Any chance that the data can be recovered if it is the spindle?

Almost certainly, assuming no DIY attempts have been made, and you choose a reputable DR firm.

Also,



This case requires lots of time and attention, in addition to parts, clean room time and lots of labour.

The quality of the DR firm you choose is often reflected in the price. You should bear this in mind when choosing a company...

May be worth you getting some quotes from some of the reputable members here too.

That's positive to know. It will be nice to get some recommendations from members here. Another member said that the company that quote me 499 is also a member here. I do not know which company to go to. Of course I want a reliable company to get my data back but I also do not want to lose an arm or leg for it.

Anyone can recommend someone from the San Francisco Bay Area?

Who did you end up using and what happened? I have a Seagate 1.5 TB external HD that is clicking and can't be accessed. I also live in the Bay Area, and would love to get my data back.

If your drive is clicking then the fault described in this thread is not related with yours. In seized motor/locked spindles cases, there is no clicking. In these cases drive tries to spin up and fails, and there is a beep/grrrr/buzz noise.

In your case, if you wish to receive help determining the fault etc, i suggest you open a new thread and describe with as much detail as you can how drive behaves and what was the probable cause of this (has it been dropped? Power surge? etc).

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