DESKTOP HARD DRIVES
Safe Fault Diagnostics regarding is it possible for HDD repair
Clicking Noisy Hard drive
On the Side of the Base of most hard drives is a sticker that collects any contaminants when it comes to dust or the fatal head crash
Head crash is a term used for describing when the read\write heads make contact with the hard drives platters causing scratches or ditches damaging the platters clean smooth surface, in a lot of cases this will remove all the ceramic coating of the platter leaving a see through glass and platter dust
(THIS IS DEEMED UNRECOVERABLE)
Above is a demonstration of removing the side sticker on a clicking Maxtor HDD to see if the sticker is clean, as you can see this HDD is not in good shape if the sticker is black or contains any type of silver dust then unfortunately you data will be lost and HDD Repairs will not be possible, further more once I had realized the is drive was damaged I removed the Lid to inspect just how bad
As you can see this HDD has had a severe head crash
NOTE if you remove the sticker and it appears to be clean, there is still a possibility of a fine scratch that has not caused any platter dust for the sticker to pick up, but most importantly if it is clean Do NOT REMOVE the top of the drive on your desk and if you do, use a can of compressed air to keep the platters clean before putting the top back on.
Beeping or Humming Hard Drive
If you put power the HDD and you here a beeping sound, this would normally indicate that the spindle motor is jammed
Please see the Common Faults page in relation to this article.
Under any circumstances should you undo the screws or remove the platters of the HDD
Demonstrated Below is how balanced the platters are: note the plugs in the spindle motor
This is much like getting your tires balanced this is a counter weight to enable clean rotation of the HDD Platters, this alignment needs to stay intact for any hope of HDD repairs
Computer will not turn when I plug in the HDD
This will most likely be a power failure of the PCB and the PCB is drawing more power than what the whole computer needs to boot, Chance of repair is high but parts can be an issue
The hard drive Smells
Smell the HDD PCB, if the Drive smells bad then it has had a power Surge and you need to check for obvious physical damage to the PCB
See PCB Repair
DIY HDD DIAGNOSTIC & FAULT FINDING
DIY do it yourself HDD hard drive Fault finding & Diagnostics
What is wrong with my hard drive?
Can I find out myself what is wrong with my HDD?
Do I need Professional Help to get my data?
Hopefully this page will help you!
DO IT YOURSELF HARD DRIVE DIAGNOSTICS
Hard Drive Repair
& Data Recovery Information
HARD DRIVE REPAIR
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Do it yourself hard drive repair & the risks
Please: Evaluate this site Before attempting any form of self data recovery or hard drive repair
What is the problem?
Does the hard drive spin?
If so does it click?
Does the armature kick out?
Do the hard drives heads vibrate to initiate?
Is there an odd smell to the drive?
If it doesn't spin do you here a slight or faint ticking sound?
Does the BIOS see the hard drive?
Does the BIOS see the hard drive as the correct model?
Are there funny characters showing on boot?
Does the operating system blue screen?
Important things you should be aware of before you do anything to a suspected failed hard drive
Static discharge will kill a hard drive when handling... especially the internal components
Dust will destroy your data... DO NOT OPEN! In my experience I see so many hard drives destroyed by helpful neighbors when the problem was not situated internal of the hard drive assembly. Just because it clicks doesn't always represent an internal failure.
Swapping the electronics runs the risk of further damage, especially if the revision number of the PCB is different.
You will have a greater success of data recovery with less risk if the original electronics is repaired.
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