I recently removed a WD10EARS 1.0 TB hard drive from a Dell T5500 while the
tower was in the upright position.

While removing the drive, it fell to the table top; a fall that wasn't more
than 8 inches. The drive looked fine but when I tried to boot from it, I get
a clicking noise and nothing else.

The drive is not recognized in the bios. There is no obvious damage to the
PCB and I tried reseating the PCB in case it shifted and wasn't making
contact. I can't imagine the board was damaged from such a small fall.

Upon closer examination, I did notice that the cover had a small dent on the
corner where the magnet is located.

When I open the drive, everything appears to work; the heads aren't touching
the platters and they move freely above the surface. Is it possible that the
heads need to be realigned or something?

So, without detection by the computer, I'm inclined to think the problem is with the PCB.
However, the drive did suffer a small impact, denting the cover slightly. This leads me to think it is an internal issue

Your guidance is appreciated.
Dom



WD10EARS-00Y5B1 2080-701640-002

It won't be the PCB, it will be a physical issue with th heads, with possible media damage. Not DIY

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