I have a ST1000LM024 that doesn't read anything past 150GB. I need your pro advice, please.

Would a head replacement let me read the whole drive?

I've seen bad sectors usually isolated to one area. It's my first time seeing the whole rest of the drive just won't read. Visual inspection of the top platter shows no signs of scratch. there were some(about 10-20) dusts on it. Based on the sticker conditions. I must be the first person to open this drive. I dont know how the dust got in. I blew the dusts out, but same problem.

How would you go about recovering data on this?

TIA!

PS-I know some of you guys are itching to say "send if off to a pro." If that was an option, I would have. In fact, I do when I see a drive that obviously needs a PC3000, which are half of what I get on my desk. You all had to start somewhere. Please don't patronize my efforts to learn.

Doubt it; at 150GB your heads would have rotated fully.
Either surface damage or something else.

Try reading drive in reverse.

Probably some translator issue as well.

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Error indicates the drive "drops" (from Windows). Once that happens every read from then will fail. Do what @webclaw suggests, or try read a few sectors from half way the drive. Try if it continues (preferably with something more productive than Victoria) after resets, power-cycle .. You need to try diagnose with what you have, preferably avoiding running full scans regardless of the tool.

Why run a refresh in the first place on a possibly failing drive? It may simply push it over the edge, while you get nothing in return for those reads, a quick scan is more telling, tad less stressing. Instead try analysis using HDDSuperClone, attempt to clone/image using HDDSuperClone.

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Joep - http://www.disktuna.com - video & photo repair & recovery service