Hello guys, I am trying to save my data from my 500G drive. My PSU went south and took this drive with it. If I try to boot with the Barracuda plug in, it will short out the power supply. I have to reset the power supply in order for me to boot. I read in this forum that this is a classic case of TVS dioide going bad. I just want to make sure I am going to cut the right component out before I do anything.

Is there a way to check the diode and am I on the right diode as circle below:




Anything will help, thanks.

Just check for continuity with a decent multimeter, they should be open not short.

They are the correct ones, the one of the left is 5v and the other is 12v. Probably only one bad, so make sure you tet them properly.

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Thanks, I will test both diode tonight and report.

I assume the diode will be open from one direction. The opposite direction should show some resistance between the leads?

Remember that the diode is connected across the supply. This means that your meter will be measuring the resistance of *everything* connected to the same supply. All you need to test for is short circuits.

Thank you for all your help. Tested the 2 circled diode. Just as you suspected, the 12V one is shorted.

My new PSU has not come in yet, so I don't want to mess with it on my working PC. Once my new PSU comes in, I will de-solder the diode and get the data out.

Thanks for your help guys.

Good news, my 500G seagate also came back after I removed one of the TVS diode. Everything is saved, thanks. You guys and this forum have been very helpful.