Question Please introduce reference for hard disks ?

[hakaru_eitara]

Hello
For the sake of learning more, are there any reliable training programs or reference books that provide practical guidance on hard drive surgery for someone who already understands the basic structure and electronics?
In fields like software, hardware, and their related disciplines, there are many free and paid training courses categorized by skill level—from beginner to professional. However, when it comes to hard drive repair, resources are quite limited, and the most well-known ones tend to be paid and extremely expensive.
The materials I’ve found so far often involve complex mathematics, which is not directly relevant to my purpose. The book I currently have takes an engineering approach rather than a practical and educational one.
https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Disk-Drive-Mechatronics-Engineering/dp/0849372534
Would you be able to recommend any hands-on training or books that focus on practical hard drive repair techniques?

Thank you

 

[Aeacus]

Would you be able to recommend any hands-on training or books that focus on practical hard drive repair techniques?

Hmmm... 🤔

While i don't know any manuals/books about HDD repairs, i might have 2nd best thing for you (cost free). Namely HDD repair videos.

Alex, founder and owner of Northridge Fix, often posts electronics repair videos to his Youtube channel, that i find interesting and informative to watch.

E.g dead HDD repair:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-t-Qcq3vVQ


There are actually far more HDD repair videos on his channel.
Here's search query: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthridgeFix/search?query=hdd

Northridge Fix also sells all and every kind of equipment to do with electronics fixes. Soldering stations, microscopes, flux, capacitors, mosfets, connectors etc.
Link: northridgefix.com/

 

[fzabkar]

hddoracle.com has a lot of inside info.

hddguru.com is also worth a look.

 

[hakaru_eitara]

Hmmm... 🤔

While i don't know any manuals/books about HDD repairs, i might have 2nd best thing for you (cost free). Namely HDD repair videos.

Alex, founder and owner of Northridge Fix, often posts electronics repair videos to his Youtube channel, that i find interesting and informative to watch.

E.g dead HDD repair:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-t-Qcq3vVQ


There are actually far more HDD repair videos on his channel.
Here's search query: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthridgeFix/search?query=hdd

Northridge Fix also sells all and every kind of equipment to do with electronics fixes. Soldering stations, microscopes, flux, capacitors, mosfets, connectors etc.
Link: northridgefix.com/

Thank You . I've seen this page but never follow it .

 

[hakaru_eitara]

hddoracle.com has a lot of inside info.

hddguru.com is also worth a look.

Thanks a lot. From your point of view, can someone learn advance tasks like PCB swap, head replacement, PCB repair just by watching videos and working on dead hard drives? Or is it necessary to participate in a live class with experts?

 

[fzabkar]

I think it's possible to learn from videos and lots of hands-on practice. However, most HDD and SSD faults require knowledge of firmware. For this you need expensive tools such as PC3000 or MRT Lab.

hddsurgery.com has lots of head-swap and platter-swap videos.

 

[fzabkar]

Hmmm... 🤔


There are actually far more HDD repair videos on his channel.
Here's search query: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthridgeFix/search?query=hdd

I watched the very first video. He took forever to test the TVS diodes and zero-ohm resistor. He found a shorted 12V TVS diode and, instead of replacing it with a $1 new part, he cannibalised a working spare HDD. Presumably, the customer pays for that.

I watched a second video. This time he removed a shorted TVS diode and replaced two open circuit zero-ohm resistors with new ones. This was a data recovery job rather than a repair, so he didn't need to test and replace both resistors. That's because they were connected in parallel. However, he made me cringe when he powered up the drive and waved it around in his hand and stuck it next to his ear. You should never do that.

I steeled myself and watched a third video. Once again there was a shorted TVS diode and a pair of open-circuit zero-ohm resistors. He still hadn't worked out that when two components are connected in parallel, you only need to measure one of them. The other one will measure the same ... because it's in parallel.

 

[Aeacus]

However, he made me cringe when he powered up the drive and waved it around in his hand and stuck it next to his ear. You should never do that.

Modern HDD is not a flimsy trinket that you need to suspend it in 0 gravity to keep read heads or platters from damage.
Alex didn't shake the drive around, instead lifted it normally, which HDDs are designed to endure.

I watched the very first video. He took forever to test the TVS diodes and zero-ohm resistor.

Is the point quantity or quality?

To me, repair works are all about quality. When hardware gets fixed, it doesn't matter if it takes 5mins or 50mins.

He found a shorted 12V TVS diode and, instead of replacing it with a $1 new part, he cannibalised a working spare HDD. Presumably, the customer pays for that.

It is cheaper to buy a new HDD, than spend money for shipping to/from repair shop + actual repair itself. But what people need, is data recovery from a failed drive. You can always buy a new HDD. But you can not buy your personal data.

 

[fzabkar]

Here he is with a clicking Toshiba HDD:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FnfcCfxKtio

His "clean cabinet" and his procedures make me cringe. He finishes the video by saying that the drive needs to go to a pro data recovery shop. This is true, but he clearly has no idea what they do. He says that these pros will need to swap the platters, which is an Internet myth that just won't die. Platters are only swapped when the spindle motor has a problem. Moreover, it's bad practice to spin the drive without a cover, because the air bearing is dependent on it.

 

[Aeacus]

He says that these pros will need to swap the platters, which is an Internet myth that just won't die. Platters are only swapped when the spindle motor has a problem.

Well, Alex says that swapping platters is just one option what to do. Sure, there are other options, depending on what the issue is.

As a "knowledgeable" person, can you tell with 100% guarantee what that HDD's fault is? 🤔

Moreover, it's bad practice to spin the drive without a cover, because the air bearing is dependent on it.

Alex does say as much that he doesn't have the knowledge about HDD innards. After all, Nortridge Fix is small repair shop, that can cover 90% of the electronics repairs. For the rest (deemed "no fix" by Alex), it is up to customer to decide if to go with more specialized shop (e.g data recovery firm to get their data back) or not.

This is so with all services.
E.g if you crash your dump truck and when local towing companies with 50T rotator and 25T wrecker isn't enough to recover the truck, they call more specialized recovery company with more experience and better equipment, so that 75T rotator can finish the job (YT vid of actual job). I see no reason why to cringe over lack of knowledge or equipment.

 

[USAFRet]

But what people need, is data recovery from a failed drive.

No.
People need to be proactive with the data.

Not recover after, back up before.

 

[Aeacus]

No.
People need to be proactive with the data.

Not recover after, back up before.

So very much true. But many doesn't bother to buy multiple drives and setting up backup system. Since it takes money and time.
But when thinking about data recovery afterwards, it takes far more money and time to recover data from failed drive, than setting up proper backup routine beforehand.

Same with cybersecurity actually. Many think that simple, short psw is enough. That is until their account is lost.
Or buying PSUs. A lot of people like to cheap out on PSU, but when crap quality PSU blows and fries entire system, then it will cost far more to get the PC back into working order (sometimes even replacing entire PC to get PC working again).
Even with cars, many people doesn't service their car and drive them until something breaks (where even engine could seize up), rather than doing annual servicing to catch failing parts early on to avoiding major repair afterwards.
Etc etc.

 

[USAFRet]

So very much true. But many doesn't bother to buy multiple drives and setting up backup system. Since it takes money and time.
But when thinking about data recovery afterwards, it takes far more money and time to recover data from failed drive, than setting up proper backup routine beforehand.

Yep. And too bad for them.

If any of the couple dozen active drives in my house were to die right now....the only expense I might need is a replacement drive.
The data....100% recoverable from either last night or last week, depending on the system.

 

[punkncat]

Alex, founder and owner of Northridge Fix, often posts electronics repair videos to his Youtube channel, that i find interesting and informative to watch.

(snip)

Northridge Fix also sells all and every kind of equipment to do with electronics fixes. Soldering stations, microscopes, flux, capacitors, mosfets, connectors etc.
Link: northridgefix.com/

I love watching this guy work and even more so his commentary along the way. Very smart and informed fellow.

 

[fzabkar]

Well, Alex says that swapping platters is just one option what to do. Sure, there are other options, depending on what the issue is.

As a "knowledgeable" person, can you tell with 100% guarantee what that HDD's fault is? 🤔


Alex does say as much that he doesn't have the knowledge about HDD innards. After all, Nortridge Fix is small repair shop, that can cover 90% of the electronics repairs. For the rest (deemed "no fix" by Alex), it is up to customer to decide if to go with more specialized shop (e.g data recovery firm to get their data back) or not.

This is so with all services.
E.g if you crash your dump truck and when local towing companies with 50T rotator and 25T wrecker isn't enough to recover the truck, they call more specialized recovery company with more experience and better equipment, so that 75T rotator can finish the job (YT vid of actual job). I see no reason why to cringe over lack of knowledge or equipment.

The drive is clicking, so it needs a head swap. A platter swap is almost never an option in such cases. Swapping multiple platters introduces the possibility of alignment problems, and even a single platter swap can introduce eccentricity in the track servo. I've been watching the pro data recovery forums for the past 16 years, and that's the prevailing wisdom. Alex has no idea.

Everyone knows that opening a drive outside a clean room or laminar flow cabinet is a stupid thing to do, yet here he does this very thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnfcCfxKtio&t=347s

https://northridgefix.com/product/portable-dust-free-clean-room-with-green-and-white-light/

A real clean cabinet will have a perspex cover. The operator will open and work on the drive while it is under this cover, and he will view the job through the perspex. That US$300 laminar flow hood is a dangerous piece of junk. If you really want one, you can get the same thing on eBay for US$183.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/156101919420

Alex is good at PCB work, so by all means send him your PCBs. However, if you value your data, I would advise you not to send him your drive.

 

[hakaru_eitara]

For this you need expensive tools such as PC3000 or MRT Lab.

Thank you. Could you please provide an understandable comparison between MRT Lab, RapidSpar, and Dolphin Lab (such as DFL-SRP USB 3.0)?

Someone asked me about this, but I couldn't find a complete comparison. Alternatively, could you refer me to a link that explains in which situations each tool is most effective?or if you have any experience about these three , I am appreciate

 

[fzabkar]

I wouldn't bother with RapidSpar. I think it's usefulness for current models is very limited. Their USB Stabilizer is a popular tool, though.

PC3000 (Russian) is the number one tool, MRT (Chinese) is second, and Dolphin (Chinese) is third. They all provide solutions at the firmware level. The Russians are nearly always far ahead of the Chinese. MRT offers a much cheaper option, though, including a pay-as-you-go plan.

 

[hakaru_eitara]

I wouldn't bother with RapidSpar. I think it's usefulness for current models is very limited. Their USB Stabilizer is a popular tool, though.

PC3000 (Russian) is the number one tool, MRT (Chinese) is second, and Dolphin (Chinese) is third. They all provide solutions at the firmware level. The Russians are nearly always far ahead of the Chinese. MRT offers a much cheaper option, though, including a pay-as-you-go plan.

Many thanks for your thoughtful reply—I truly appreciate it.
My friend also wanted to thank you (I shared your response with him) and asked if I could inquire about a few questions, if you don’t mind🙏. Both he and I were unable to find an appropriate comparison.

1. Does working with MRT and DFL require significant experience, or can beginners use them fluently?

2. Do they offer any useful and practical training for their products ?

3. What scenarios can MRT and DFL handle? In which cases does MRT outperform DFL, and vice versa? Their websites do not provide detailed explanations, similar to how RapidSpar categorizes its capabilities.

4. DFL claims that its tools are easy to use and suitable for all skill levels. Does the same apply to MRT?

5. Is it necessary to have both MRT and DFL, or is one of them sufficient?

6.Do you know How much approximate their cost ?

7- is it possible to find second-hand of them ?

Thank you in advance—I hope to receive your valuable response🙏

 

[fzabkar]

1 &2. These tools do expect significant prior experience. PC3000 has excellent manuals, and Ace laboratory runs courses in Prague from time to time. All three vendors have tutorials on their web sites. Dolphin has a Youtube channel.

3 &4. I can't answer that question because I'm not a data recovery professional. I'm only an interested observer. This question sometimes comes up at HDD Guru. You can also ask here : https://old.reddit.com/r/AskADataRecoveryPro/rising/

5. One or the other is sufficient.

6. PC3000 Portable would be around $20K, but that depends on the options and your country.

7. HDD Guru's marketplace often has used tools. Be aware that there are conditions on the transfer of licence. For example, if you buy a used PC3000 setup, Ace Laboratory will require payment for a 1 year tech support contract (US$1K).

In short, don't expect to be up-and-running after buying one of these tools. You will need to procure a stack of HDDs and SSDs and practice a lot.

If you want to practice on old WD drives, WDMarvel is a cheap firmware tool. Its free read-only demo version can do a lot.

 

[hakaru_eitara]

1 &2. These tools do expect significant prior experience. PC3000 has excellent manuals, and Ace laboratory runs courses in Prague from time to time. All three vendors have tutorials on their web sites. Dolphin has a Youtube channel.

3 &4. I can't answer that question because I'm not a data recovery professional. I'm only an interested observer. This question sometimes comes up at HDD Guru. You can also ask here : https://old.reddit.com/r/AskADataRecoveryPro/rising/

5. One or the other is sufficient.

6. PC3000 Portable would be around $20K, but that depends on the options and your country.

7. HDD Guru's marketplace often has used tools. Be aware that there are conditions on the transfer of licence. For example, if you buy a used PC3000 setup, Ace Laboratory will require payment for a 1 year tech support contract (US$1K).

In short, don't expect to be up-and-running after buying one of these tools. You will need to procure a stack of HDDs and SSDs and practice a lot.

If you want to practice on old WD drives, WDMarvel is a cheap firmware tool. Its free read-only demo version can do a lot.

Many many tha nks ,

In short, don't expect to be up-and-running after buying one of these tools. You will need to procure a stack of HDDs and SSDs and practice a lot.

To be honest, except those tasks(maybe can called as skills) like PCB repair , head replacement, etc , I thought DFL and MRT is a tool in which you could connect faulty harddrive and with a GUI working with that.but ultimately they're device.maybe I do mistake.

If you want to practice on old WD drives, WDMarvel is a cheap firmware tool. Its free read-only demo version can do a lot.

WDMarvel is a site or shop store?

In short, don't expect to be up-and-running after buying one of these tools. You will need to procure a stack of HDDs and SSDs and practice a lot.

I understand, and thanks a lot for your honesty. Just could you roughly say for an intermediate level of hard drive repair—one step before PCB repair, platter swapping, and head replacement—how long does it take to become a master on either MRT or DFL not pc3000?

Honestly, after your response last night, I checked more than 20 YouTube channels that demonstrate disk repair. Interestingly—or perhaps ridiculously—90% of them open hard drives in a normal environment without even wearing simple protective gloves. They shake and rotate the hard drive carelessly. The funniest thing I saw was someone removing the platter by flipping the hard drive case upside down!

Basic knowledge tells us that airborne contamination (like the dust particles you can see in a sunbeam) is larger in nanometers than the distance between the head and the platter. This means a clean environment is absolutely necessary. There are several standards for cleanliness, such as ISO Class 100 or similar. Yet, I even saw someone coughing without wearing a proper mask over their mouth while working on a hard drive😷

 

[fzabkar]

https://arch7rt.com/en/demo/ (WD Marvel Repair Tool)

Anybody can be a Youtuber, as you found out.

PC3000, MRT and Dolphin are all essentially software tools, but they use hardware for IP protection.

SeDiv is another cheap software tool, but its support is very poor. In fact, it's hard to find a site that is selling it, let alone supporting it.

 

[fzabkar]

At the risk of bashing this guy ...

https://old.reddit.com/r/ElectronicsRepair/comments/1izopeo/northridge_fix/

 

[hakaru_eitara]

https://arch7rt.com/en/demo/ (WD Marvel Repair Tool)

Thanks a lot , Is there any training for working with that?

IP protection.

Ip address ?like 100.20.30.40

Since you have extensive experience and have been active in professional data recovery forums for a long time, could you list several effective software-based tools like those you mentioned above? Additionally, if there are any affordable hardware tools similar to DFL and MRT(if you know)😊

 

[hakaru_eitara]

And one question more please @fzabkar
There are several demo for data recovery imaging, such as RapidSpar and DeepSpar Imager, which work through an external interface or SATA connection to a faulty drive. What are the differences between imaging with software tools like HDSuperClone, dd, dd_rescue versus using hardware tools, considering that in both cases the faulty drive is actively participating in the process.

Thank you and best wishes

 

[hakaru_eitara]

SeDiv is another cheap software tool,

Hello again,

The first link from HDDGod shows something about this device. You mentioned that it is software-based; however, I found that it also includes hardware equipment.

Do you have any experience with it? Could you please once again inform me of its position in your comparison, where you stated that PC-3000 is ranked #1, MRT is placed at #2, and DFL at #3?
How I could well compare among several devices ? Is there any datasheet or manual or what should I look at to figure out which one is superior than others except pc3000 which everyone say it is number one.
In which position does it stand (Sediv)?
I have the right to raise these doubts because many brands produce tools like these, and additionally, I do not fully understand how disk imagers function—this is my problem.

It would have been better if I had asked: What can a disk imager do that dd_rescue or HDSuperClone cannot? I would really like to know.