WD 160GB heads not working

[DRNOOB]

Hello

I have a WD 160GB SATA Caviar which died a day ago. When I applied power, the platters would spin and the heads would give the click of death.
I have another WD SATA Caviar but a 500 GB which is "working".

So the first step I took was to swop the PCBs around. The MCU's & Spindle Motor Controller IC's have different numbers, while the SDRAM IC's are different brands (broken drive has Samsung SDRAM & other has Hynix). The board layouts are exactly the same.
The swop didn't work though. I replaced the original PCB onto the broken HDD and opened the lid to have a look at the heads. They would move from their Parking position (which is over a piece of plastic to the right of the platters) to the centre of the platters and move outward and back to the centre a few times before stopping.

Long time ago I had a WD 750 MB HDD which did the same thing and I didn't care about this 750MB drive so I stuck my finger in the "block" the heads from moving. Long story short that miraculously got the HDD working!!!!

Out of pure desperation to get the drive to work in order to get the data off this 160GB Caviar I did the same while power was applied. This caused the heads to stop working
The platters spin up now but the heads are not working.

I am thinking about two options:
1.) Open the HDD lid and see if the heads & armature are able to move freely - perhaps I bent something?
2.) Take the platter out of the 160GB and put it into the 500GB and see if that can help.

The problem with option 2 is that the 500 GB has 2 platters and the 160GB only one platter. To my understanding most of the HDD ID & other important information about the HDD is stored on the platter with only a limited amount of HDD ID data stored on the MCU. This means the 160GB platter could give wrong info to the PC when plugged in and potentially damage or destroy the MCU or entire drive?

So my question regarding point 2 is whether this will work or not? Has anyone tried this or know of someone who tried this and what the outcome was?

Please keep in mind I have limited tools (and funds - can't afford professional tools or DR techs to do the job) so any help or suggestions will be much appreciated.

TIA
Wil

[HaQue]

So the first step I took was to swop the PCBs around. The MCU's & Spindle Motor Controller IC's have different numbers, while the SDRAM IC's are different brands (broken drive has Samsung SDRAM & other has Hynix). The board layouts are exactly the same.

Unfortunately, Hard disks are a little(read a LOT) more picky on that. Step 1 on the road to losing all your data forever.

The swop didn't work though.

of course not.

I replaced the original PCB onto the broken HDD and opened the lid to have a look at the heads.

Step 2 on the road to losing all your data forever.

I am thinking about two options:
1.) Open the HDD lid and see if the heads & armature are able to move freely - perhaps I bent something?
2.) Take the platter out of the 160GB and put it into the 500GB and see if that can help.

Surely you would know if there is any possibility you bent something. If not then you were approx. 1,000 more careless than you should have been.
step 2 will arrive at your destination of no more data(if you aren't already there.).

Please keep in mind I have limited tools (and funds - can't afford professional tools or DR techs to do the job) so any help or suggestions will be much appreciated.

That's good, because I fear you wont be needing them anymore. I don't think you would like any suggestions at this point.

The ONLY option is to take it to a pro and tell them exactly what you have done for any hope of recovery.

I am not being mean or nasty but this post is the poster child for how to lose any chance of recovery in 3 easy lessons.

Your first step before doing anything at all if you wanted DIY was to take all details, and pictures and write a long, detailed post of problem.
sorry man

[DRNOOB]

Hi HaQue

Thanks for your quick reply

Just some questions based on your reply.

1.) Assume I already destroyed the data from the PCB swop why can I not swop the platters and try? If it doesn't work so be it. I cannot lose any more data from an already "destroyed" drive?
2.) Regarding taking it to a pro and explain to them exactly what I did - why can I not scour the net and try to find help, tools & software which can potentially help and as such practice to become a pro myself? If the data is already gone I don't believe a pro will be able to "get the data back" as they would most certainly be using professional tools most others can and will use?

On a separate note. Assuming I did not destroy the data and instead posted the problem first what would your suggestion(s) or solution(s) have been to fix the "click of death" problem?

TIA
Wil

[HaQue]

Hi HaQue

Thanks for your quick reply

Just some questions based on your reply.

No worries, thanks for answering all the questions and comments well, there are many ppl that do not and it turns out like a choose your own adventure novel.

1.) Assume I already destroyed the data from the PCB swop why can I not swop the platters and try? If it doesn't work so be it. I cannot lose any more data from an already "destroyed" drive?

Assume I already destroyed the data <- but there is nothing wrong with seeking confirmation, or first hand experience of it.

2.) Regarding taking it to a pro and explain to them exactly what I did - why can I not scour the net and try to find help, tools & software which can potentially help and as such practice to become a pro myself? If the data is already gone I don't believe a pro will be able to "get the data back" as they would most certainly be using professional tools most others can and will use?

because the tools are many $1,000 in most cases, the learning would take a long time and you would need to dedicate 1/2 your life to it at least to be a "pro". If that's ok then for sure, do it. but I was talking about this drive only.

On a separate note. Assuming I did not destroy the data and instead posted the problem first what would your suggestion(s) or solution(s) have been to fix the "click of death" problem?

I would not have suggested anything, as I am not a pro. But there are some here that are and they could have at least talked about it with you before you opened it. Drives should be opened in a clean room. Not a room that is clean, a "clean room" that filters particles out of the air.

remember, the only details you gave to the drives original problems were

I have a WD 160GB SATA Caviar which died a day ago. When I applied power, the platters would spin and the heads would give the click of death.

and you described the click of death like it was a windows blue screen(poor example because of same reason) there are MANY different reasons why a drive will click, and not all of them are a click of death. You assumed way too much there my friend!

I would hesitantly say that a few ideas could have been to check the TVS Diodes or check terminal output of the drive. Again, I am not a pro, but been around here a short time but long enough to be confident of everything I have said. The idea of a forum is that if someone knows better he can set ME straight as well as you

now some slightly better news - there are pros out there that, even when the owner tries to kill it, the pro can still recover. Read this post of 1 such pro and the battle that was:
http://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26401&p=180919#p180919


TIA
Wil[/quote]

[DRNOOB]

...but I was talking about this drive only

I see what you meant
Well I guess I will have to consider that now!

I would not have suggested anything, as I am not a pro.

Pro or no pro makes no difference mate! Some advice is always better than no advice at all. As the some advice can give you something to work with/think about even if it ends up where you choose not to accept the advice

But there are some here that are and they could have at least talked about it with you before you opened it.

ooops! I guess it's too late now! hahaha

Drives should be opened in a clean room.

I know what you mean! I read an article (I think it was on this forum, but from 2009) to first try and find some pointers/solutions before I set out to try and "recover the data" and in this article the poster said he had 2 HDD's at different client sites. One site was a bakery environment with flour & dirty environment. The other client had a "clean" office but the office worker was a smoker. It turned out the HDD from the dirty environment worked and the HDD from the smoker's office didn't work. Apparently due to the tar etc from the cigarette smoke which got stuck on the platter. Very interesting to see his experiences with the 2 different HDD's in the different environments, but the point remains - clean room (ie dust free)

and not all of them are a click of death.

Please share what you know! I have had HDD's in the past giving the "click of death" and have always been curious to learn more about what the different reasons are for them doing this!

I would hesitantly say that a few ideas could have been to check the TVS Diodes or check terminal output of the drive. Again, I am not a pro, but been around here a short time but long enough to be confident of everything I have said. The idea of a forum is that if someone knows better he can set ME straight as well as you

Hmmm...interesting! I will need to do some reading on your points mentioned here

now some slightly better news - there are pros out there that, even when the owner tries to kill it, the pro can still recover. Read this post of 1 such pro and the battle that was:
http://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26401&p=180919#p180919

Wow! That was a really awesome read!! Not bad mouthing ANYONE, but that guy who had the HDD problem sounded like he had a feast with his HDD where he trashed the original PCB, finger prints on the platter etc...wow!

Cheers!

[HaQue]

Drives should be opened in a clean room.

I know what you mean! I read an article (I think it was on this forum, but from 2009) to first try and find some pointers/solutions before I set out to try and "recover the data" and in this article the poster said he had 2 HDD's at different client sites. One site was a bakery environment with flour & dirty environment. The other client had a "clean" office but the office worker was a smoker. It turned out the HDD from the dirty environment worked and the HDD from the smoker's office didn't work. Apparently due to the tar etc from the cigarette smoke which got stuck on the platter. Very interesting to see his experiences with the 2 different HDD's in the different environments, but the point remains - clean room (ie dust free)

well, yes cigarette smoke is not good, but no that isn't the "clean room" I was talking about. something like this:

http://www.datarecovery.net/cleanroom.html

If I knew anything I would share, but now you are here, read through some of the posts related to clicking and you should get an idea. Clicking can be caused by a dropped drive, a firmware corruption, a firmware bug, bad heads, etc etc.

and all is not lost for yours until a pro has looked at it and says so.

BTW have a read of this: http://hddscan.com/doc/HDD_from_inside.html

[northwind]

I would hesitantly say that a few ideas could have been to check the TVS Diodes or check terminal output of the drive.

These drives don't give terminal output. It's a WD.
Also, a faulty TVS won't give you clicks.

Having said that, and assuming this drive is what I think it is, the original problem of the drive *might* have been a PCB fault. These drives give mimics of a head fault due to faulty pcb.

But, most likely heads have died.

Still assuming this drive is what I think it is, the game is now over since opening the drive has caused head alignment loss. So a PRO now should open the drive in the clean room, clean the platters from dust and debris, then change heads, then solve the alignment problem, and then put drive for imaging, assuming there is still data to be recovered. You're looking at 4-figures and cost of parts non-refundable, sorry.

Of course this is pure speculation until OP tells us the drive model.