Dear all,

I have been given a dead Seagate Momentus 5400.3 160GB (model no. ST9160821AS) to try and get the data off it.
Professional recovery is out of the question, because of the financial side of things; note that I would invite professionals warmly to comment on the situation regardless! DIY is my hobby and I am confident in my soldering skills. Plus, I get to learn from the experience. So bricking it completely is not a huge deal. But getting data off it would be very rewarding!

So onto the symptoms. The disk is not recognised and it makes noises when plugged in. However, the noise is NOT clicking (it does not resemble any of the sounds at http://datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php). It is more like a whirring sound, as if it's trying to spin up but fails, eight times in a row, followed by a short pause, and then it tries again eight times, then pauses, and so on.
The sound is not unlike that of a laser printer, except much quieter (imagine the sound of a 2.5" laser printer). I may record the sound and post it later if it could help.

As much as this sounds like mechanical damage, I'm willing to try a PCB replacement + ROM swap, just to see if it's not a blown motor control IC or somesuch.

The PCB in question has "100398689 REV C" etched on it, which is my first question. Is any PCB with that number a suitable replacement? As I see it, this could be a generic PCB onto which a specific model's components are then mounted, but I wouldn't know.

Furthermore, I am considering getting a new/refurbished drive just for the PCB, since the price difference between getting a hdd and a PCB is not that great plus I get a working drive even if recovery fails. Again, is matching the PCB number enough to ensure it is a suitable replacement?

Next, I have measured what I presumed were the two TVS diodes at the power supply end of the PCB with a multimeter and the readings are different on the anode and catode side of both (both resistance and the diode setting on the multimeter result in different readings). I assume this means that these should be fine? Or could they be damaged and still show different readings? The diodes are the black components with a stripe at one end, and marked B2C and KEV, respectively. Correct me if I am mistake, please. I can provide images of the PCB if that would help.

I suppose that besides getting the PCB and swapping ROMs, there is little I can do now? On that note, how do I identify the ROM chip? As I understand, it will be an 8-pin IC on the board. There is a tiny 8-pin with two lines saying LT and BG, respectively. There is also space for another, bigger 8-pin IC which is unoccupied on the board (that is, there are 8 solder empty spots and some images of Seagate Momentus PCBs on google search include an IC in that position). While highly improbably, I am not excluding the possibility of the friend whose hdd it is having tried recovery with different friends who may have desoldered that IC. Could that be a cause of the symptoms I've described?

I'll conclude with my plan right now:

1 wait for answers or ideas on stuff I could try before replacing PCB
2 identify ROM for certain
3 get PCB, swap ROM
4 if it doesn't work by then, freeze the drive

Note, freezing will be my last attempt at recovery. I know it is controversial and I know I am doing it at my own risk. That is why it is the last item in the plan.

Thank you for reading and please comment with your ideas!

Thank you,
Sonja

Hi
You need a lot of information at once, i'm going to only try and answer some of your questions.


This sounds like stiction to me. Does the drive eventually spin up, or it is just trying to spin and fails? Does it make a bzzzzz sound and doesnt spin up? If so, then problem is stiction (ie. heads stuck to platters) and pcb swap can't help you at all.


generally speaking, yes.


Why, do you plan to eat it later?
Freezing is a bad idea, will give you absolutely nothing and furthermore it can destroy the drive. Search this forum for freezing and you will get tons of info.

I think you need to give more info as to how drive behaves EXCATLY (recording the sound would be useful).
If problem is stiction, and data important, you need to consult a pro.
If data not important, search this forum for alternatives.

Good luck

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http://www.northwind.gr
SandForce SSD Recovery
Ransomware Reverse Engineering - NoMoreRansom! partners

DIY is going to cost you more than a professional lab. The great thing is, the professional lab won't charge you if it is unrecoverable...while you are on the hook for the cost of parts, tools and time if you try yourself.

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

I think a simple rule of thumb is if drive spins down then its head or if continues to spin it could be f/w or sa ,though not necessary for each case

Thank you for your answers so far.

I am attaching a short recording of the sound that the drive makes, hopefully it sounds familiar?




I agree, but partswise my only cost is the replacement PCB and the time spent, all the other equipment I already have (heatgun, soldering station, etc). That is, assuming that replacing the PCB and swapping ROMs is an option at all in my case.

Like I said, I am willing to try it if only to learn that DIY doesn't work and waste a few hours.



As for the freezing, I said I understood the mixed views on it. The thing is, if I'm throwing out the drive, why not freeze it as well? If it miraculously helps, fine. If it doesn't - the drive was getting thrown out anyway.



Does the recording help? Do you think it's stiction? To me it now does sound kinda like clicking/scraping, given that the drive is so tiny.

Thanks everyone again,
sonja

Well to eliminate stiction as the source, without opening the housing, use a telephone pickup coil attached to your soundcard.

Disconnect the HDD from all power and data cables.
Connect the TPC to the audio in on your soundcard.
Turn up the gain and volume up.
Test the coil by bringing it near your speakers, they should howl with feedback.
Next stick the coil on the motor or hold it very close.
Flick the drive back and forth quicky.
While doing that, listen to the speakers
A low rumble from the speakers means NO stiction.
If there is silence, then something is jamming the works.

(it's stupid sounding, it's unorthodox, strange, funny, and it works)

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.

If you play "the odds" on this one, it's probably a heads crash with media damage.

_________________
http://www.datasaversllc.com

Open it and look. Heads over the platters = sticktion. Sounds sticky to me. Did you spill some jam in there?