Hard drive clicking but NOT a stuck head

[Connor_10]

I have a WD 1TB external hard drive and when I plug it it is spins and clicks, spins and clicks. When I opened it I saw that the head isn't stuck, the arms aren't bent out of shape and when it is going; the head moves to the middle of the platter and goes back and forth a bit before clicking back the the ramp and parking, it does this a few times (6 or 7 maybe) before shutting down completely.

Also, there is no beeping, flashing of the light or dirt/dust on the platters (that I can see) and when I plug it in the computer knows that there is an HDD there but can access it.

If anybody knows of a way I can recover the drive for reuse or even to grab the files - it would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there Connor_10,

It seems that the drive has some mechanical flaw. 🙁
Also, by opening the drive up, you have exposed the platters to dust contaminated environment.
In case the data stored on the drive is crucial, I would suggest you to seek some professional help. The data recovery companies open up and examine the drives in special dust free rooms.

You can check WD's Data Recovery Partners out: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=CEImjx

It may be a good idea to wait for some more replies as well.

D_Know_WD