WD HDD Still Clicking/Clunking After PCB Change

[Karl2]

I changed the PCB and swapped the ROM chip. The drive still clunks/clicks. BIOS detects it as ROM Model Hawk 8GB. It's not that model nor 8GB. With the new PCB, it click/clunks more than before. Before the new board, it would only click/clunk three times. Any idea what's wrong with my HDD and how much I would have to fork out?

[data-medics]

The problem is most likely either service area (firmware) damage or failed heads. Neither problem can be fixed with a pcb swap. In fact clicking drives are almost never related to the PCB.

You'll need someone with professional tools like PC-3000 and preferably a clean room to recover it. In my lab here in RI I charge circa $700-850 for labor + the cost of parts. The labor is only charged if successful (as any reputable company should) but the cost of parts is upfront and non-refundable.

[data-medics]

Oh, and just so you know, when a data recovery lab sees that you already went soldering on the PCB they will charge you more. If you overheated and cooked the ROM chip it creates a lot of extra work to recover.

[fzabkar]

Oh, and just so you know, when a data recovery lab sees that you already went soldering on the PCB they will charge you more. If you overheated and cooked the ROM chip it creates a lot of extra work to recover.

If the drive spins up, then the OP's soldering must be OK, or am I missing something?

As for firmware modules, I suggest that the OP purchase a 1 month licence for WDMarvel (US$9) and dump the drive's firmware. Otherwise there are free tools such as NazYura's utilities. WDR may also be able to retrieve the firmware.

[Karl2]

I've done tons of soldering. I'm sure it's fine. Certain parts of the old PCB looked suspect, and it's cheap to replace anyway. Is it possible that some of the data is irrecoverable?

[jono-ats]

As for firmware modules, I suggest that the OP purchase a 1 month licence for WDMarvel (US$9) and dump the drive's firmware. Otherwise there are free tools such as NazYura's utilities. WDR may also be able to retrieve the firmware.

Fzabkar: If the drive clicks and spins down, how can you retrieve firmware?

* * *

If you still have the original PCB, power it up by itself and feel the discrete parts "under" the Marvell motor IC. If one or two burn your fingers, the preamp is shorted.

Now that you've replaced the PCB, it's almost certainly a heads / preamp issue. Unless the media is damaged, recovery should be possible.

Jon

[fzabkar]

Fzabkar: If the drive clicks and spins down, how can you retrieve firmware?

The OP didn't say anything about spinning down, or am I missing something?

[visz]

maybe the board is incompatible..i assume you know the procedures on how to swap the pcb

[jono-ats]

The OP didn't say anything about spinning down, or am I missing something?

You are correct.

In my experience, Hawk drives that click won't do so forever . . . they will eventually spin down. Clicking three times and spinning down is one failure mode. Is your own experience different?

Have you ever been able to extract SA firmware from a clicking drive? If so, I'd really like to know more, because I am unable to do that.

I suspect that the difference in behaviors after the PCB swap is because the original PCB has bad parts. I also suspect that the drive has a bad head stack, based upon the chain of symptoms.

Jon

[lcoughey]

Fzabkar: If the drive clicks and spins down, how can you retrieve firmware?

The OP didn't say anything about spinning down, or am I missing something?

It is implied, as these drives generally don't click forever, as suggested by Jon, and would never get to the ready state where they could be identified as a Hawk...which suggests that it is detected in kernel mode.

Odds are, the drive has head issues.

[data-medics]

Oh, and just so you know, when a data recovery lab sees that you already went soldering on the PCB they will charge you more. If you overheated and cooked the ROM chip it creates a lot of extra work to recover.

If the drive spins up, then the OP's soldering must be OK, or am I missing something?

As for firmware modules, I suggest that the OP purchase a 1 month licence for WDMarvel (US$9) and dump the drive's firmware. Otherwise there are free tools such as NazYura's utilities. WDR may also be able to retrieve the firmware.

Whether or not he damaged it is irrelevant. When it's obvious that it's been previously worked on, data recovery companies assume the worst and charge more.

[Karl2]

To clarify, with my new PCB, the HDD does spin up then proceeds to click or clunk(?) five or seven times, then spins down. Then it spins up again proceeded by a fewer number of clicks. It does this quite a few times. The last PCB would only spin up once, click three times, and then stop.

If you still have the original PCB, power it up by itself and feel the discrete parts "under" the Marvell motor IC. If one or two burn your fingers, the preamp is shorted.

I connected the old PCB without the ROM chip to the power cable of my PSU. The Marvell IC wasn't hot.

I would vote for bad pre-amp.
But a hot swap might help to confirm that, lacking better tools.
If you do a hot swap and the drive still clicks then pre-amp / heads are gone and you need some clean room work.

Could you clarify what you mean by a hot swap? Do you mean to use a similar HDD model and then disconnect that drive with my faulty one while the system is running? I do have another HDD with same model number.

[Karl2]

Here's a screenshot of event log the day I noticed symptoms.

[Karl2]

I was considering running ddrescue to clone or image the drive. Do you think this could work even though BIOS detects it as 8GB?

[pcimage]

I was considering running ddrescue to clone or image the drive. Do you think this could work even though BIOS detects it as 8GB?

Not a chance

[jono-ats]

Sometimes a bad (shorted) preamp will kill the donor PCB too.

Hot swap might confirm a bad preamp, but it might not. Regardless of the condition of the preamp, what are you going to do next to recover the data? Answer: There is nothing more you can do yourself without proper equipment and expertise.

Jono

[Karl2]

Something I forgot to mention was when I did have the faulty HDD attached to my system, BIOS and booting from a live disc were very slow. I wonder if this is more indicative of a heads issue or firmware corruption. I think I might attempt the hot swap to recover the data.

If you still have the original PCB, power it up by itself and feel the discrete parts "under" the Marvell motor IC. If one or two burn your fingers, the preamp is shorted.

Actually after a few minutes that IC does get warm or maybe hot, but I wouldn't say was burning hot.

[jono-ats]

The parts that heat up are the small discrete ones adjacent to the IC.

[dick]

I changed the PCB and swapped the ROM chip. The drive still clunks/clicks.

With the new PCB, it click/clunks more than before. Before the new board, it would only click/clunk three times.

So the chances are both boards are/were in working condition. Swapping boards is not going to fix your drive!

Maybe there is a problem with the heads or preamp?

You can try one more thing. Insulate the contacts between the hda connector and the pcb (has 20x pads) with a piece of thin card. Then power on. Is the drive spinning? If it is you can be pretty certain of the previously advised likely diagnosis.

No more talk of hot swapping. No more self denial.