Hi,
I have a WD40EZRX 4.0 TB that will not power up. Any advice on how I might salvage the data would just make my day!

Things I've tried (that haven't resolved this):
1. New power cord from a new WD40EZRX
2. replacing PCB. I bought a used one so I'm not sure that it was in working order but I assume it is.

Thanks for your help.

How valuable is your data to you? It might be worth considering sending to an trustworthy and affordable data recovery lab rather than risk making it worse. That said, here are few more questions for you:

1. when you say, "not power up," does that mean both via the enclosure and directly via SATA?
2. when you switch the PCB and connect to a system via SATA or via a different USB bridge, does it spin?
3. was the drive from a Western Digital MyBook enclosure?

_________________
Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

If it's a PCB problem, then it should be a cheap DIY fix. It may even cost you nothing. Can you upload detailed photos of all the PCBs, including the HDD PCB (component sides)?

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Thanks for the quick replies. Attached are the pictures of the various components.

















I haven't tried connecting this to another generic SATA enclosure (if that is what you mean). I've only tried the stock WD enclosure that it came in and got no power. When I say no power, the drive doesn't spin, there are no indicator lights on (as there would be during normal function) when I attach power to the enclosure (with the drive in it).

Yes, this was from a WD My Book external drive.

If anyone can recommend a reasonably priced data retrieval service I'd be interested. The last one I went with (for another problem that was much worse than this) got some of my data but I didn't think that the prices were reasonable (even though I paid for it). Thanks!

Can you try connecting the bare drive to a SATA connection in a PC? See if it powers up?

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PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

The drive has a chip at location U12, so the most you will need to pay is US$50 (unless you're very unlucky).

You say you tried another PCB. Was this the bridge PCB (P/N 4060-705149)? If so, then I would be looking at TVS diodes D4 and D3, plus zero-ohm resistors R60 and R43, on the HDD PCB.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

I may be mistaken in what I thought was the PCB. Of the two boards shown in the pictures, the triangular shaped one is the one that I replaced with no success.

The pictures I posted (in a previous post above) are of the original boards. Is the PCB the board labeled 4060-705149-000 REV A (triangular shaped) or is it the board labeled REV A 2060-771945-002?

Also, for the TVS diodes, what should I do? Do I remove them from the board (de-solder them) in order to resolve the power issue?

I don't have a spare SATA port/plug to try out the drive. Would someone recommend a reasonably priced SATA enclosure that they have good experience with that would allow this WD type drive (with the extra boards)? Thanks.

Measure the resistance of the diodes and resistors with a multimeter. Don't remove the diodes just yet.

TVS diode FAQ (with photos):
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=86&p=102

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.