I have a WD 500GB IDE External Hard drive (WD50001032-001). It has basically stopped working (it can be seen by the computer but the computer cant access it - My Computer freezes and the entire desktop/laptop just hangs). I opened it to see if there was any damage but none visible to my inexperienced eye. What can I do to resolve the issue

Also, I have a spare HD cage on my desktop that can take a SATA drive, but i do not wish to go into buying converter cables as the bay is quick release bay for the Acer Predator (even though this might be the cheaper option - I dont know)

Is it possible to only change the PCB on this Drive that I have (pictured) with a Serial ATA PCB? If so where can I locate such a part and is it worth the trouble?
i.e change the current IDE PCB (2060-701508-001 REV A)[this is from my 500GB external Hard drive] to a SATA PCB(2060-701640-002 REV A)[this is from my 1.5 TB internal Hard drive]

Any and all help on this will be sincerely appreciated.

Are you trying to recover data? If not, just buy a new drive. If so, contact a pro. Either way it does not make any sense to try to keep using this drive.

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

Change the pcb won't work and neither doing McGyvering... There's something else. And eventually the drive can in some way be used in some circumstances but need pro intervention.

Thanks Guys.

My original aim is to recover data......trying to change the PCB is only a remote thought.
I will contact a pro for help.

Cheers.

Check for oxidation on the 20 preamp contacts on the component side of the board. If they look dull, clean them up gently with a soft white pencil eraser.

When you say that your drive can be seen by the computer, do you mean the drive itself, or the USB-IDE bridge chip inside the enclosure? Does the computer still see the "drive" if you connect the enclosure without the drive?

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Internet bullshit. 9 out of 10 it is firmware and/or head(s) if it 'stopped working' . Never seen a revived drive after cleaning contacts (yet).

Same here. I suspect that there are the odd times when the user gets lucky, just like using the freezer, but the added stress of powering on the failing drive is more likely to cause further damage if the heads are starting to crash.

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Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

What I don't get is why my WD drives still work, some were also recert by me... Must be the climate or my 'big' presence...

If it's stronzate, then it's HDD Guru stronzate. Your own colleagues recommend cleaning the contacts when they receive such a drive for service. Search the forum archives -- I can't be bothered doing it for you.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

What I mean is - In "My Computer" (on screen) the drive can be detected, but while it tries to load it, the computer as awhole just freezes. As soon as I power down the external hard drive, the computer un freezes.

I will give it a crack at cleaning the points under the chip. Thanks fzabkar.

Not my fault if there are acritical circulation pumps of whatever Google or someone else find over the net. If one found one day such a problem, it is not a general rule. In this case according to the symptoms, the problem is elsewhere. But no wonder if it will 'MAGICALLY' WORK in THIS CASE
(... E c'era la marmotta che confezionava la cioccolata...)

Hi,
It might be worth booting the system with a Linux system and see if you can browse the drive. Ubuntu or some other.
Also if you use the free to download R-studio emergency cd it will boot directly to Linux and load a recovery console. If you select the demo mode it would allow you to check if the drive is working enough to recover single files.
If you can't get this far then pro help is your only option.