Subject drive is pretty important to me, I thought Carbonite had my back but something went wrong there.

It clicks a few times before it spins, makes noise, does not mount.

SO how hard is it to change the head? I have considerable experience with lots of big and small machines but i never cracked a HD open.

Or, can anyone recommend a company? I searched a bit and there are lot of people out there claiming to be the best and the cheapest.

thanks

http://www.hddsurgery.com/tools/categories/1

See the Manuals, Animations, and Video Guides at the bottom of the page, or search for Scott Moulton's video guides on Youtube.

That said, you might like to get a diagnostic dump from the drive's serial port before you do anything.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Fzabkar:

Have you:

1. Swapped heads in a comparable Samsung successfully?

2. Actually used the tools you are recommending to others?

3. Given the OP enough information of the downside risks, the need for a clean room environment, etc?

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jono-ats, the OP asked a question and I answered it. I'm not in the business of making judgments as to the OP's competence or otherwise. To do so would be patronising and condescending.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

> I'm not in the business of making judgments as to the OP's competence or otherwise

THanks. I have a tendancy to dive in over my head and figure things out. I hate when someone on a forum suggests that I am too stupid to do what I am asking about.

I can probably get access to a clean room. THe concept looks pretty simple. The web site you linked to wants 400 Euros for the comb thingy. I suppose that is a critical tool. Can it be faked for a one time job?

Before I'd spend that much on a single too I would spend the $800 or so to get someone else to do it.

thanks

Fzabkar,

You didn't address my specific questions. Nonetheless . . .

Precisely because you are "not in the business of making judgments as to the OP's competence or otherwise" is reason enough to always provide SUFFICIENT information so that the OP can make an INFORMED decision. Providing such information isn't patronizing or condescending – it's professional & considerate.

I think it is irresponsible to recommend procedures you've never completed successfully, or tools you've never actually tried. You also aren't able to help if and when they get into trouble.

The first step is to determine what has actually failed. Often Samsung firmware issues appear to be head failures; and if a platter is scratched, performing a swap is a waste of time and resources. Fixing firmware has lower risk compared to swapping heads; and an unnecessary surgery under less-than-optimum conditions can needlessly kill the patient.

There is a system of best practices, as well as a logical decision tree for differential diagnosis, repair and recovery. These were not expressed among your suggestions.

Lately, the number of drives we see that have been tampered with (and ruined) by well-intentioned clients has increased geometrically. I have to wonder how many might have opted out if they really understood the risks as well as all of the things that are necessary for a successful head swap. I'd have to say the majority don't understand why we can't sometimes "undo" what has been done.

If someone understands the risks and wants to try on their own drive, I'm all for that -- so long as they are fully informed of the challenges and risks, and are willing to accept the outcome.

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Data Saver Dude,

relax. I don't need the risks spelled out for me on a graph. The risks are implied in the prices people like yourself charge for the service. Which, from what I have seen is worth every penny.

I don't care if the person offering links has never done the job. It's just a starting point in the learning process. As i aluded to, I've been inside some pretty sophisticated machines, I have the fine motor skills, i have access to a clean room, It's just a matter of getting some guidance.

Are you offering any?

My specific questions are:

- do I have to pay $400 for the gizmo the combs the platters?
- If i buy a donor drive with the same model number what are the odds the head will be compatible?
- where are amateurs most likely to hose this up?

THanks

Hertfordnc:

Please re-read my reply to fzakbar. I offered plenty of "guidance," (which apparently you've overlooked).

First and foremost is the importance of accurate diagnosis. How do you know your drive needs a head swap and not something else, like firmware or PCB repair?

Insofar as your "specific questions" are concerned:

1. You don't have to buy the $400 tool to do a head swap, but those are the best available tools for that purpose, IMHO.
2. Maybe 50/50. But that's a best guess.
3. a) Wrong diagnosis; b) insufficient understanding of how these drives work; c) insufficient practice or inexperience; d) lack of a clean room environment; e) buggering up R&R of heads and magnets, f) taking well-intentioned caveats personally; g) equating other kinds of experience with data recovery skills and experience, g) etc.

Good luck!

–– Data Saver Dude

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Good Stuff. I did re-read your reply above and I apologize for not seeing the nuggets of sound advice bookended by the scolding lecture.

First, I'm thinking it's the head based on reading elsewhere. On startup it makes a series of scratchy clicks and then spins noisily. The drive is seven years old and has been powered on most of that time.

But if it's not internal that would be great.


thanks

Sorry if I seem to be "scolding," but we often have to deal with the bad outcomes from user attempts. Sometimes people are able to do head swaps themselves and get their data back. It often depends upon the specific hard drive, but the odds are generally & significantly against it. It's more likely to turn a recoverable drive into a non-recoverable one. And that's not hyperbole.

I get frustrated when people oversimplify the process (and underreport the risks) to complete strangers without ever seeing the hard drive in question, while recommending procedures without the benefit of a full and accurate diagnosis. It's not much different than telling a friend with a (suspected) hernia that he can fix it himself; here's the source for the best scalpels, and here's a You Tube video to get you started . . . never mind the requirement for a sterile environment; the availability of emergency intervention, etc. I'm sure you get my drift . . .

Realistically, a "newbie" has a decent chance of working with a bad PCB or maybe even fixing firmware issues if they are savvy.

I'll give Fzabkar his props for electrical circuit prowess -- he understands the PCBs and what they do and is quite adept at fixing them. But AFAIK, he (admittedly) doesn't work with mechanical issues like head swaps, and there is a huge learning curve and a huge difference.

Does your drive spin down, or does it keep spinning? If it doesn't spin down, there is a good chance that it's a firmware issue. If so, why spend your good money on tools & donor(s) to do an unnecessary and possibly fatal head swap? Wouldn't you rather know what's wrong first, and be certain about what needs fixing, before you prep for "surgery"?

I'm frank and direct about sharing my experience, and I'm sorry if that comes across as being a bit uptight. I hope some other pros will add to the discussion for you.

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maybe buy 2 identical drives, old ones, but working, and swap the heads in them both. just to get a feel for them. Test data afterwards to see the result. Then you will have quite a bit of experience toweigh up the advice already give from each replier

HaQue: Good general advice. I'll add that an experimenter should also replace the heads in their respective drives -- which will bypass any issues about relative head compatibility.

But it (still) hasn't been confirmed that the heads are the problem, has it?

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At least check the terminal or clean the PCB contacts before assuming head issues. If you do seek pro assistance, ask several questions, it's free. If they were taught by youtube vids or took a Scott Moulton class.....RUN!

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Ok, I'm pretty much decided that I will pay someone to crack this thing open. It's too important.

Data Saver Dude, So far you're my first choice. You are in Atlanta? A one stop shop? And it probably won't go above $700 ? Is that all correct?

I am interested in educating myself on non-invasive methods but i think it's toast.

>Does your drive spin down

This is the D drive, at startup in Win7 I hear it spin (loudly, close to a hissing sound) then it clicks about six times before it settles into a continuous spin. It remains spinning as long as the computer is powered on.

During startup the computer lets me know that "Drive 2 not found"

The drive is also not found in BIOS setup.

Thanks

PM sent.

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