Hi there,

Recently after leaving my computer unattended for half an hour, when I returned back it was already rebooted and hdd (Seagate Momentus 7200.4 320G, ST9320423AS) was not recognized by BIOS, so I don't know what exactly happened to it. Most of the data was backed up before, but it would be nice to get some other things recovered. When drive is powered up, it does exactly 11 clicks and spins down. After some time it still tries to initialize, spins up, does 11 clicks and spins down again and so on.

My question is, should I get a replacement PCB and do a ROM swap? I've done it before, so that's something I can try myself. I was also thinking to make a cable and try a serial connection to do diagnostics.
Also what exactly 11 clicks mean?

Thanks in advance.

It sounds like an internal fault, possibly firmware.

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11 clicks and spin down...

99%+ certainly bad heads

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yes, +1 -> Probably bad heads.

+1 definitely sounds like bad heads, i would not waste money on pcb instead put that money towards PRO help if you wish to get the data recovered.

Thanks a lot for replies!

That's what I was afraid of.
I would say that data is not worth of spending over $1K.

I'm ready to play with it, I'm confident I would be able to accomplish a head swap but I need to search for clean room. I'm still planning to get a log from device once I have a serial cable.

You don't only need a clean room, you mostly need a lot of practice to be able to successfully swap head.
If you've never done that before, I'm 99% sure you will fail.
You've been warned.

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Lemmy

This is tue, head exchange is dficult, you need lot of practice.

Thanks guys! I'm sure it's a difficult process, but still I think with proper tools and learning I will be able to do that. It's an interesting project for me, and if I get data back, it will be rewarding. If not', still, most of the important data is backed up. Still, before the surgery I'm waiting for a serial cable to arrive (takes time) so I can do firmware diagnostics first.

BTW, quick question: is it normal that drive is not recognized by MHDD?

Normal for a working drive? No. There are 2 possible reasons: a) drive fault, so that it is not responding to (S)ATA commands; or (b) PC's SATA controller is not configured as required for MHDD / wrong SATA port being used.

In your case, option (a) probably applies, due to the 11 clicks & spin-down behaviour of your "problem" drive.

For option (b) you can test whether you have configured your PC SATA controller correctly for use by MHDD & using a suitable SATA port, by connecting a working drive to the same SATA port and see if MHDD can recognise that working drive. If a working drive is correctly recognised by MHDD, but your "problem" drive is not recognised, then obviously the cause is your "problem" drive. However, as I said, in your case then option (a) likely applies - the drive is too faulty to initialise its SATA interface.

Ok, of course I'm talking about my drive in my current situation. I tried both IDE and AHCI modes for controller, drive is not visible to MHDD. So my question is: is it normal for drive with failing heads not to be visible for MHDD? or the problem still can be faulty PCB?

Why "of course"? Many new people here asking for help, will mix general and specific questions in the same thread - the readers have to try and guess what is meant. I spent the time to include both general and specific parts in my previous reply, so I hope you meant to say "thank you" for the specific part that I also included, which applies to your drive. Now you have explained the context of your question, I'll make things even clearer...


Yes. A drive with failed head(s) / pre-amp often cannot read its modules / overlays from the platters and so cannot load the firmware needed to operate the (S)ATA interface. The details can vary, depending on drive type, if only some heads are not working, but in your case, the 11-clicks and spin-down clearly indicates that the firmware is unable to initialise. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the terminal log may show extra evidence of the drive's status.

Point (b) from my previous email might also be a problem, but I won't spend more time explaining that now, since point (a) is your main problem.

[Edited to add points specific to this drive.]

Vulcan, thank you very much, that explains a lot! "Of course" was only because I did not explain well what I was asking about, I'm very grateful for each and every answer I get here!

Unfortunately it will take 2-4 weeks for me till I will be able to get a cable, after that I will post terminal output.

You're welcome As other members kindly mentioned earlier, when you the necessary cable arrives, the terminal log from the drive's serial port (as it is powered-on) will likely give confirmation of the problem. However FYI every time the failing drive is powered-on, there are also risks of causing (or increasing) internal damage. Your plan to replace the heads yourself is high-risk, but good luck.

Allow me to add to the valuable advices you've already received by Vulcan, that sourcing a compatible part for this drive is a real labyrinth. Even seasoned pros have problem matching a compatible donor for a head swap, and you really have to know what to look for.
Let alone that swapping heads is a task for someone with the right equipment and knowledge...

Good luck anyways.

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Absolutely, we do this everyday for a living. And still have issues with parts compatibility.

So your chances for DIY are remote, with respect.

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We all have.

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Thank you very much for suggestions!

Anyway, after not touching a drive for a long time, decided to switch on the drive today and record the sound... When amplified, it sounds really BAD... looks to me that I probably won't be able to recover anything. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to me it sounds that surface is already damaged. See attached sound file, renamed to txt, mp3 was not allowed.