Hello, I'm looking for some help to identify what's the issue with this drive.

Here is a video I recorded 2 years ago when I was trying to recover the device. I couldn't spot the issue then, so I sealed it again until now.

https://youtu.be/EUC9o8hoeXE

The drive is 10-15 years old, and it died around 2017-2020, I can't remember. I don't want to repair it, I consider it broken. I just want to make it work for a few hours, so I can recover some personal files that are important to me.

The HDD comes from a Seagate Expansion 3TB External Drive.

I have a second unit that is still functional and I don't use it anymore. My plan was to do a platter swap if I couldn't find a fix for the broken one, but they're not exactly the same model, and they are a bit different inside.

As you can see in the video, the broken HDD has a protection above the platters that isn't present in the functional drive, so I'm not sure if a platter swap would work here, that's why I'm asking you first.

Keep in mind that my only objective is to recover those files, after that, I will destroy both drives. Also, I consider the data lost already, but I want to try to recover it before I trash them, so I'm willing to take the risk.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Here are some photos of the HDD models mentioned.

Broken device
https://ibb.co/rmR7BNn
https://ibb.co/t22QqH1

Swap target device
https://ibb.co/HTNr3Xw
https://ibb.co/h7xxsst

Not sure what the original problem was.
Sorry to say your data is now gone. Don't waste your time / money.

this is not DIY, decide if those files are important or not and ditch it if not worth paying for pro service, you don't have chance to recover such thing without knowledge and tools. Don't expect advice, this is beyond the scope. Whoever can do this won't go into details, whoever gives advice doesn't know how to approach such job.
sorry.

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Adatmentés - Data recovery

It is not known what the original damage was, but now one of them is definitely mechanical damage.


So in order for it to work long enough to do what you want it to do, you need to fix it.
However, looking at your actions so far, data is not important to you.


Do it, you will have two failed drives.


So you have already opened the second disk...
In the future, reverse the order and ask first.
For example, why replacing plates is more difficult and is not done for no apparent reason.



We know it, but you forgot.
As Pepe wrote, if you want to get anything back, seek professional help.
If you look at your actions so far, you will cause more damage and only increase the level of complexity, and most likely make any work impossible.
Unless you've already done so...

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Data recovery Poland (RAID, HDD, SSD) - https://hex-serwis.pl

I'm sorry for the delay, I have been a bit busy.

Honestly, I was expecting zero replies. So thanks to everyone, especially Lukas, whose answer was actually useful.

What I have learned so far:
- The issue is mechanical
- A platter swap would not work here

The noise pattern in the video is exactly the same as the day the drive broke, so the mechanical issue is likely the same.

Professional assistance was considered when the drive died, but it was never an option.

When talking about data storage, especially private data, it's always "DIY or nothing" for me. For example, whenever I buy an HDD or SDD, the first thing I do is test it thoroughly, because after I start storing data, the warranty is over for me. Encryption changes the equation a bit, but the broken HDD in question was not encrypted.

As said, I will destroy/dismantle both drives anyway. But there's a fly behind my ear telling me to try to recover those files before I do that.