I've got Maxtor PS3200 (I think, according to google images) and it quasi-accidentally fell to the ground.

After that the laptop stopped recognising it. I took it out of the box, found a regular hdd inside, connected it to a desktop but the BIOS didn't recognise it either. The power LED is on and there's some sort of static sound coming out of it (no powering up or "walking thru" though).

I've very little experience in soldering but any tips would be appreciated. I haven't got a camera with me right now but could attach a picture of the chipboard on the bottom if that'd help?

Thanks

Since the drive was dropped, even the tiniest of falls can cause issues with hard drives. I would find a professional in your area that can give you an accurate and free diagnosis of your hard drive if your data is important.

Can you describe "static sound"? Buzz buzz buzz or click?

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But what's the theory behind hdd repairs? Isn't it vacuum inside the needle & disc part that once breached destroys the whole set?

The sound I'd describe as a gentle drill, so more like "click" but non-stop - "drrrrrrrrrrrrrr" and not as loud as it used to when when reading or writing data

No - inside it's very clean air, at normal atmospheric pressure (there is a filtered vent to the outside). That's why it should only be opened in a similarly very clean environment e.g. a cleanroom or laminar flow hood etc.

The heads are aerodynamic devices that fly on an air bearing generated by the rotation of the platters. No air, no flight.

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