Question Hitachi hard drive just dead heelp!!

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gizzar

Feb 13, 2021
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Hello guys

I came across this site in my search of a solution for a hard drive fix

I have this client that asked me if i could get his data out of his dead hard drive, and i say okay i wanna give it a go!

He told me the drive would not read when pluged in, maybee wrong power connected to it back in the days or something he dont know he cant remember because its a old drive with pictures on it he wants

First i thought it was stuck reader arm, but it was not and everything in there seamed fine, so i started to search and found some videos and info in google that TVS diode can go bad, so i took out the circuit board and started measuring on it, but the thing is i am not sure what readings i should get on the diffrent diodes, fuses, capasitators hope you can help me out here and also maybe find my problem and tell me if its something DIY or its a board replacement and a bios swap?

i am pretty sure i am on the right pass, but this may be out of my range soo need some help please to tell me

i post some pictures of the board and some videos of me measuring on the board, maybe you can tell me what i need to test and what output it have to give, i am pretty sure i am doing something right in locateing the problem but again not sure

or hope somebody out there have a solution

Best regard
Gizzar

Board is a Hitachi 500gb 0A58732 <--- white label number

https://www.hddzone.com/hts545050b9a300-hitachi-pcb-0a58732-p-2400.html <----- this one

Pictures:

https://easyupload.io/g76rtx

https://easyupload.io/yf5qbt

https://easyupload.io/tag1n7

https://easyupload.io/kanzsp

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWZqXfHFmmuh2Xb_KiShItw/videos <---- 3 videos
 
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USAFRet said:
Tried a different port in the PC?

What other storage devices exist in this system?
Click to expand...

i pluged it in instead of my main drive and went stright to BIOS no detected, so my main drive works on it but not this drive

my main drive that works is a kingston sa400s37240g 2,5" 240gb

So seams like the drive is dead somehow..?
 
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So just tried to plug a 3,5" Western digital drive to the PC with the SATA power and data cable and it gets detected in windows and everthing, soo now i am sure the drive has a problem somewhere and its not the cables/USB-adapters

So how do i detect the problem with this drive ?
 
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USAFRet said:
Well then...it is dead.
Click to expand...

Yeah maybee but cant i check that on the circuit board somehow ?

Just wanna find the error,

what about PCB swap would that help ???

i mean i get some readings with multimeter PCB board dont seem just dead???

this is what i asked for, someone who could tell me how to measuring the right components and check whats dead on the board so i at least cant find out what caused the drive to go dead maybe?

fuse? capasitators? or something like it must be a way that i can check if the board recives some kind of power?
 
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Multiple problems:

A PCB swap may also need a BIOS chip exchange.
Or it may be just a burnt TVS diode.

But all that is probably moot, due to:
"open the drive and saw the arm and it looked okay i gently pushed it back from the lock side "

If it was potentially fixable before, exposing the platters reduced that possibility significantly.
 
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USAFRet said:
Multiple problems:

A PCB swap may also need a BIOS chip exchange.
Or it may be just a burnt TVS diode.

But all that is probably moot, due to:
"open the drive and saw the arm and it looked okay i gently pushed it back from the lock side "

If it was potentially fixable before, exposing the platters reduced that possibility significantly.
Click to expand...

I who the bios chip was to exchange as well

i tyed measuring on the diodes i just dont know if i get the correct readings? and nobody can tell me ovb..

The drive was stone dead before i open it, i also tryed to plug it in stright to the PC before open it, just in a nother sata port didnt wokr either

so it has nothing to do with i open it, i mean even if damaged when i open the drive it should start and give error og bad sectors

so the problem was there before i open it, but seams like noday can guide my in measuring on the board the right way

Can you somehow check if the motor is dead?

i have a suspesious fuse or whatever on the PCB i dont get any reading on is that normal?? it is in the videos on top
 
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USAFRet said:
Multiple problems:

A PCB swap may also need a BIOS chip exchange.
Or it may be just a burnt TVS diode.

But all that is probably moot, due to:
"open the drive and saw the arm and it looked okay i gently pushed it back from the lock side "

If it was potentially fixable before, exposing the platters reduced that possibility significantly.
Click to expand...


Okay lets say i didnt open the drive, you say: If it was potentially fixable before, exposing the platters reduced that possibility significantly

so what would you have done before? when the drive dont take power at all? get detected in bios nor in windows?
 
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gizzar said:
Okay lets say i didnt open the drive, you say: If it was potentially fixable before, exposing the platters reduced that possibility significantly

so what would you have done before? when the drive dont take power at all? get detected in bios nor in windows?
Click to expand...
  1. Try it in a known good connection device. I have a USB SATA dock for exactly this...testing drives. It works with 3.5" or 2.5" SATA drives. More importantly, I know IT is not the connection problem.
  2. Does it make any noise when power is applied? Again, NOT inside the PC.
  3. Close inspection of the PCB.
  4. Ask the previous user - What was the last thing that happened before it "died"?
  5. Educate the user on a good backup routine, so this doesn't happen in the future.
 
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USAFRet said:
  1. Try it in a known good connection device. I have a USB SATA dock for exactly this...testing drives. It works with 3.5" or 2.5" SATA drives. More importantly, I know IT is not the connection problem.
  2. Does it make any noise when power is applied? Again, NOT inside the PC.
  3. Close inspection of the PCB.
  4. Ask the previous user - What was the last thing that happened before it "died"?
  5. Educate the user on a good backup routine, so this doesn't happen in the future.
Click to expand...

Okay i will see if i can find that to try the drive, but i have tryed SATA to USB c adapter the standart one it came with no power, then i tryed another USB c cable to the SATA-USB-c adapter

Now i have tryed SATA power AND DATA cable stright to PC with working cables 100% didnt work

The drive says nothing, not when pluged in with SATA adapter nor does it do anything when plug stright into the PC

The user said: I dont know i just stoped working one day..

So not when tryed to connect - not dropped or any liquids near it

He just wanted to access it oneday and the PC wont find the drive

He had only use the original connection to the drive he said, not tryed to hook it up with a PC SATA

but i guess i could be wrong power connection, maybe his girlfreind or himself took the wrong cable 1 day we dont know but that is the most likely
 
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gizzar said:
i will try to see if one of my freinds have one like this, but seriously should this work? when i can not find the drive in bios with SATA power and data cable?
Click to expand...

the only way i can see a docking station work, if it gonna provide som ekstra power in the DV 12v? to the drive that i cant get beside a docking station ? is that correct ?
 
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USAFRet said:
SATA power directly from the PSU, yes.

I much prefer that dock thing, because:
  • I know it works
  • The drive can be powered independently of the PC. It does not have to run when booting up the system
  • No messing with the internals of the actual PC.
Click to expand...

yeah okay i see, but then if i get a docking station it sould not power up this drive anyway ?

this drive was connectet to a print board for SATA power and DATA to USB-C to USB but the cable is a 3way split so USB-C to USB and nother out fra USB-C to A minijack ??????? i will post a picture later

but i took off the small print board(that converts sata to usb-c) and connected the drive stright to SATA power, nothing happend
 
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gizzar said:
this drive was connectet to a print board for SATA power and DATA to USB-C to USB but the cable is a 3way split so USB-C to USB and nother out fra USB-C to A minijack ??????? i will post a picture later

but i took off the small print board(that converts sata to usb-c) and connected the drive stright to SATA power, nothing happend
Click to expand...
I have absolutely no idea what all this is.
But there looks to be waaaay too many connections/cables, and potential fails.
Which exactly why a know good single connection type is so useful.

No need for a picture of that.


gizzar said:
yeah okay i see, but then if i get a docking station it sould not power up this drive anyway ?
Click to expand...
A dock like I linked will power up a SATA hard drive. Assuming the drive actually works.
 
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USAFRet said:
I have absolutely no idea what all this is.
But there looks to be waaaay too many connections/cables, and potential fails.
Which exactly why a know good single connection type is so useful.

No need for a picture of that.



A dock like I linked will power up a SATA hard drive. Assuming the drive actually works.
Click to expand...

Okay i will try to find that, and if the drive still not powers up ?
 
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OKAY UPDATE:

i talked with the client, he said that when he tryed use the HDD it didnt work: he think it might have been dropped back in the days, running or not he dont know

he havent tryed the Original kable he have tryed 2-3 USB cables to try get the drive going witout luck

The drive came in just a box: https://ibb.co/dWsCrZS https://ibb.co/d2T7Jw3 with the hard drive in attatched to a small print board SATA power/data to USB_C then to USB: https://ibb.co/R3r3hHS (pic) No enclosure with DC power

I have tryed to hook the disk stright up to motherboard, but it cant get it detected in bios
I hooked it up where my other hdd 2,5 240gb drive is running on (port and cables are good)

I cant feel the HDD spinning(Hitachi 500gb 2,5" HDD), startup or nothing? but i cant feel it either on my Kingston 2,5" 240gb HDD ??? but my kingston get detected in BIOS and The Hitachi not (with same cables)

i tryed a SATA adapter to USB-Y (with 2 USB attatched)
i also tryed a confirm working USB-C to USB with the front print board attatched

USAFRet told me i should try in a enclosure, but i dont think that will work either with all the things i pointed out above

i fell over a quote from a user in here

"If the spindle motor were truly seized, the platters would be transplanted into a donor drive, as well as the PCB.

Head/media damage is common for a dropped HDD, especially if the drive was spinning when it fell."

How do i check if motor is dead?

can i somehow put power to the PCB board and test if it gets the right power?

I will give 10$(paypal or whatever we can find out) to the guy who can help me troubleshoot this and find the error
 
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gizzar said:
i tryed a SATA adapter to USB-Y (with 2 USB attatched)
i also tryed a confirm working USB-C to USB with the front print board attatched
Click to expand...
I have no idea what all that stuff is, but it does not sound like a rational connection.
Too much stuff going on there.

You really need to take the bare drive, connected to a normal single SATA data and power cable to the motherboard and power supply.
Or, a powered USB dock like I linked above.

It probably still won't work, but at least you've ruled out all that cable weirdness you're doing above.
And you'll have a good working dock thing for the next time you come across a drive like this.
 
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USAFRet said:
I have no idea what all that stuff is, but it does not sound like a rational connection.
Too much stuff going on there.

You really need to take the bare drive, connected to a normal single SATA data and power cable to the motherboard and power supply.
Or, a powered USB dock like I linked above.

It probably still won't work, but at least you've ruled out all that cable weirdness you're doing above.
And you'll have a good working dock thing for the next time you come across a drive like this.
Click to expand...


I will get a good docking stations in the future for sure

I tryed plug the drive in to SATA power and DATA cable stright to the PSU/motherboard didnt get detected/no sign at all, after i switch back to my normal HDD 2.5" and i started without problem
 
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