I have a sata seagate drive
#ST3400620AS
Frimware: 3.AAE
Date Code: 07104
Site Code:WU

The drive will not spin up and makes a "squeak" about 30 to 60 seconds apart.
I can send the drive into seagate for a replacement but would like to recover data if possible.
This is the 2nd drive that has went down on me of this model, and this one is labeled
"Certified Repaired HDD" It was a replacement to the first one that went down.

Is this common with these drives and is this a control card malfunction or a spindle problem.
If a control card I might try to find one.

A squeak would indicate mechanical problem more so then electronics (pcb). If you want your data back, I would recommend sending it to a professional.

If it's a squeak and you can't hear the drive spin up, then it's likely to be a spindle seizure, which is very common on this model.

Could also be stiction, but quite unlikely.

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Spindle K.o.

Spindle K.O

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possible to recover if you choose a correct DR pro.

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Thanks to everyone for you replies.
This drive data was not worth enough to go through a recovery expense.
I'll just have to send it off for a replacement.
Thanks again

One thing more before I send it off that it seems would prove the control board or spindle issue would be the voltage going out to the motor.
There is 3 connections on the motor.
What is the voltage measured on a working drive at these points that I could test?
Thanks

I also have a Seagate (Barracuda 7200.8 in my case) which appears to have a stuck spindle. If I hold the drive cover against my ear and turn on the power I hear a soft 'tock-wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee', the 'wheeeeeeee' bit continuing until I switch off the power. The frequency of the 'wheeeee' is around 5600 Hz (I have good ears for such things... and a pocket spectroanalyzer which helps...).

On the motor terminals I measure a signal of around 9V, 5600 Hz on the middle terminal, around 2700 Hz on the outer terminals (accuracy is not super as I used a multimeter). The motor windings have (measured in circuit) a resistance of app. 2 ohm. Has anyone out here ever done measurements on these drives and if so does this sound like it should? Judging from these measurements I'd say that the electronics are OK so the problem would be a seized bearing, what would you say?

If the bearing has seized are there any valid tricks I could employ to try to get it to spin again? I'm not talking about the freezer trick, I know that one and the damage it can do...

I'm afraid no. Not some kind of "200 ways to "kill" your hard drives" tricks , to be frankly. You will need very vast experience & proper tools. This method is not trick, it's logic

If drive's rotor is seized, there's no way you can make it work again except replacing it OR release the seizure. This can only be done in a clean area. Not clean as "normal clean" but real standard for DR work

And the tools I'm talking about, it's not this one

It's for my other hobby, maintaining my beloved CBR

PS :
I know, it looks easy if you watch the video @ youtube. But those videos, I must say, are sick jokes.

Abstract :

I record video of myself doing DR while smoking cigarettes near the hard drive. And for my own "egomaniac" & stupid pride, I upload the video to youtube, showing everybody how I recover the data by simply opened the drive with right hand holding torx screwdrivers, and a cigarette held between my fingers, swapping platters like nothing happened to another hard drive....and later....showing the screen of Windows in progress of doing copy paste all data

But.........who knows that I already copied data from that drive BEFORE I record the entire "drive surgery" process....., and the video I upload was edited, so all seems so easy.....

Goshhhh....this is really "secret revealed"

No offence to the original uploader of "drive surgery" @ youtube
You know who you are....

PPS : I never uploaded any of those stated videos above.....I'm not sick enough to encourage people to destroy hard drives



Regards,
Jonathan

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Thanks for the quick reply! I was not looking for 'magic' tricks - maybe 'trick' is the wrong word. A clean room is easily built so that is not a problem, I have most of the tools needed and can make the rest (as I've done for everything from repairing wristwatches to tractor engines and everything in between) and have more repairs under my sleeves than I can remember. I also have a healthy disrespect for the idea that you leave this sort of thing to 'the experts', with a good head and some good hands most difficult things become manageable...

I do realise that nowadays the word 'repair' should be read as 'replace' (swap platters, heads, pcb's etc) but is there any information on actual 'repair' available? I don't have a donor drive available (yet) so that is currently not an option. Those fluid-dynamic bearings probably have some know failure mode? As the drive functioned before it was switched off but failed to spin up the next time it seems unlikely that there is much run-out ('metal to metal') damage, if any. It seems more likely that for some reason the oil which is supposed to keep the bearing surfaces separated has run out (but there is no tell-tale oil slick...) or some contamination has made its way into the bearing. Is there any way short of opening up the drive which might (not 'will') get that spindle un-stuck?

Also, what about those assumptions I made about this being a stuck spindle instead of a dead SMOOTH chip or bad power regulation or other electronic mayhem? And that typical 'click-wheeeeeeeeee' sound I mentioned... is that a known indicator of a stuck spindle or does it remind you more of ...... something else?

Cheers//Frank
[ who just saw a flash of light and a cloud of smoke emit from the back of his trusty Philips PM3263 scope - uh oh... ]

Sounds like the motor trying to spin but being physically stuck.

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

Frank :

I'm not saying that I could do rotor or platters swap better than you. I only point out that it's not easy as shown in some YouTube videos. If you do have proper tools & "Clean Room", let's make an experiment. Take two new & healthy Seagate Baracuda 7200.10 - 320 GB for sample. Open those two drive's cover, and see its construction inside. Imagine if one of the drive's rotor is seized. How will you extract those platters to the other one without losing alignment ?

If you can extract all of the platters out and put them all in again and make the two drives still usable, then you can handle that rotor seizure 7200.8 - 400 GB of yours easily like a finger snap.


There's a very good reason why there is no info. It's too difficult and sometimes useless

There's always a way, but that method is only applicable if you can not locate any rotor donor. I personally will never have enough courage, even to try it.

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If pro help or paying to learn is not good for you, collect the info and repair it. If you can.

in order to recover the data, move the platters from the bad disk to the good disk without losing alignment. Be carefull not to damage the heads and use original pcb.

You are now armed with all the information required, it's up to you now to implement this info into a working solution.

Good Luck.

About the platters (yes, many years ago they sang 'ONLY YOU' and 'THE GREAT PRETENDER'), is it necessary to move them altogether to save time or just one by one? If you put the platters in reverse order do I have to mount the headstack upside down, or will Mp3 and movies play reverse? Sorry I couldn't resist and it's Sunday.

I imagine you will reveal the secret messages hidden in the music. Youtubevideo's? I've never watched any Utube on this subject and most likely never will. Smoke I don't do either. For the rest I think that any technology distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced so I'll just have a go at rescuing that Barracuda. If I don't it will end up as a paperweight so there's nothing to lose.

Cheers//Frank

It's not my problem. I can do it safely but I have everything it takes to. It's your stuff/data. Up today we haven't seen any newbie succeed in physical ps/hs, less than zero for Wd drives. P.s. It's RoHS drive, dispose properly. 'BYE.