Recovering data from a damaged hard drive can seem daunting, especially when it’s making a clicking sound and isn’t detected by your computer. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of recovering data from a Western Digital hard drive with damaged heads. This method involves careful handling and specific steps to ensure the best chance of data recovery.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the symptoms of a failing hard drive.
- Learn the steps to safely open and inspect the drive.
- Discover how to replace damaged heads using a donor drive.
- Find out how to transfer the ROM chip for successful data recovery.
Understanding The Problem
When a hard drive starts clicking, it often indicates a mechanical failure. This could be due to damaged heads, a dropped drive, or other internal issues. If your drive isn’t detected, it’s crucial to handle it carefully to avoid further damage. Here’s how to approach the recovery process.
Opening The Hard Drive
- Prepare Your Workspace: Make sure you’re in a clean environment. Dust and debris can cause more damage.
- Remove The Drive Cover: Carefully open the hard drive to access the internal components. This usually involves unscrewing the cover.
- Take Out The Magnet: The magnet needs to be removed to access the heads safely.
Inspecting The Drive
- Check For Damage: Look for scratches or media damage on the platter. This is crucial as it can affect data recovery.
- Label The Heads: If you’re working with multiple heads, label them to remember which ones belong to the customer’s drive.
Head Replacement Process
- Find A Donor Drive: Locate an identical donor drive that can provide replacement heads.
- Open The Donor Drive: Repeat the process of removing the cover and magnet.
- Remove The Heads: Use a head cone to safely take out the heads without causing damage.
- Install The New Heads: Place the new heads into the customer’s drive, ensuring they are correctly aligned.
- Reassemble The Drive: Put the magnet back on and carefully reassemble the drive.
PCB Transfer
- Remove The Original PCB: Take off the printed circuit board (PCB) from the failed drive. Avoid working with USB PCBs if possible.
- Convert To Serial ATA: Use a compatible Serial ATA version for better compatibility.
- Transfer The ROM Chip: Carefully heat the ROM chip to remove it from the original PCB and place it onto the new one.
- Test The PCB: Ensure the new PCB is functioning before reattaching it to the hard drive.
Testing The Drive
- Plug In The Drive: Connect the drive to see if it’s detected by your computer.
- Check Data Access: If the drive is detected, you should be able to access the data area.
- Clone The Drive: Use a Serial ATA three-and-a-half-inch drive to clone or image the faulty drive to a good one.
Conclusion
In this case, the recovery was successful, and all data was retrieved. Remember, handling a damaged hard drive requires patience and care. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, consider reaching out to professionals who specialise in data recovery. For more information on data recovery services, check out Payam Data Recovery. We are an Australian-based company but welcome customers worldwide to send their hard drives for data recovery if they are happy to ship by courier or post.