Hi all,

Was wondering if you could help me diagnose my problem/decide the best course of action going forward.

WD3200AAJS
S/N: WCARW1303049
Model: WD3200AAJS-00VWA0
WWN: 50014EE200BD43EFF
Date: 16 NOV 2007
DCM: HHNNHTJCHB
LBA 625142448

PCB (sticker): 2061-701444-600 AD
PCB (board): 2060-701444-004 Rev A

My harddrive was in an external enclosure and it stopped working so I took it out. I noticed the enclosure was a bit browned, but didn't think much of it and just plugged it directly into my tower. The drive started smoking as it started to spin up (that burning plastic smoke), so I immediately cut the power supply and haven't done anything since.

The drive does spin up, but due to the smoking I obviously didn't check if it was recognized etc. If the drive is smoking on spin-up, could replacing the PCB stop the smoking? Or is there no possible point of contact, which I guess would mean that there's something burning in the actual HD stack? If that's the case, any recommendations for anybody to send it to/bring it into for diagnosis (I live in NYC)?

All help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Just smoking. By the looks of this photos looks like it had a major fire on it. I really think there might be other damage to this drive but I could be wrong. There is a reason this board burned like this and you have to determine this one first. Just replacing it could be hard depending on what is actually burned on this one. You can try and remove the pcb and take another photos of the other side of this one so you can see what is actually burned on it. You might not have a chance on your own to do this one and maybe in the condition this drive is in you should look for a repair shop in your area that can move over the adaptive data, repair other damages if they do exist inside this drive. Or on other hand ask Frank he will more than likely tell you this is a good DIY job for you. But I really do not think so on this one. You have some major damage on this one. Good luck

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

So you powered the HDD in this condition??

It looks like your PCB is dead but it is difficult to tell if any damage has extended to the internal mechanics. It is common for preamp damage in cases where PCB has burned badly.

You should get a professional evaluation to determine the recoverability of the data. Any personal recovery attempts on top of the current damage could have serious consequences.

Im sure there are some members in the forum local to you that can help.

I did power it up. Didn't really look at the drive before just popping it in to my tower, but definitely took a close look after it started smoking. It was spinning for maybe 3-5 seconds before I could maneuver to the back of the tower and flip the power supply switch.

That being said, the drive would NOT spin up when it was in the enclosure. It was only after I removed it and plugged it directly into my tower that it smoked.

I was under the impression that the PCB had to be functional for the drive to spin up?

Would removing the PCB cause any risk to other components? Think it would be worth it to get a shot of the bottom?

Any pointers to local help would be appreciated!

So you powered the HDD in this condition??

It looks like your PCB is dead but it is difficult to tell if any damage has extended to the internal mechanics. It is common for preamp damage in cases where PCB has burned badly.
You should get a professional evaluation to determine the recoverability of the data. Any personal recovery attempts on top of the current damage could have serious consequences.

.[/quote]


You are not reading closely what we have said. Your drive your data. This one is beyond your ability now on this. Your drive is badly burned and has more than likely damaged the preamp inside of here. The alignment issue on this can not be handled by you in fixing this problem and any other internal problems on this drive. If you want your data back then seek help. Otherwise buy a new drive, enclosure and move on and start over. It is that simple. Ask we can help find a DR company in your area to do this one that is a member of this forum. If you continue on your are in for more problems and now your drive is bad. Just continue and it could be a major expense to have it done after you have finished playing around with it.

A simple PCB swap will not do the trick on this one. Nor the removal of anything on this board. Is is beyond your scope of repair now on it. Sorry to say this one to you.

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

Hi all,

Was wondering if you could help me diagnose my problem/decide the best course of action going forward.

The best action for u on this situation" case" its send it to a DR company no more

Regards