Could not edit successfully the previous message to add some more lines.

Clarification :

When drive is idle / off heads are parked on the ramp and in that condition the drive can withstand also much higher shock : the spindle can stuck but there's nothing on surface that can harm. Heads do leave the ramp only when the pack has reached target speed !

In this case heads ARE actually touching the surface and are "stuck" to the surface (that is coated etc. etc.) : take two glass sheets, apply some water and stick them together, then notice how much force you have to apply to "detach" them - unless you make them glide one on each other !

In this condition, every relative movement of heads ONTO the platters can be a problem, as the headstack is not held into place (the right place !) by top lid, action of air bearing during spinning and other factors. This is what I want to mean.

There are many WD drives where headstacks are fitted in a manner that if you unscrew the top cover, it is a very difficult task to re-align it correctly (microns DO matter) , go figure... (still don't get why do they engineered them that way , but there must be a reason for it).

The only thing that mitigates the problem is the fact that platters are coated with a "lubricating" layer - it can cause stiction but also protects....

Just my opinion, any other opinion or correction from other SENIOR DR EXPERTS is always welcome...

Update:

Data Savers says the drive is unrecoverable.

Anyone have any recommendations for some data recovery software to try to use on the laptop drive that had a lot of the original data before it was moved to the external drive that is now dead?

I'd go for raw recovery at this point.
Use R-Studio to see what it can recover.

I'm sorry for your drive.

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That sucks. check pm

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