Question Seagate Internal drive failing to start after taking cover off

[Matt369]

Hi, I have a Seagate 7200.12 Barracuda 1TB internal hard drive.
It had been making the clicking noise that I'm sure most of you will have heard of before, especially from this make of drive. As the information on the disk was not critical I decided to follow one of the countless number of YouTube videos that show you how to take the cover off and move the head. The head did indeed seem to be stuck on the platter. I managed to free it and move it back to its starting position. Then I put the cover back on but now it seems that after connecting the drive back up to the computer it is failing to start or spin. Have I missed something? Could removing the cover do something to stop it from powering up again. Is there something I can do to get it spinning again?

Thanks in advance
Matt

Image of drive

 

[DSzymborski]

It's hard to say. The tolerances are extremely small, so it's likely something you did, either not moving the head properly or damaging something else.

This has no value other than as a learning exercise; even if it was working, given the microscopic particles on the heads now -- there's a reason professionals will only open up drives in clean room environments -- in addition to your manual adjustments, this drive could never be trusted again anyway.

 

[drivinfast247]

Correct!

 

[USAFRet]

Is there something I can do to get it spinning again?

Even if there were, why?
Would you trust it ever again?

 

[Matt369]

Even if there were, why?
Would you trust it ever again?

Because there's some data on there that it would be helpful if I could retrieve it, but it's not critical

 

[USAFRet]

Because there's some data on there that it would be helpful if I could retrieve it, but it's not critical

The head was stuck to the platter?

Oh, that's long gone.

 

[Matt369]

The head was stuck to the platter?

Oh, that's long gone.

The drive seems to look okay on inspection, there are no marks on it

 

[USAFRet]

It had been making the clicking noise

And when that noise started, you didn't think of doing something about the data?

That's like ignoring the oil pressure light in your car.

Even going back before the noise...backups are your friend.

 

[Matt369]

And when that noise started, you didn't think of doing something about the data?

That's like ignoring the oil pressure light in your car.

Even going back before the noise...backups are your friend.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

 

[USAFRet]

The drive seems to look okay on inspection, there are no marks on it

Unless you have electron microscopes for eyeballs....you can't tell.

The head clearance is on the order of nanometers.

 

[USAFRet]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

At some point, we've all lost data to a dead drive.
Smart people don't let it happen again.
Really smart people read any of the hundreds of threads like this, and be proactive before the BadThing happens.

 

[Matt369]

Unless you have electron microscopes for eyeballs....you can't tell.

The head clearance is on the order of nanometers.

That said though, even if the disk had some kind of mark on it, surely you would still expect it to spin when connected to a power source

 

[USAFRet]

That said though, even if the disk had some kind of mark on it, surely you would still expect it to spin when connected to a power source

The 'no spin' could be anything.

It was working (sort of).
You opened it up.
You put it back together.
Now it doesn't spin.

Something is now not connected, torqued properly, or otherwise broken.

 

[DSzymborski]

That said though, even if the disk had some kind of mark on it, surely you would still expect it to spin when connected to a power source

That's why it's likely that not only have you put marks on it, but that you damaged it in a different way.

This is not like fixing a lawn mower.

 

[Matt369]

Something is now not connected, torqued properly, or otherwise broken.

You were right, it was a torque issue. I tightened up the relevant screws and it's now spinning again. Still clicking though so back to square one!

 

[USAFRet]

You were right, it was a torque issue. I tightened up the relevant screws and it's now spinning again. Still clicking though so back to square one!

There is a specific torque value on the individual parts.

But, it is still clicking, so still mostly dead.

 

[fzabkar]

If the drive was originally spinning, then the heads were not stuck to the platters. AIUI, your model has no load/unload ramp, so the heads are designed to park on a rough, laser etched landing zone on the platters. It seems that you have now manually parked the heads in a smooth data area and actually created a stiction problem rather than solving one.

 

[Matt369]

If the drive was originally spinning, then the heads were not stuck to the platters. AIUI, your model has no load/unload ramp, so the heads are designed to park on a rough, laser etched landing zone on the platters. It seems that you have now manually parked the heads in a smooth data area and actually created a stiction problem rather than solving one.

Any ideas how to move forward?

 

[USAFRet]

Any ideas how to move forward?

Replace the drive and move on.

If there is specific data on it that you must have, send it off to a data recovery company.
Note: Seeing that you have already opened it up probably adds another zero to thier price tag.

 

[Howardohyea]

That initial click sounds to me like the "Click of Death" where the hard drive head died and can't find any readable sectors, so it goes back and forth perpetually in search of something to read. At that point, it's probably dead already.

 

[fzabkar]

Any ideas how to move forward?

The original clicking is indicative of a head/media fault. I think a data recovery shop is your only realistic option.

 

[pctech2005]

You should never open a hard drive unless you have a clean room and have all the right tools and parts. You will be extremely lucky if you are able to get anything off of that drive.

 

[falcon291]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

It is not hindsight, it is common knowledge, What you tried was the last measure that could be taken.

 

[Karadjgne]

It is not hindsight, it is common knowledge, What you tried was the last measure that could be taken.

No. Not Common Knowledge. Common Sense. It's akin to looking at the receipt after a purchase, it's just good practice.

I've never been a fan of head parking, in any brand hdd, to me that's as useful as shutting down a diesel engine and restarting it, I don't see it as prolonging the lifespan, but a detriment to a long lifespan, apart from having extra stuff inside that can go wrong.