Hi,

I have a Seagate ST3120022A (7200.7) where the computer won't power on when it is attached.

Here's what happened:

-On Saturday night we had a power failure
-A short while after power came back on, there was a loud POP from the computer, a capacitor in the PSU blew up
-I replaced the PSU with a brand new one.
-When everything was attached, attempted to power-up, and nothing, just a very quick blip of the green LED on the front of the box, and the fans make a quick 'lurch' before everything goes dead, fans never actually spinup
-Tried disconnecting the HD, then the motherboard comes alive fine, fans spin, I can get into BIOS
-Tried reconnecting the HD, and again, everything is dead, just a quick flash of the led and barely noticeable movement of the fans before it's dead
-I tried this same drive in another machine and exactly the same thing-If I try to plug the power into the drive when the machine is starting up, there is a small spark from the connector and then everything goes dead just as if I tried to start with it plugged in.

I'm suspecting that the power failure or the PSU blowing up shorted something in the drive. I am *hoping* it's this TVS diode that I read about and getting the drive to powerup so I can transfer off the data will be possible by clipping off the diode, HOWEVER: nothing looks scortched on the drive, none of the chips, circuit traces or anything else.

Photos are at:

http://www.mts.net/~bmpeter/seagate/IMG_3292_1.jpg
http://www.mts.net/~bmpeter/seagate/IMG_3293_1.jpg
http://www.mts.net/~bmpeter/seagate/IMG_3294_1.jpg
http://www.mts.net/~bmpeter/seagate/IMG_3295_1.jpg
http://www.mts.net/~bmpeter/seagate/IMG_3296_1.jpg

Is there any way to determine easily if this drive is revivable for the purposes of getting off the data?

Cheers and thanks for any help!
The REAL Joe

Reason your system will not start is your HDD is shorted or causing problems on this one. You can test your TVS on this drive. If you find they are bad then remove them get back your data. Buy a new drive and move on. You will see lots of posts here on TVS and soon you will get a major history on this one with tons of links and things to look at from one member here Mr TVS. He will love to answer this post for you and give you all kinds of links to check out on this one. But if you want get a voltage meter and check them out. You will find lots of references here. Cut them off with snips if you find them bad. Then fast get your data off this HDD. Move on to a new one.

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

Thank you, that was my plan. I could care less about the drive itself, I'd just like to copy off the data if possible.

Can you ID the TVS for me on one of the photos?

Also, how to test them, I have a Digital Fluke Multimeter (autorange) - just set it to resistance and check for a dead short across the TVS while they're still connected? The voltage that the multimeter puts out won't short something else in the process?

Thanks again,
The REAL Joe

Here are your diodes:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/ST3120022A_TVS.jpg

I'm not completely sure which is the 5V TVS diode, but the one I have identified appears to be the only likely candidate.

As for damaging anything with your multimeter, no, you are quite safe.

See the photos in this thread:
samsung-hdd-hd753lj-dead-t15374.html

Good luck.

-Mr TVS