WD4000AAKS-00YGA0 - PCB replacement compatibility

[mooglover]

Gurus ,
I've recently bought on ebay the same model of my old hard disk, because that one it is no longer recognized by the BIOS, so one told me to change the PCB board of the same model. I read very different opinions about the replacement, so I decided to post the problem.

My old HDD:
- WD4000AAKS-00YGA0 (Caviar SE16)
- Product of Thailand
- DCM: HHNNHT2MHB

below the barcode -> 2061-701477-900 AD
on the PCB (the PWB) -> 2060-701477-002 REV A

The new HDD:
- WD4000AAKS-00YGA0 (Caviar SE16)
- Product of Thailand
- DCM: DHRNHT2MHB

below the barcode -> 2061-701444-700 AD
on the PCB (the PWB) -> 2060-701444-004 REV A

Is it possible ? I can upload pics.

[pcimage]

What are the symptoms of the actual problem?

[poehere]

If you try this one more adaptive to the new pcb other wise it will still not work for you. Normally it is better to find out what is the exact problem of your HDD before going out and buying parts and swapping this and that to figure out what is wrong with it.

You should look for a person in your area who is a professional that can help you determine the exact problem with your HDD before running out and buying stuff that will not work for you on this one.

There is one on here that will disagree with anything that we say and thinks that DIY is the way to go on all drives and he will give you tons of information on this one. Be warned he is no DR professional and just is here to degrate others who are. Before following all his advise seek some help from a person who actually does this work each day. If your data is important to you then treat your drive like your car. If your car breaks will you go to any forum and ask anyone how to fix it. Or will you take it to a person who can actually fix it and get it up and running for you again. It is your drive and your data but here we give advice based on problems. If the problem is not so hard we will be happy to assist you in repairing this one your own but in most cases the problem are not easily fixed on your own and need tools to do the work with.

[mooglover]

The problem is that my old disk stopped being recognized by the BIOS. it has 4 years old. the last days it worked very bad , and I sent it to the technical service. They started cloning it to another hdd but at 35% it stopped because it reached high temperature and since then I've never connected it again.

They told me to search for an HDD of the exact model as to change the pcb, because the data was still there. but they didn't told me anything about the other specification's numbers.

[mooglover]

Here they are.

OLD:
back: http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7972/f4caf8260f384490ad6058f.png
front: http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1661/c95170a961a24a189056f45.png

NEW:
back: http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4084/ab83cd57371d4b43afa2f83.png
front: http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2421/d64e3a81cf9047f99b24e1d.png

[pcimage]

The problem is that my old disk stopped being recognized by the BIOS. it has 4 years old. the last days it worked very bad , and I sent it to the technical service. They started cloning it to another hdd but at 35% it stopped because it reached high temperature and since then I've never connected it again.

They told me to search for an HDD of the exact model as to change the pcb, because the data was still there. but they didn't told me anything about the other specification's numbers.

Hmm, could "possibly" (<10%) be a PCB problem, but anyway as I remember these drives have the required adaptive info in the MCU, not in an external ROM chip.

Either way I'm afraid you do require pro assistance before you kill the dive entirely.

Your location is not provided, so I cannot make any recommendations for you.

[northwind]

I would suggest member F_ARG who is I think in Buenos Aires. Contact him.

[mooglover]

Thanks!
I'll contact him.
So the problem could be somewhere else.. but if I change the PCB, seeing the pictures I attached and just to prove a solution, would it be fatal? Doesn't matter if it isn't resolved, but I wouldn't like to kill the drive.

[poehere]

Changing the PCB will not help you sorry. There is adaptive data in the MCU chip like PCImage said to you on this one. You either have to have tools to read this data and move it over to the new PCB in order to have your drive spin up again.

What seems strange to me is they cloned your drive to 35% and then told you it stopped. If they have tools to do this with and know how to do it this should of not been a problem for them at all. But looks like they might of used a software to clone it with and not a professional tool. Not sure but for a DR company to tell you this one is not correct. If they do the work and know this HDD they would of swapped out the PCB for you and moved the adaptives over to finish cloning the HDD if this is what is really wrong with your drive. I would find the person Northwind recommanded and see him before buying anything and trying it on your own.

[fzabkar]

Here they are.

You've shown us the uninteresting side of the board.

If your board looks like this one ...

http://pcb-hdd.com/images/WD5000AAVS-00 ... %20PCB.jpg

... then you will notice that the location at U12 below the Marvell MCU (big "M") is vacant. This means that the drive's unique data are stored inside the MCU, as has already been explained. These data will need to be transferred to your replacement board. You may be lucky and a straight board swap (without "ROM" transfer) may work, but the chance of success will be low.

Some board suppliers include a "firmware transfer" or "ROM transfer" for US$10. Some even do it for free, while still others charge as much as US$95.

BTW, does your spin up? Does it click? Is there any visible damage on the board?

[mooglover]

Hey guys, I've changed the PCB and it worked. I read all the data and copied it to the other hard drive.
It worked besides it has a slightly different PCB board.

[pcimage]

Very lucky, but a good result!!

Go and buy a Lotto ticket

[northwind]

Hey guys, I've changed the PCB and it worked.