So, as a final report, I shucked the drive and tried using it internally. Other than the slight sound (I think) of the heads initializing, I hear nothing. No drives spinning up. Zero vibrations at all. Because this data isn't critical (the one saving grace in all this) I looked at some YT videos of repairs done when I was looking up how to shuck this thing, so this was before I found out it was dedge. Some YT peeps used clean boxes, some did not...
I saw 2 things that I might have been able to try (since the data I now consider lost) but I don't even think I can do that. The drive appears to have no holes, meaning Helium filled. Assuming you can even remove the cover without damaging it (under the sticker I assume) how long would a Helium drive last without the Helium?
On a more serious note: I would like to look into 1 other option other then a NAS. Cloud storage. I hear rates for large volumes of data aren't bad, but they have different plans regarding retrieval of data.
Anyone have any suggestions for good high TB or unlimited cloud storage with good up/down transfer speeds? At a price of course, which may be the make or break point.
NAS is more convenient, but doesn't save me if there's a fire.
Sorry for the extra post, but since I did try new things and looked up new info, I wanted to share.
And YES, I know that a pro place would be the best/safe way to go. As I said. The data isn't critical, so spending $500-$1000 to either fix for data transfer, or be told I'm SOL, just doesn't feel worth it.