Hello,

I'm from Portugal and recently my HDD stoped working

One morning when i start up my computer i heard some noises like "click click click" and then the windows xp freezed on the logo, i pressed the reset button and i heard the "click clik click" noise again and this time the system didn't boot, the bios don't recognize my HD :/
I tried it once again and i heard the clicks again and the 4th time i don't heard any more clicks... but the HD is not recognized by the BIOS and also by the windows.
I can feel that the platers are rotating so i assume the problem is not with the motor of the HD.
So what can be the problem? from what i read its usually the heads or the board... problems with the heads ussually results with the "clicks" but now i can't heard that noises anymore... i don't know what to do.. but theres so much personal stuff on that disc that i wanted like fotos, personal docs, some home videos...
I bought a Maxtor D540X-4K 4K040K2 on ebay because i thought changing the heads would fix my problem from time enought to recover my data but now i'm not so sure...
I don't have money to pay a data recover center to give me my data back, this is the HD from my personal computer

Anyone can help me and maybe tell me what can be wrong with my drive or how to diagnost? can be a problem only with software or firmware or whatever.. or this seems to be a problem with hardware?

Help me please because i really wanted my files

Thanks in advance for any answer.

If you already bought another D540X-4K, you can safely try to swap the electronic boards.

Unfortunatelly if this not solve your problem, you will be needing a data recovery center

-BR-

If the problem was with the heads the disk had to keep doing the "click click click" noise?
I'm asking this just to know if after change the electronic boards the problem remain if i should try to change the heads. I know that after that the disk wont last that mouch because doing it at home has the problem of dust on the platter and that stuff but would be great to have my HDD for about 1 hour more to copy my files
If the problem is not on the heads or on the eletronic board it means it's something related with firmware (don't know if this is the correct name in this case..)

Obrigado

Thanks

It is very rare to see SA problems in maxtor D540X-4K - but not impossible.

Generally when you have SA problems, the drive string is detected in bios but after the post screen you receive the infamous "primary master fail message".

Head or pre-amp problems are way much common in this model, and unfortunatelly if the drive does not produce CLICK-CKICK-CLICK sounds does not mean that it is not a head problem.

Please note that I work for a data recovery company which is probably far enough for you to compensate $$$ to send the drive, so I do not have any interest other than to help you not loose your data.

And I really need to warn, that if you care about this data, just try to exchange the logic boards. Opening the drive and trying to swap the heads will be like certain death

(something like any other team that has to match Brazil in soccer)

Anyway, if you still need to try and data can be lost, here is a good reading:

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1035/index.asp

-BR-

Ok BR, thanks for your explanations.
I'll try to change the logic boards and cross my fingers. maybe i have luck and the problem is there. If it didn't work then my last try will be trying to change the heads... maybe i can have luck with that job.. who knows? :/
Anyway thanks for replying to my questions

valeu!

Are you also from Brazil ??

Nop, i'm from Portugal

Hi again BR.
Theres any special tool that you can suggest to me to keep the heads far enought to don't touch? In this DIY repair the disc only have 1 head but in my case it has 2 and they can't touch each other..

Thanks