Seagate hard drive not working

[x_orange90_x]

ok so i have looked up my drive under Seagate's Warranty validation tool, and apparently this drive was sold as a component for an OEM machine. so looks my hope of RMA is lost as i dont have said "machine"

any other suggestions as to how i can get it up and going again? or at least figure out whats wrong

[northwind]

Then your best bet (assuming you dont want to spend money for a new drive) is refurbishing this one.

[x_orange90_x]

Ok so after talking to tech support, they told me this drive came out of a FreeAgent GO external, so in order to RMA, i need either the enclosure, or proof of purchase. I have neither

So, before i go trying to destroy this thing, can anyone tell me if this issue *could* be caused by an overvolted TVS? I was thinking since it came out of an enclosure, the chances of this are higher, but i don't know the exact symptoms of a bad TVS.. I also read somewhere that the spindle could be seized, but if this were the case the drive shouldn't cause the computer to not POST, right? Or could the lack of spindle function still cause this?

I have a few junk WD Cavairs that i could harvest the chip from if they're compatible..

[BlackST]

So, before i go trying to destroy this thing, can anyone tell me if this issue *could* be caused by an overvolted TVS? I was thinking since it came out of an enclosure, the chances of this are higher, but i don't know the exact symptoms of a bad TVS.. I also read somewhere that the spindle could be seized, but if this were the case the drive shouldn't cause the computer to not POST, right? Or could the lack of spindle function still cause this?

The internet is a bad thing : if you have few ideas, it will confuse them.

[SAjunky]

Labtech, i know what your saying. I hope they understand that I can't give them any code because the computer will not even function with the drive plugged in.

Above indicate TVS shorting PC power supply. I think you should be told this.

[Vulcan]

Labtech, i know what your saying. I hope they understand that I can't give them any code because the computer will not even function with the drive plugged in.

Above indicate TVS shorting PC power supply. I think you should be told this.

Unfortunately some of the language used by the OP is ambiguous (for example, the part which you quoted), but IMHO a TVS shorting the PSU does not fit with the original posting from the OP, where he/she said:

I plug the drive in and when I turn on the computer I can hear the drive spin up [my bold]

I suspect a different faulty-drive-behaviour causing the PC to not finish POST, if the OP's original description is accurate.

[SAjunky]

I agree, ambiguous, not accurate at least. Hanging on post is very unlikely, normally it would timeout after 90 seconds and continue. It is why a quick look would point TVS, but when combined with initial description it is conflicting.

[x_orange90_x]

sorry everyone for the confusion and inaccuracy of my posts.. I can say now that i have a better idea of what is happening.

at a last ditch effort, and for the fun of it, i have opened the drive and verified the spindle was froze up. I very carefully freed it up, and as best as i could kept it clean in there using a little eyedropper tool to blow away anything that landed on the platters. I know the consequences of this but as i said, last ditch effort and for fun

Now that i have freed the spindle, plugged the drive back in and started up the computer, i can hear that the original sound is still present. Also the spindle does not spin up. I can now more accurately describe the sound, to me it sounds like an old floppy drive. keep in mind the sound is not constant, it as at about 5 second intervals.

If this is possibly a tvs issue i will attempt to remove the bad chip, if it is recommended.

And btw, SAJunky is correct, after letting the computer sit for a bit it will continue to the BIOS.

here is a pic of the PCB. please point me to the TVS chips.. i circled what i believe they are

[Vulcan]

Unfortunately there are too many changes & inconsistencies in the story for me to want to spend too much time on this (as it could be a lengthy waste of time), but here is the best guess I can make out of various parts of the info and some guesswork to fill-in the missing pieces - all IMHO of course:

- Drive was originally external and likely dropped before you got it (due to what you explain later).
- Your original comment about the drive spinning-up was a mistake, as evidenced by you later finding the spindle jammed (which fits with the drive having been dropped); the spindle can't be jammed and spinning-up, so one part of the original story must be wrong and I'm guessing it was the comment about the drive spinning-up.
- Despite you trying to free the spindle, you say the drive is still not spinning-up, but you're hearing it attempt to spin-up every 5s.

Therefore your chances of DIY success appear to be near zero - but as you say, this is just for fun. It seems that your freeing of the spindle was not successful enough, but you don't have the tools and practice to use more advanced approaches.

[x_orange90_x]

Yes my original post was inaccurate, as I have admitted. We all know this now. Its not as though I am lying about anything. I plugged the drive in one time and listened for just a minute or so. After this I started searching for help on the internet, came across this website and thought I could get help. Some of the posts have been helpful, some are just nothing more than hung up on what I said before. Basically, I'm asking everyone to omit the original information and just help with what I have discovered since then. I understand most of you are very fluent in this stuff, but I'm not. But I'm also not an idiot, I'm learning more about this drive as I have more time to play with it.

No the drive did not spin up like I originally stated, but I didn't really know what I was even listening to. I assumed, silly me. Also, I don't think there is any issue with it not being freed enough as I can hear it move freely when I twist the drive back and forth up by my ear. I did this in the beginning and heard nothing, but I thought this drive is a lot newer than any others I have and maybe I shouldn't hear anything. I placed some cardstock over the motor contacts and hooked up the drive and it was detected in the BIOS, but at a mere 4gb. Try to understand that I paid money for this drive thinking it worked, so I have been trying to get my moneys worth, but so far im just ripped off 40 bucks.

If anyone can understand this and point me in any right direction if there is any, please do so.

[labtech]

Sorry, but to me, it is still not clear if the drive spins up on its own or not.
Ok, to determine if the drive is spinning when powered on there are few simple things to go by:
1) listening with your ear close to the drive, even if you had to put your ear right against the drive's lid - you should hear the motor engaging and spindle spinning
2) light vibration - this definitely something that can be felt as oppose to when the drive is off
3) compare to any other working drive - the drives have not changed all that much that in the last 4-5 years that can't tell spinning from not spinning.
4) If still not sure, do you have a stethoscope?

Once powered on, if the drive spins, continue to listen and feel it, does it stop spinning within a minute let's say?

[Vulcan]

@x_orange90_x,

Yes my original post was inaccurate, as I have admitted. We all know this now. Its not as though I am lying about anything.

No-one said you were deliberately lying, but try to look at this from the point of view of the readers like me - we're trying to piece together your story to then see if we can give any advice, but when the goalposts keep moving (or it's not clear where the ball is!), then giving sensible, accurate advice is not easy. See what I mean? Remember, you're using our time for free, so cut us some slack, OK?

Basically, I'm asking everyone to omit the original information and just help with what I have discovered since then.

OK, so that's now clearer, thanks, although as you can see from labtech, different people are still interpreting your comments differently.

No the drive did not spin up like I originally stated, but I didn't really know what I was even listening to. I assumed, silly me.

The problem is that this specific info is really important for diagnosis, so by stating this part wrongly, we've been led a long way "off track". So it's been a real struggle for readers to figure things out, but as I said, it's now clearer with your new info.

Try to understand that I paid money for this drive thinking it worked, so I have been trying to get my moneys worth, but so far im just ripped off 40 bucks.

I feel for you - it's never nice to be ripped-off. However now that you've opened the drive, (even with your precautions), and given that the drive has likely been dropped, I don't see how you can get from the current situation, to then making this drive reliable and able to be used normally, using only DIY equipment, no specialist tools, no experience etc.

I know that won't be what you want to hear, and sometimes people get aggressive towards people who give bad news (i.e. they shoot the messenger), but anyway, that's my humble opinion, based on what I think you have described. Since you don't seem to have liked my earlier attempt to "get to the bottom" of the story, I'll stop here. Good luck with whatever you do.

[x_orange90_x]

Thank you for the replies. I do know it's not spinning when powered on. I performed the twisting method again while it was powered on and can hear the spindle move back and forth. I have a stethescope but don't think it's worth getting out as I can hear it isn't spinning. There is no vibration at all either.

I read someone with the same drive and same problem describe the sound as a beep, which they said Seagate described this beep as the drive being underpowered. I am using a Molex to SATA adapter if that matters.

Thank you for everyone's time and I do understand I have confused most of you.

[labtech]

Alright, if it is not spinning, then there is a very high change that the PCB has gotten damaged.
This could make sense, as sending continuous power to a seized spindle drive could damage the electronics.

So, if there is a start to get this drive to work, then it is ruling out if there is a PCB issue.

Looking ahead: assuming the PCB is damaged, if the PCB is damaged beyond repair, then you are looking to invest more money in sourcing a compatible PCB and perform electronics work. If there are additional issues beyond the PCB failure, then the investment would be worthless.

If deciding to address the PCB, you will have to read and practice on how to test components on the PCBs using various tools and techniques, soldering, what components to solder, etc. There are several threads containing a lot of information on this forum pertaining to this subject.

Best wishes

[arihant_arijain]

Sir,
I also have very some problem but I want to recover the data then how can I recover

[x_orange90_x]

so I came home and decided to give it another go. Plugged in the sata power plug instead of the Molex adapter, but that didn't help anything. While plugged in I would twist it back and forth and could hear the pitch and length of the beep sound change. Also I could hear other sounds.

So I unplugged it and set it upside down on the floor and vigorously spun it in circles making sure I could feel the platters continue to spin after I stopped the drive. I plugged it back in and it started to spin up and eventually got up to speed. I plugged the data cable in and after a few frozen seconds the Autoplay popped up. As I scanned the content of the drive it made some strange noises, but after an hour it was running smooth and silent. I played many of the songs on It, which it contains over 500gb of music.

The music quality wasn't the greatest, it would get fuzzy sounding in high treble and bass areas, but I don't know if that's the drive or just bad rips. I even copied some the albums over to my other drive, and it took about 20-30 seconds to copy a near 700mb album. It was throwing a server execution error from random mp3 files while I was browsing the library. I this this is because of my WMP being so screwed up as I tried force installing WMP11 sometime back.

Buy yeah this is the latest and greatest information I have.

[Vulcan]

@arihant_arijain,

You do not have the "s[a]me problem" as is being discussed in this thread, because you have not gone through the same steps as the OP. If you want help, please start a new thread, describe the current situation, describe the history of the drive, and (in chronological order) describe each test that you have done so far and the results of that test. Then, if readers can understand your story and decide to spend their time replying, you may get some advice.

@x_orange90_x,

As I said earlier, I doubt that this drive can be made reliable again using DIY techniques, given what has happened so far. Therefore personally I wouldn't trust it (e.g. your mention that it "eventually" got up to speed is a concern), but it's your decision.

[x_orange90_x]

I understand you completely. I am by no means done testing this thing.. I do however plan to run tools on it tools to check the health and file system. 1 hour of success is very good if you ask me, considering what it's been through just since I've had it. I don't intend on wiping it and using it as a main drive at this point, but if I can gain reliability then I will eventually use it as a secondary.

[SAjunky]

Spinup problem would be seen immediately from diagnostic monitor. I admit, testing voltage with multimeter would also pin-point this kind of cause. Only if remote instructions would work, which I doubt. Now you have more experience, but unreliable drive (after opening). It is why everyone in my opinion should start from diagnostic monitor.