I recently purchased an external HDD enclosure (usb). It has just KILLED its second WD drive. Both times they worked fine outside the enclosure (I tested them before bothering to install them into the case). The problem came the first time I put them in the housing (this happened on separate occasions).

See, the housing is aluminum and very low profile. In other words, there is really very little space on the top and bottom of drives. I think the reason it had a problem with the WD drives when it has not (so far) ever damaged any other drive is because the WD drives have the pcb so close to level with the bottom of the drive. I think the housing might have bowed slightly so the aluminum was touching the pcb or a screw or the center hub (what is that called and would that cause problems) or a spark managed to arc the short distance.

They are the same drive. WD2500JB-22GVA0. The first drive had my data on it.

Question: Can you tell me what is likely wrong with drive 1.

Clues:

The PCB from drive 1 is good because it fixes drive 2, which must have had a damaged PCB (wired they didn't both have the same problem).

Drive 1 does not sound any different from drive 2 when held in the hand. You can hear platters moving freely when rotated in air.

Drive 1 just doesn't spin up or power up at all.

Do you think its a preamp problem? I still have not really figured out exactly what that is, but from other posts that is where I am leaning. Any help/direction is very MUCH appreciated.

qtonic

Please help a newb.

first check if there is power in the hdd or not this can be done by listening or by holding it in ur hands chek if the head is parking or not u will identify this by a movement in the hdd then it will become stable if u cannot follow this run victoria for dos or MHDD and in running condition plug in the hdd see that the state registor has DRDY and DSC and error registor has AMNF lighted u then there is no problem with the pcb or the head . Do this and tell what happened .

I do know that there is no power in the drive. It never spins or has any head movement. Unfortunately I only have a laptop computer and the external enclosure for now, so I cannot test it further. The PCB is good because it works on an identical drive. I am considering doing a head stack replacement from the second drive if it seems like it might help.

Any guess if a drive with a good pcb and no power would be helped by replacing the head stack?

Thanks

If the pcb is perfect then there must be problem with the wire that connects the spindle motor or the motor itself must be bad i see no other problem .

Is there a possible solution for that, assuming it is the problem? Would a head stack replacement do any good?

Thanks

for that problem check whats the problem and change them from the donor drive yes its a part of head stack .

thank you rameez