Hello. I have a Seagate ST1000340AS drive that has just died. It can be plugged in, will spin up (I can feel the rotational forces when holding the drive and trying to tilt, so I know it's spinning), then makes a series of click noises for about 15 seconds, then spins down. I can get recovery software to see the serial number of the drive is connected, but no way to make it spin up again via OS actions. All Seagate Disctools tests show as FAILED immediately (SMART and any drive tests); this is probably due to the fact that it doesn't stay spinning after the clicking.

It seems like this may be a dead board. The drive is under warranty, so I have a new one coming, but I'd really like to get a shot at my data first (not to mention a good erase before I give it away to anyone!). Is there any chance I can use the board off the replacement temporarily to get it to be mounted and recover any data? What do I look for on another drive of the same model? Does temporarily removing the board for recovery affect warranty return status?

It's not the PCB. You likely have firmware (internal !) or dead head(s).
If you remove the PCB you loose your warranty (if they see...)
No free tool can help you revive the HDD in this state. If you REALLY need your data ask a pro - with proper HW tools the diagnose is easy - and then decide.
If you have delicate data inside (I won't care because if your drive is factory repaired and/or refurbished, as a part of the repair process the drive is erased) buy a new one and put it in a drawer , waiting for better times.

P.S. the drive surely overheated A LOT or experienced a shock or electrical failure. Otherwise, it was a lemon. If properly handled, they won't fail over YEARS. Advice : buy smaller drives, NOT on enclosures and DO NOT connect externally with USB boxes. Buy 1st choice drives from 1st class distributors and beware of discount/low prices. Drives are meant to be installed or use HORIZONTALLY and handled like EGGS. If you want to have such drives on 24/7 you MUST provide clean power supply and adequate heat sinking/vent. Can't tell you more. I never had storage problems
but I'm a pro and don't want eventually to give away money to colleagues (LOL !!)

Regards.

Assuming it is bad/dead firmware, is there any chance to force flash something over it?

Not without proper gear.

_________________
http://www.datasaversllc.com

It's not a cell phone.

like black st said another anology HDD´s its not like a motherboard flash BIOS

it is not firmware - most likely heads are dead

_________________
SAN, NAS, RAID, Server, and HDD Data Recovery.