WD10EARS Clicks Twice and then Spins Down

[MusicalElation]

Hi Everyone,

My WD 1TB Caviar Green (WD10EARS-00Z5B1), in an external hard drive enclosure, started making clicking sounds after the computer I was sending files to froze. After this, the HDD wasn't detected by the BIOS or the OS. The HDD spins up (without any initializing sound), clicks twice, and then spins down.

So then I got another working WD10EARS drive with the same PCB number to see if swapping it would help. The following is what I tried:

1. New PCB into Old HDD - I hear the head initializing sound, then the HDD spins up, I hear several soft clicking sounds, and then it spins down
2. New PCB with Old U12 into Old HDD - I don't hear any initializing sound, the HDD spins up, clicks twice, and then spins down (same sound as old pcb and with old HDD)
3. Old PCB into New HDD - I don't hear any initializing sound, the HDD struggles to maintain its velocity (speeds up and slows down), makes 4 soft clicking (and light crashing) sounds, and then spins down

So based on this limited testing, I'm guessing there is something wrong the internal head or preamplifier.

What do you guys think? Is there anything I can do or is it time to send it to the pros?

[harddrivespecialist]

So based on this limited testing, I'm guessing there is something wrong the internal head or preamplifier.

What do you guys think? Is there anything I can do or is it time to send it to the pros?

Unfortunately it is beyond DIY.

[purephoenix]

I have a very similar problem, should i even bother trynig to repair it, or send it to a proffessional recovery centre?
The hard drive has personal information on it like my receipts from internet banking, i really need a sure-fire way of recovering my data.

Thanks in advance for any constructive replies.