DIY fix heads not moving on to platter

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sir_k

Commendable
Sep 17, 2018
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I have a SeaGate 500GB on which the head was stuck to the platter (nothing would move when powered on, it would just beep). I was aware of the risks, but since I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on data recovery, there was nothing to lose in trying a DIY fix. I took it apart, swung the head into its dock, and made sure the platter could spin freely (it could). Now when I plug it in and turn it on, the platter spins, but the head can't move onto the platter, it swings over and bounces back from the edge of the platter twice, then it shuts off only to start again. After this second round, it shuts off and stays off unless I turn the power off and back on again.

Could someone suggest a possible fix? I only want to retrieve the data, I am not expecting the HDD to work for long.
 
Solution
Write this one off. Hard drives fail all kinds of ways, and yours failed in a way that you couldn't fix.

Now that it has been tampered with, it is likely that NO ONE could fix it. Once a drive is opened a particle of smoke can destroy your data. Clean rooms exist for a reason.

There is no good news here, other than the real answer.

Back everything up in three places, one of which you keep off-site.

It's a hard lesson to learn!

sir_k

Commendable
Sep 17, 2018
20
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1,520

I am asking for help in recovering data, not advice on what I should have done differently earlier. Of course I wish I had a backup, but it is obviously to late for that now. :) Yes, the drive was dead, but I did the exact process I was shown to fix a stuck head, and I'm not sure why it didn't completely work.

 

topheron

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
67
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18,710
Write this one off. Hard drives fail all kinds of ways, and yours failed in a way that you couldn't fix.

Now that it has been tampered with, it is likely that NO ONE could fix it. Once a drive is opened a particle of smoke can destroy your data. Clean rooms exist for a reason.

There is no good news here, other than the real answer.

Back everything up in three places, one of which you keep off-site.

It's a hard lesson to learn!

 
Solution
HD are high-precision mechanisms. If you watch a few YouTube videos, you should have noticed the Pros use a clean-room hood before opening it, and they use a variety of donor parts, which you don't have. These things are not home-DIY serviceable sorry to break it to you.
 

Orami

Honorable
Aug 20, 2015
2
0
10,510
A particle of smoke will not crash your drive. Ideally it is best to open it in a clean room, but this is not a requirement just a good precaution. Either the heads are damaged or some of the electronics on the head side are not working. Drives work by spinning up then moving the heads over to the platter. Unless you have a replacement set of heads you are SOL.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
A particle of smoke will not crash your drive. Ideally it is best to open it in a clean room, but this is not a requirement just a good precaution. Either the heads are damaged or some of the electronics on the head side are not working. Drives work by spinning up then moving the heads over to the platter. Unless you have a replacement set of heads you are SOL.
2 years later, and he is absolutely 'out of luck'.
 
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