Ok I have a 320GB Seagate external HDD and a few months back I plugged it in and it wouldn't do anything. The light on the front of the drive stays a constant green and I can't hear anything from it apart from very faint constant electrical noise, no clicking or whirring. The computer doesn't detect it at all, and when I dismantled the casing and attached it in the old fashioned way the computer wouldn't power up at all.
Someone suggested to me that it was a fried PCB so I was arranging to buy a replacement PCB when I stumbled across a site detailing common problems with Seagates (especially external HDDs of >250GB,) one being a stuck spindle motor. I was convinced that that was my problem, because I did knock it over a few times. But thinking about it further, I didn't notice the drive dying on me during use, and certainly not after a noticeable drop while it was running. Another reason I believe it might not be this is because I would imagine a stuck spindle motor wouldn't stop the PC from starting up at all (i.e. not even power up), and I don't hear any clicking or noise from the motor.
So now I'm a bit confused as to what my problem is, and being a complete amateur when it comes to HDDs I thought I'd put it to the people in the know.
Is it the PCB or the spindle motor?

Hi TFox,

you said the PC doesn´t power up at all if you connect the HDD the straight way.
One possible reason for that is that the PCB is causing a short circuit to the power supply.
This can happen because of a burnt TVS, which might have protected your HDD from an overvoltage (like when you connect 12V to the 5V pins ), but blocks it until you replace it.
Look for an SMA packaged component with two pins near the power connector, (for example the one marked with QE from On Semiconductor), and check with a multimeter if it's resistance is near 0. If it is, replace with a new one and see if it works then.

Hope this helps,
Peter

Well I'm what is known in the business as 'a complete idiot' so you might need to say it a little simpler for me, as I'm not one to fiddle with circuit boards in computers.
I am looking for the component you specified but the writing on them is so small I'd need a magnifying glass to read it(which I don't have.) But saying I found that component, would it be possible to remove it with a soldering iron and a pair of pliers, and install a new one the same way? And where would I find this replacement?
Or have I got completely the wrong end of the stick?

Hi,
May be very, very stupid question. A have ST320410A form Apple. Can I use this thing with a pc as a master for ex.
Thanks

Dear TFox2,

well, in case you don't have experience with the tools, you might better take it to someone who has (preferably a data recovery company around). If you write where you live, I'm confident there will be somebody on this forum close to you, willing to recover your data.


Bighills,
if you repartition and reformat your hard disk, I cannot see any reason why it shouldn't work. So in case there is no important data on it, I think you should go ahead.

Peter

I live in Warwickshire, in the UK, but wouldn't taking it to a data recovery company prove expensive? For example more expensive than the £40 it'll cost me to buy a new PCB outright.

Getting the job done right costs money. I knew a guy who had a leaking faucet, and didn't feel like paying a Plumber. He broke the pipe, water got all over, and he wound up paying top dollar for a Plumber to rush over and fix it right.

Everybody in this business has seen way too many cases where data might have been easy to recover, but was made more expensive, or impossible, by someone who was 'a complete idiot'.

If your data is worth the money, have a professional do it right.

I understand that, but the thing is the data isn't worth THAT much, no way. The reason I brought up doing it myself is because a PCB swap is something I can do easily, so if the problem lies there, and I can be sure of it, I can buy a new one and replace it. However if I can avoid paying £40 for a new PCB and fix this one, it'd be even better. I'm just looking at my options, and trying not to waste my money.

However if it's a stuck spindle motor then I'm screwed and I guess i'll just have to pack the HD away in the hope that one day data recovery might get cheaper, who knows.

Well, it's worth a PCB swap. I hope you manage to get you data back.

Hey TFox,

from what you say it seems to me that the data on the HDD is not that important.
In this case, and if you don't feel like taking it to a DR company, why don't you just take it to a friend with a soldering iron and give it a try?
Well, maybe it will be worse in the end, but you still have more chance this way, than if you just put it in the drawer forever.

Peter