Diagnose WD10EAVS-32D7B1

[rmy]

Hello,

I today received a WD10EAVS-32D7B1 That was in a mybook external enclosure.
It felt from about 2feets high.

I plugged power and was surprise because I did'nt hear click-click…

Better, I can clearly hear sounds like searching and seeking 2 times, then calibrating (is it the good word there ?)… for me, all souds were great. I thought that pluging usb or firewire would have some effect…

But nothing.

Plugged or unplugged is the same, in it's own enclosure, in another WDmybook enclosure or with a standard sats-usb connector :

30seconds later motor slow done and go again, and 30seconds more it stops.

In gnu/linux kernel messages, I have some detection for a "very big device" that appears only after the first slow down and after the motor stops.

May I have expert advice please ?

[northwind]

These disks produce low db noise when clicking. Clicking can be very faint. If it makes unusual sounds and spindle stops, then heads are 99% bad.
The fact that motor stops after a while is a bad sign. Proabably heads are bad IMHO.

Remember these disks may be encrypted (initio chip), so when you replace heads, you have to put it back into original enclosure in order to have working data.

[harddrivespecialist]

It could be several different reasons....

You have to diagnose exact problem and then resolve it.

[pcimage]

Certainly sounds like heads to me

[hddguy]

30seconds later motor slow done and go again, and 30seconds more it stops.

I agree with Pcimage, seems like heads are not so good.

[rmy]

Thank you all for answers.

I agree that it should probably be a head crash, but I thougt I should have hear clicking noise.

I'm sure there is absolutely no unsusual sound except motor slowing then stopping later. I've really good hears, called "Classic II SE" -> http://www.distrimed.com/images/logo_3m_littmann.jpg

TY northwind for remembering me about encryption. I know that, and I thought It could be a problem with this chip. That's why I tried first with another mybook enclosure. I already had success in similar cases, but not this time . Then, I tried without the WD enclosure to be sure it was not enclosure-related. Cross-testing

I won't try to change HSA this time. I know these models are awfull and I don't have enough experience and tools to manage on this. I'll just give the diagnosis to the client and let him cry.

[ici_lemmy]

I'll just give the diagnosis to the client and let him cry.

If you don't feel confident, that's the smartest move but that's not very nice to tell the customer "that's might be recoverable but not by me" and charge him for that IMHO !

[rmy]

Hey ici_lemmy, who tells that I am "charging" him ??

No man, I am deep involved in free softwares and I create a small Cie last year whose purpose is to give access to data recovery for everyone, from student to President of the whole world. My website is not in english, but if you understand french you will learn more on http://www.diskcard.fr.
EDIT : I just saw you are french… Do not hesitate to call me. Phone is on the website.

Diag is free.
Recovery is at "free price" when possible.
If clean room is needed, I always tell to my client I don't have and give them another adress.
If they do want me to try without clean room, I explain exactely all the risks. I tell them they will probably lose money, and if they still want, I do.

I already had some heads and platter swapping with success. But I won't try on this evil model.

[ici_lemmy]

Au temps pour moi, je ne savais pas que le diag était gratuit... (My mistake, i didn't know that the diag was free)

The concept is interesting. I hope you can make money this way !
If you need to outsource some jobs...

[hddguy]

If they do want me to try without clean room, I explain exactely all the risks. I tell them they will probably lose money, and if they still want, I do.

This is bad practice. Even if customer says is OK to proceed and risks are explained you are more aware of risks and should realise it is not a good idea. Many times I think client judgement will be clouded with the hope of a successful (and cheap) result.

What happens with the ones that fail? You ship back the media and its not your problem anymore, but some client who actually needs data will take a contaminated drive to someone who does have a clean room, then job is more expensive and more difficult.

This is the reason we do not encourage DIY, and without the right facilities that is effectively all that you are providing - DIY.

If your serious about DR invest in a clean air cabinet. you can pick them up cheap enough.

If you want to offer DR services and want to be able to make mechanical repairs then it is only fair to do it properly, safetly and in the best interests of the customers data.

I aprpeciate you are trying to offer a good honest and affordable service, but if you dont do it properly there is no point doing it at all.

[rmy]

@ici_lemmy :

If they do want me to try without clean room, I explain exactely all the risks. I tell them they will probably lose money, and if they still want, I do.

This is bad practice. Even if customer says is OK to proceed and risks are explained you are more aware of risks and should realise it is not a good idea. Many times I think client judgement will be clouded with the hope of a successful (and cheap) result.

The bad practice is to refuse I think. I told, and sorry if my english is too bad, that I explain all risks. ALL. Also the risks you describe :

but some client who actually needs data will take a contaminated drive to someone who does have a clean room, then job is more expensive and more difficult.

You consider it's a bad practice I do something I'am able to because I hav no clean room. I consider it's a bad practice to let them try something they are not able to.
You can be confident with that, I really insist with them to not open their disk outside clean room. It's less than 20% of these case that insist and tell me "If you don't try, disk will go in the trash.".

This is the reason we do not encourage DIY, and without the right facilities that is effectively all that you are providing - DIY.

Are you saying that openning a disk outside a clean room is killing it instantaneously ? You don't agree with me, that's a fact. No reason to become disrespectful. Last week I swapped platter of a 2.5 Hitachi with 100% DR result. My client is happy and he would never have managed himself… and never would have payed 1500$ to recover pics…

If your serious about DR invest in a clean air cabinet. you can pick them up cheap enough.

I will. You want to offer it ? I am alone. No big Cie, nobody to help. I do my job, and money is comming. ASAP I'll make this invest. I won't stop to explain the same risks. Understand one thing, please : I am a teacher. In France, I have 40 years guarantee for money each month. I leave this job to create my own small Cie, by passion.

If you want to offer DR services and want to be able to make mechanical repairs then it is only fair to do it properly, safetly and in the best interests of the customers data.
I aprpeciate you are trying to offer a good honest and affordable service, but if you dont do it properly there is no point doing it at all.

I do not agree. Trying is better than giving up.

But all this is out of subject, as long as I told that : "I won't try HSA swap on this disk". Feel free to contact me in private if you want to continue discussion gently, or if you want to offer me some training period in your Cie, or some "old air cabinet" I could repair

[hddguy]

You obviously have a lot to say

But the truth is you continue to make such work on customers media in conditions that are not suitable for DR.

Its good that clients accept any risks beforehand, but in my opinion you are not in any position to offer such service.

I have no interest in offering training, and have no cabinets to sell.