Seagate 7200.3...Possible PCB Failure

[willied]

Hey guys,

My Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320Gb Laptop HDD died on me today. It does not spool up, but rather just makes a beeping noise. I can no longer boot Windows. It seems like it's a PCB failure. I looked around and found a 7200.3 on eBay but it's 160Gb, though it has the same firmware. Any chance it will work?

The hard drive's specs are:

SN: 5TJ0NEHW
Model: ST9320421AS
PN: 9GE144-286
FW: SD14
Date: 09364
Site: WU
Board Number: 100513573 REV D

Any info would be great!

[pcimage]

Very very unlikely to PCB.

Record the noise and post an MP3 for a more definitive diagnosis.

[dmarques]

Your drive probably has spindle issues or sticktion.

[einstein9]

Hey guys,

My Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320Gb Laptop HDD died on me today. It does not spool up, but rather just makes a beeping noise. I can no longer boot Windows. It seems like it's a PCB failure. I looked around and found a 7200.3 on eBay but it's 160Gb, though it has the same firmware. Any chance it will work?

The hard drive's specs are:

SN: 5TJ0NEHW
Model: ST9320421AS
PN: 9GE144-286
FW: SD14
Date: 09364
Site: WU
Board Number: 100513573 REV D

Any info would be great!

in such a case, data can be extracted, but i will never trust the hdd again and use it.

[fzabkar]

See this thread, but heed the warnings:
http://forums.seagate.com/t5/FreeAgent- ... 242#M11384

[willied]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Here's a video of the problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKLI-npOcyk

I forgot to say this but it happened after it got bumped.

[dmarques]

Well, it will be for sure one of those 2 things I've talked about.

If it's spindle issues, that will not be an easy job. You should anyway talk with a pro if your data is valuable.

[willied]

The data is what I want, I really don't care if the drive is no good after as I already ordered a new one. Last time I called to get a hard drive fixed I was quoted at $1400, though it was a different problem. I can't afford that. I might just try the "percussive maintenance" trick.

[fzabkar]

If it's a stiction issue, then read the following thread:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19595#p132081

I don' know about you, but I'm wondering how one arrives at a figure of $1400 for such a simple task.

[Samo]

fzabkar you do not know what was previous case, so it is not correct to give conclusion was it simple or not and was it too expensive or not.
I believe that dmarques is correct

Your drive probably has spindle issues or sticktion.

[fzabkar]

fzabkar you do not know what was previous case, so it is not correct to give conclusion was it simple or not and was it too expensive or not.

Sorry, I misread the OP's statement. That said, I'd very curious to know what that previous problem was.

[willied]

fzabkar you do not know what was previous case, so it is not correct to give conclusion was it simple or not and was it too expensive or not.

Sorry, I misread the OP's statement. That said, I'd very curious to know what that previous problem was.

It clicked while spinning and couldn't be accessed, so damaged head maybe? I don't really know. That was a weird one because it hadn't been mistreated. Sadly it had a lot of pictures and what not on it.

And I'm pretty positive they quoted me that much. It was definitely a ridiculous amount of money.

Thanks for the previous link. I replied to the OP in that thread.

[fzabkar]

If a repair involves a head swap, then that's not an unusual price. OTOH, if a repair can be effected using non-invasive techniques from behind a keyboard, then that would be a ridiculous amount of money.

A stiction fault, on a Seagate drive, should be fixable in a matter of minutes. It's a very easy job for a seasoned professional. I wouldn't do it myself, though, unless I was able to practice beforehand.

In effect, all you do is turn the motor in its normal direction of rotation using a non-magnetic screwdriver, while using your other hand to firmly and smoothly retract the head stack to the loading/unloading ramp, in a single uninterrupted motion.

[willied]

How much would a seasoned professional charge to fix a stiction fault?

[labtech]

In effect, all you do is turn the motor in its normal direction of rotation using a non-magnetic screwdriver, while using your other hand to firmly and smoothly retract the head stack to the loading/unloading ramp, in a single uninterrupted motion.

I agree with the comment/procedure above from a general perspective. However, stiction comes in many flavors as far as how severe it is, its location on the platters and types of drives (3.5" vs. 2.5" drives, with or without ramps, number of heads that are actually stuck, visibility, etc.)

Knowing how to tackle a stiction issue correctly and minimizing the damage risk based on experience and confidence is the difference between success and failure as well as cheap and expensive. So, newbies or those inexperienced just be aware of the risk and consequences here when deciding to resolve stiction.

[BlackST]

How much would a seasoned professional charge to fix a stiction fault?

Too much

(Honestly, I don't get the question in these terms...)

[willied]

How much would a seasoned professional charge to fix a stiction fault?

Too much

(Honestly, I don't get the question in these terms...)

It is too much. I was quoted $650 and I wouldn't pay half that.

[networks]

Willied

I don't see any reason to burn bridges here on the forum when Pro DR people are attempting to help you out. Not all DR is DIY ! comments like the last post just are not productive to foster good-will on the forum. Its an insult to those of us DR guys that spend tens of thousands of dollars on specialized hardware/software/training and hard work to perform DR for clients. Its an very expensive investment that is why recovery fee's are what they are. I don't disagree some DR places do get a large fee for a repair that turns out to be very simple however on the other side many jobs take many more hours therefore the return is much less. No DR pro can tell over the phone or via a forum the problem 100% is stuck heads on platter. It could be much more difficult once the tech gets into the drive and properly diagnose the problem which is why the quote is what it is. Car repair is similar I paid 6 hours labor to replace 6 spark plugs in a KIA because the industry says it takes 6 hours. The mechanic got paid for 6 but did the job in 3 because he was good. That was over $600.00 for spark plugs! same principals apply in most service industries. We don't get the luxury of only paying what it takes to get the job done if that happened some would pay way more for the difficult jobs. Its a balance

The DR business model is like many others you loose your shirt on some DR jobs and make up on others. The DR profession has its bad apples just like all other industry does. I had to get this off my chest as a DR professional I just felt like I was slapped in the face and needed to respond and put some perspective on this for others that just don't get it.


Take care good luck with your recovery

[pcimage]

How much would a seasoned professional charge to fix a stiction fault?

Too much

(Honestly, I don't get the question in these terms...)

It is too much. I was quoted $650 and I wouldn't pay half that.

$650 is pretty reasonable for a PROFESSIONAL job given that you/we are only GUESSING it's stiction, and even in cases of "simple" stiction the drive will almost certainly require imaging to deal with the inevitable bad sectors.

Also if I were them I'd cost in a chance that the heads might be dead or die in the process so would require changing, given that they were quoting "sight unseen".

[BlackST]

How much would a seasoned professional charge to fix a stiction fault?

Too much

(Honestly, I don't get the question in these terms...)

It is too much. I was quoted $650 and I wouldn't pay half that.

Your data, your choice, your problem, your destiny.

Just remember the motto : drive opened, quote doubled. This means that if you send it to "Jack-will-fix-it" because they quoted 100$ (let's say) and then you hear a call like "oh oh... Houston, we have a problem... [it was not like we expected]", the next professional who eventually will take a look at it will have first to double check what happened, decontaminate and restart from scratch, so don't expect miracles.
There's always plan B - store drive in a safe place and wait for better times (data will stay as is) , plan C - call different DR labs and ask for the lower FLAT RECOVERY FEE they can do , plan Double D - Discard Drive and live without data. Honestly, when professional help / business turns into cattle market I see no other options.

P.S. the analogy with cars is right. When I bring in the car for maintenance I know approx. the price and I trust their professionality - of course when possible I ask for the best offer. I don't argue about timing, their earning and expenses as it's not my business. I just want my car up and running and a guaranteed good job.