I have a client that came to me to help them recover data off of an external hard drive and I am having quite the fun time trying to get this to work.

I took the drive out of the casing, and the drive is as follows

MDL - WD5000AAKS-00TMA0
Date - 2009
DCM - HARCNV2CH

When I got the drive, the issue was the drive would power on and start to spin, but as soon as it is connected to a machine, either external USB or straight to the motherboard SATA connection, the drive would sound like it powers down, then about 15 seconds later it would come right back up, then go away again.

The Device Manager at this point was just showing Disk Drive with no name or any other information, then it would disappear, only to come back when the drive started spinning again. At this point, I cannot get the drive to stay on long enough for it to mount and none of the data can be retrieved using R-Studio.

The odd thing is, just plugging this drive into power it spins great, there are no audible noises or clicking sounds. The issue only appears to be when I connect it to a computer and it sounds like the drive powers off temporarily. I have connected this to multiple machines and get the same result.

Moving forward - I started thinking the PCB should be replaced or looked at to see if this could be the issue, and I have come to realize swapping a PCB out is NOT as simple as it may seem.

I found a duplicate drive. Same Model number, different manufactured date, and the numbers on the PCB were almost the same.

Original PCB -
Sticker - 2061-701477-800 AC
Board - PWB 2060-701477-001 Rev A

Replacement PCB -
Sticker - 2061-701477-800 AF
Board - PWB 2060-701477-001 Rev A

When I swapped them out, the drive in question powers up and stays powered on and sounds good, but it cannot be seen by the BIOS or the OS. This is either USB or internal SATA. I do not see any visible burn marks on the original PCB, thus making me move to the next paragraph.

Now, I realize there is more to it than just swapping boards, but I am trying to paint the overall picture here. I know that now I need to transfer the ROM from the original PCB to the donor, but neither of these PCBs have the 8 pin U12 chip on them.

I am now debating whether or not I should hook the drive up to a multimeter to see if any of the resistors/diodes may have a short.

Could this be the reason why the drive is acting this way? I am at a loss as to how I can effectively get the data off this drive. I'm sure it will be the opinion of many to take this to a professional place, but if I have missed any steps, or if you have any other suggestions, PLEASE let me know!

There is nothing you can do here. Send it to a lab while it is still recoverable at an affordable price.

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Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

A multimeter won't help you. If the protection diodes were shorted the drive wouldn't be spinning up at all.

The U12 slot on that PCB is vacant, the adaptive info is stored in the main processor chip marked with the 'M'.

There is no DIY fix here unfortunately, you'll need to send the drive to a professional in order to recover the data. I don't know where in the USA you are, but if you want this drive recovered you could contact forum member 'jono-ats', he is in your country and comes recommended.

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Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
Data Recovery Cape Town

sounds like a standard tornado board issue. Unfortunately without expensive equipment there is no way to reprogram a donor board to be compatible with your drive. There is always the blind luck , that a donor board you acquire will be compatible without ROM transfer , but its a stab in the dark with very small success rate.
Ill second Jono as an affordable professional.