also emotionally ready to hear that it's unsalvageable.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

[northwind]

By the sound of it, it sounds like a Hitachi drive?

Nothing is unsalvageable (until it's officially over).
The sound points out to damaged heads.
You should stop powering off and on immediately and consult a professional. Damaged heads can cause media damage if you keep powering it on, and if the media damage is severe, then it's game over.
It needs clean room work, heads replaced etc, so it's not DIY.

We can suggest a pro for you, depending on where in the US you're located. Plenty of good labs around you, I'm sure.