I have a WD5000AAJS that was being used as a system drive and for some data storage that went bad on me.

Symptoms: System started acting up, randomly freezing. Removed drive, drive was HOT. Let cool, booted, then system would freeze again. System will not boot now.

The drive will spin up, make 5 "seeking" noises successively then a whirr, then spins down and back up to a constant velocity and stays that way. These aren't hard "clicks". I've had a drive that failed that CLICKED, this sounds like HDD seeking noises.

Is this likely PCB? Physical damage? Both?

If so, and there's someone reputable on these forums in the connecticut/new england/Tri State area that can help I'd appreciate any information/quotes, etc. I dont' expect to be able to DIY it, I understand the ROM is embedded and requires professional intervention to rebuild.

Thanks in advance.

It is my experience that the first thing to check with these drives is the PCB. That being said, the second most common problem is the heads. So, I regret to say that this is something that will need to be assessed by a data recovery professional.

The only lab that I know of in your area is Vantage Tech (www.vantagetech.com). Talk to Kevin, he should be able to help you out.

Good luck!
Luke

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Luke
Recovery Force Data Recovery

You can bring your drive to us for diagnostics.
We'll diagnose it in front of you.

Check your PM for details.

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www.datarecoveryne.com

harddrivespecialist should be able to take care of it for you.

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