[SOLVED] Replacing Hard Drive Head (Only to Recover Data (One Time Run))

[it-techs]

Hello!
I have an Internal HDD "Samsung Model: HD161GJ 160GB" with Serial: SATA & manufactured in 01/2011, suddenly stopped working as no boot device & not shown up in BIOS. It gives a sound like click, So I searched on internet about this concern, it shows that this type of problem related to HDD Head neither to PCI nor Fireware. So 1st confirm is this situation really belongs HDD Head Problem.
2nd please confirm if the above situation directs to HDD Head Problem then kindly confirm can I change Head of same models with some different specifications/Details as I attached both the images below that display same models but the Faulty Hard Drive P/N: HD161GJ/B01, Manufactured in 01-2011, on the other side the Healthy Hard Drive that I brought from market to change Head P/N: HD161GJ/B, Manufactured in 09-2009.
Healthy Hard Drive:

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drive.google.com

Faulty Hard Drive:

Meet Google Drive – One place for all your files

Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage – free.

drive.google.com

Kindly Confirm can I change HDD Head with above criteria & to run only one time for recovery of data not for regular use.
Waiting for your reply.

Regards,
It-Techs

(Kindly re-check to links above, I have opened it for public.)

 

[USAFRet]

1. Please post your pics or video at somewhere accessible. google wants us to log in. imgur is a popular location.
2. Changing the heads (or anything else inside the case) on a dead or mostly dead drive is not a kitchen table operation. Unless there is life critical info on this 10 year old drive....it is now a fridge magnet donor.

 

[DSzymborski]

Does the area in which you're repairing this hard drive look like this?

If the answer is "no," then you're wasting your time, effort, and money.

 

[ragnarok0274]

If it's really dead, make it a "screecher" drive - stick metal things between the platters so it goes "screeeech" on spinup.
Perfect alarm - just need a trigger.

 

[thx1138v2]

"Kindly Confirm can I change HDD Head with above criteria. " No, you will not be able to successfully change an HDD head. Too many problems to itemize but even if you get the head on the arm you still have to worry about alignment with the tracks on the discs which will be calibrated in nanometers or possible finer.

 

[it-techs]

Kindly re-check to links above, I have opened it for public.

 

[USAFRet]

Being able to see the pics of the labels of these drives does not change the negligible possibility of you actually making this decade old 160GB drive work again.

 

[it-techs]

Being able to see the pics of the labels of these drives does not change the negligible possibility of you actually making this decade old 160GB drive work again.

Ok, but the Healthy Drive is older than the Faulty Hard Drive as Healthy HDD manufactured in 09-2009 where as the Faulty HDD manufactured in 01-2011. I know this is a decade back concerning to these HDD, But this only to recover important data that never be backed up previously. but 1st confirm this is really a HDD Head problem.

 

[USAFRet]

Ok, but the Healthy Drive is older than the Faulty Hard Drive as Healthy HDD manufactured in 09-2009 where as the Faulty HDD manufactured in 01-2011. I know this is a decade back concerning to these HDD, But this only to recover important data that never be backed up previously. but 1st confirm this is really a HDD Head problem.

If this is "important data" I strongly suggest that you send it off to a data recovery company that specializes in this.
I cannot stress that strongly enough.

I won't even bother asking why there was no backup of this.

 

[DSzymborski]

Ok, but the Healthy Drive is older than the Faulty Hard Drive as Healthy HDD manufactured in 09-2009 where as the Faulty HDD manufactured in 01-2011. I know this is a decade back concerning to these HDD, But this only to recover important data that never be backed up previously. but 1st confirm this is really a HDD Head problem.

By doing this, all you're doing is making sure that nobody can ever recover the data. If the data is important, then you need to pay a proper lab to do this. If you had chest pain, I assumed you'd go to the hospital, not perform open-heart surgery on yourself in your dining room.

 

[fzabkar]

Samsung drives have a serial terminal interface which reports problems during the drive's POST. It is here that you will see the failing head(s), ie "gray errors". The log will also identify the preamp type, which is important when selecting matching headstacks for head swaps.

A USB-TTL converter will cost you about US$5. Let me know if you wish to proceed.

How to connect a terminal adaptor on a Samsung drive ?
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=116&t=189