My first Seagate external/extended drive (2GB - 3G - model ST2000DLOO1) slid off the bed, landed on very soft carpet on top of a plywood floor. Tried to connect it in a few machines but couldn't get it recognized. Tried SpinRite. No luck. I could hear it spinup and then 12 intermittent beeps (varying maybe 2 to 4 second apart). Took it out of the case and started it up again while holding it. I could feel the rotational inertia as it started to beep again. each time it beeped i could feel a slight movement from something other that the rotating discs. So i'm not finding much info on my particular situation. But I'm thinking the Heads aren't fuzed to the disk surface and the spindle motor or bearings aren't frozen. I had to open it. I've kept it clean and dust free. Once open, i could see the Head Assembly was parked just off the disk in the yellow plastic slotted spacer guide (haven't come accross it's name yet). Upon closer look i could see the tip of the top arm was bent down (stuck practically folded over below it's normal slot). It was easy to release it. A little harder to nudge it back into it's slot. But i can't tell if it's back to it's right heighth/position. If it comes down to microns, I seriously doubt it's in position. Any thoughts? How much of the Head assembly need's to be replaced. I know it happeded because of the fall, but out of many drops on the internet. this is the first time I've heard of a single head/arm doing it's own thing.

Regards,

ChuckT67

Hi chuckt67;

If your data is important:
1º: No power up your HDD and close it now?


You probably need Heads spare to recoveer your data. but This case maybe irrecuperable.
DIY in this case is not recomended. You need Cleand room, experience and correct spares.

This will be about 1000 USD in a pro.

After you "put head back into its position", did you power up the drive again?

I bet the answer is YES, and that would probably mean that you have caused irreversible damage to the platter(s).

Apart from that, opening the drive in a non-controlled environment (even if you insist you kept it clean and dust free, you didn't) is almost never a wise thing to do.

Expect a 4-digit figure to have this recovered by a very good pro. And I mean VERY good pro. These drive are bitches to start with; imagine after tinkering.

Sorry I know these are not the news you expected to hear, but I'm afraid it is the truth.

Good luck

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

Before DIY attemps, it would have been a free assessment and likely a $1100 project here.

After DIY attempts, it will be $100 for an assessment and a minimum of $1500 for the recovery here...maybe more, depending on how dirty it is after being opened.

This is assuming that the data was and is still recoverable.

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

If you have limited budget, send it to Poland.

_________________
data recovery Poland

@ laptokowiec -Nye Ma Probleme.

@ all -
Believe it or not (having worked at Seagate Magnetics - Fremont, CA years ago) I did not power up the drive. As for clean environment, all tasks were performed in a sterile enclosure I use (w/ cap, gown and beard cover) for mycelium transfering. Minimally forced, HEPA filtrated, negative ion charged air exiting out only entrance (in floor of enclosure). While I'm sure it's not ppm range, I have yet to get a contamination with this setup.

While the data is valuable, it's not irreplaceable. This drive was the backup for all other externals.

Being a mechanical designer in interventional vascular access medical devices, I hate to think that I 'tinker'. I demand the respect i've earned as a 'Master Tinkerer'. And seeing as how i've mitigated most of the above concerns, surely decreasing my chance of failure in this endeavor from 100% to a clearly acceptable 99.5%. I humbly request that someone direct me to as to where I might find instructural documentation pertaining to
the afore mentioned 'Head Stack replacement'?

Regards,

ChuckT

Alright, you seem to have been careful with your ... interventions (avoiding tinkering word).

Here's how you can proceed, you can purchase a good head swap tool, plus a COMPATIBLE donor and make the head swap.
No offense meant -again- but chances of success are slight, and you will have spent approx. 800 euros (~$1100), 500 + shipping for the tool and 200 for the donor, and I'm being gentle here.

There is always the option to send to a pro. Since you have not powered up the drive and you have taken measures against contamination, there is still a chance this will come cheaper than we first thought.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

PS. Emphasis on the compatible donor. Once you decide you want to try this yourself, you'll know what I mean. Head stack compatibility on these is a vicious labyrinth...

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

+1to northwind,

I think the same, you will need head exchage tools and a compatible head. the budget about 1100 Eur + Shipping.

And about 45% posibilities about data recovery.

Better a local pro.

I recommend actually buy/source an extra donor, even if it is in non-working order for practice. Use this extra donor to at least develop/learn the technique in carrying out the motor solution/head swap. Purchasing a working practice drive and test your technique, it will indicate upon success or failure whether you believe you can do this yourself or not and think twice about it. It is an additional cost, BUT trust, it will be worth given the risk behind the easy screw up potential.

Also, may want to visit some of these topics here: viewforum.php?f=16

Best wishes

_________________
Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD, SATA, NVMe, etc), USB Flash Drive and RAID Data Recovery Specialist in Massachusetts

@ laptokowiec -Nye Ma Probleme.

@ all -
Believe it or not (having worked at Seagate Magnetics - Fremont, CA years ago) I did not power up the drive. As for clean environment, all tasks were performed in a sterile enclosure I use (w/ cap, gown and beard cover) for mycelium transfering. Minimally forced, HEPA filtrated, negative ion charged air exiting out only entrance (in floor of enclosure). While I'm sure it's not ppm range, I have yet to get a contamination with this setup.

While the data is valuable, it's not irreplaceable. This drive was the backup for all other externals.

Being a mechanical designer in interventional vascular access medical devices, I hate to think that I 'tinker'. I demand the respect i've earned as a 'Master Tinkerer'. And seeing as how i've mitigated most of the above concerns, surely decreasing my chance of failure in this endeavor from 100% to a clearly acceptable 99.5%. I humbly request that someone direct me as to where I might find instructural documentation pertaining to
the afore mentioned 'Head Stack replacement'?

Regards,

ChuckT

Sorry about double post. I fell asleep and when i woke, the post was up, appearing to have not been sent.

I'm still in disbelief about how little it took to bend that head in half. i've been dropping WD's for years now. Once, walking down a hallway in Vegas with an armfull of equipment, a My Book fell, mid-stride and i punted it about fifty feet down the hallway. It's still chugging along.

Thank you, for your individual input. A practice run with a non comp head assy is a very good idea. But the best option has escaped you all. If my 1000 Eu will be the deciding factor in the European economic turnaround, then i wouldn't hesitate. But, I do not believe this is the case. So the obvious course of action (and most fiscal - with bail and court costs) would be to break into Seagate, use their equipment, leave a thank you note and i'm good to go. I see no flaws in this plan.

Wish me luck!

ChuckT