HDD (Samsung HD642JJ) spinning but not recognized

[elem]

My old PC died few months ago with sudden death (I turned it off as normal and couldn't turn back on - no reaction). I don't really need to repair the PC as I got a new one but have to retrieve the data from my HDD. So I plugged it in to the powered USB 2.0 HDD caddy and none of the 3 PCs I tried it on can see it. The drive spins up alright, but nothing after. Nothing in the Drive or Device Manager. What can I do to get the data of that HDD without paying over 100 notes to the experts?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @elem!

Unfortunately, you will need to determine the kind of damage on the drive first. It could still be internally/physically damaged, even though it spins up. I'd recommend you check how the HDD is recognized via SATA instead of using an external enclosure/docking station. Does the USB caddy have an AC adapter? If it's a 3.5" desktop drive, you will need the additional power supply to get it recognized. Besides, you might have better luck getting it detected, if directly plugged into the motherboard.
However, if the HDD is damaged, you might experience some booting issues with the system. If that happens, I'd strongly recommend you use a DOS version of an HDD diagnostic utility. It will allow you to test the drive without booting into Windows and determine its health and SMART status.

Keep me posted with the troubleshooting & Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD