I need to replace the board on a WD. Two questions. 1. I've seen some threads that say to swap the ROM U12. My board has a blank space at U12. 2. I can find the right PCB for sale but it says it's for the wrong size HD.
details:
WD5000AAKS-22YGA0 500G
On PCB 2060-701444-004 rev A, on sticker 2061-701444-700 AD
What I find for sale is:
Western Digital 160GB WD1600AVBS-63SVA0, 2061-701444-600 AD, 2060-701444-004 REV A, SATA PCB LOGIC BOARD
I read where only the PCB number needs to match, and it does.

There is no ROM chip (U12) for these drives. It is incorporated into the Marvel chip (the biggest one).

Thanks. I received an offer for a replacement board and they say I would need to reprogram the PROM to be 100% compatible. I just need to recover some data. Since the ROM is in the main chip do I need to do this or can I just put in a matching board and read my data?

You most certainly are not going to be able to do this yourself without expensive equipment. The odds that you will just be able to replace the PCB and work is less than a fraction of a percent. There is also an assumption that the problems you are having are restricted to the PCB. Even with a brand new matching PCB, there may be a lot of media damage and possibly a fried head preamp.

So, I'll be the first to say it. You'll very likely need the assistance of a professional data recovery service.

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Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

That may be true but my question was about whether I need to reprogram this built-in prom in order to read some files. The data is worth buying a board and trying it. It is not worth the cost of a data recovery house. If the PCB doesn't work then it's just lost data. But I won't bother trying the PCB if it has to have a reprogrammed PROM (or maybe a perfet match on some other numbers to indicate it has prom code that will work) so that's why the question.

Yes, you would

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

What is wrong with the original board? Depending on the fault, there may be an easy, no-cost DIY fix.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.