WD5000AAVS head replacement

[gulliver]

Hello everybody,
A friend of mine gave me a WD5000AAVS-00G9B1 making a click-click noise (but spinning normally) once powered up. She dropped it (was an external) while actually accessing it! :S
As I didnt manage to detect it even as hardware, I removed the cover to see that the 2 out of 4 heads were dead. One was actually broken and bent towards its pair head and then stuck together in the parking guide.

I can still find a new WD5000AAVS in the shops but I dont know the complete model number. Can I swap the whole head unit or are some models not compatible?

[jono-ats]

Without proper knowledge, experience, and equipment, your chances for success are slim to none.

Find a pro if you value your data (e.g. Rafaela on this forum).

[BlackST]

The problem is that the pro value the data too.

[gulliver]

should I take it as a yes or a no?

[zebong]

i think you should take it to a PRO, since you open it will cost you a lot more them closed.

good luck

[jono-ats]

To answer your question, not all of the heads among the same model series are cross-compatible. You need special gear to ascertain which ones are.

[gulliver]

Thanks everyone for your help...
Do you know what parameters should I be comparing between the dead and the transplant disk if I get to find this kind of info?

[jono-ats]

Yes.

[gulliver]

Point taken

[poehere]

Check out other post. Alignment on these drives is a PITA and many people still are fighting with this one. If you have never done a head change on any drive before you are going to have problems especially this one. No one here that has invested in this work will give you any help or information in the changing of heads on this drive especially one that has be droped. Sorry you are on your own and if you want to play around and experiment with this you will probably spend more money on this than sending if off for repair and in the end you still will not have your data on it. Sorry to say this one to you.

[BlackST]

If it was only alignment...

[gulliver]

Here is a photo of the broken head...

Attachments

[unknown]

I can see some dust on the platters and 4 crashed heads.
More attempts will make things worse.
I expecting $$$$ for recovery at this point.

Anyway, good luck.

[drc]

And fingerprints all over the place...

[networkpc3000]

DR charge more since you open it. it become worse

[Russwinters]

This is now a VERY expensive if not impossible recovery.

[poehere]

[quote="gulliver"]Hello everybody,
A friend of mine gave me a WD5000AAVS-00G9B1 making a click-click noise (but spinning :S
quote]

He could care less I see no where here he wants data off this HDD. Looks like the person gave it to him and he is in for playing with it in hopes to make it work again. It is cheaper to buy a new HDD than continue on the way you are. Why not just trash this drive and go on and forget about it all together. No mater what anyone says you will not listen. So quite wasting our time on this one and do as you wish. It is now beyond your ability to continue on but you could care less. Why ask us. You seem to know more than we do at this point. Match what ever you want and go on with it.

[pollux-niels]

Hello Brian.

Do you still have the pcb from the drive WD5000AAVS-00G9B1 ?

I need a donor disk, and have to use the PCB.
I cannot find the pcb, so do you have it in a desk somewhere?

Kind regards niels@pollux.dk