I have a faulty Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ and I would like your expert help to diagnose the problem and access the costs of recovery/fixing it. I don't have a voltmeter, which I know limits the info needed to a proper diagnosis.

A month ago it started not being recognized at boot, but since this issue would come and go, I thought it was a motherboard problem and not a HDD related one. Since I'm stupid and lazy, I didn't backup the important info I had on the HDD.

A couple of days ago it died for good: makes some noises, but never begins to spin. I've recorded a quick video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S8mQzHcgO8

Thanks for the help and Happy New Year.

Thanks for the long reply. Yes, I did that (the HDD was originally an internal drive, I took it out to be easier to test).

I live near Porto/Aveiro. I checked the links you gave, but it's - as expected - really expensive. I have to consider if it's worth it or not. I'll send you a pm if I decide to give up on the HDD.

I'm really thankful for all of your expertise and your offer of help! Great year for you too!