Dead Hard Drive...Please Help...

[ShaolinMassa]

I have a dead hard drive, I hope someone can help.

I think it got damaged when I was taking it out of the case. The drive was working fine but now its not spinning or getting any power at all. More than likely the PCB is damaged.

I have data on that drive that I created as far back as ten years ago but the cost of the data recovery service is way to high for me.

Do you guys think the data would be recoverable if I changed the PCB or would that render the data unrecoverable even by the data recovery specialists?

How hard is it to change the PCB? I am a computer tech, but I never changed a PCB before, is there any soldering involved?

I would appreciate any advice you guys can give me, thanks...

[ShaolinMassa]

Ok I see some info in this post:


http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthre...hreadid=167964

This is the same thing that happened to my drive, I am gonna give it a try and see what happens. Any advice before I do this guys?

[davewuk]

Just make sure that the donor drive matches your dead model exactly. A later firmware revision is acceptable but do check the manufacturers website for revision history. And take care with static. There should be no soldering involved but check carefully for how the board connects to the motor electronics, it may be via printed ribbon cable which if torn will render it useless.

[BuildItYourself]

I highly suggest you don't try to switch platters with another drive. this WILL render both drives useless. Changing a PCB is not hard and no, there is no soldering required. Just take the screws of the PCB and pull it out. On some drives, pulling it out will dissconnect it. On other drives you may have to disconnect some wires. In either case, completely remove the PCB, then align the new one EXACTLY how the old one was, and push it in so the connectors align(if it is not connected by wires). Connect any wires then screw it in. Good luck, and I feel your pain.

[tremendous]

i had a similar problem, i think i had a power surge or something. my PSU got fried along with most of the components of the computer. next to nothing survived. i had important stuff on the hard drive though. after some emails with Maxtor (they were very helpful actually) i decided to find an identical drive. this was difficult - Maxtor couldn't sell me one as it was an old drive. i eventually found one on ebay which had the same PCBA code (and therefore the exact same PCB) and bought it pretty cheap. the guy i bought it from wasn't willing to take the board off first, or postage would have been cheaper....

when i received it it was just a matter of finding the right kind of screwdriver. i was surprised how easy it was to swap the boards, and now i have all my data back!

don't try and swap platters, i have heard from a lot of places that that is very stupid - they need clean rooms and stuff, because one speck of dust is enough to screw everything over apparently!

[crossedup]

Just another testimonial saying that it does work. I have salvaged a few drives that way.

Every drive I have in operation now I have an exact duplicate drive that im not using, just in case. Got all my important stuff backed up about 5 times too, just in case.

What kind of drive, is it a newer one or an older one?

Any HD's I have that die anymore, I pull the PCB and put it up in case of future need. Have actually needed one.

[Baddog]

OK, so we will have to start an organ donor bank.

[mrpickles]

Originally posted by ShaolinMassa
Ok I see some info in this post:

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthre...hreadid=167964

This is the same thing that happened to my drive, I am gonna give it a try and see what happens. Any advice before I do this guys?

Worked like a charm, still works fine. Best thing is try and find the same drive; 120gig maxtor/120gig maxtor. The date code didn't seem to matter at all with June 2004 pcb onto a Oct/Nov 2003 drive. Took 5 screws and came right off/put on easily. There is a ribbon that is connect by contact when screwed down, nothing you can mess up on a Maxtor brand.
Last resort if you can't find the exact brand/gig drive at the store, then be the 1st to test the same brand with different gigs.

Thing is I called maxtor and they wouldn't sell me a pcb board or be any help saving my drive. So i swapped a pcb board from a store and returned the drive with the dead board.
Sorry Maxtor but you were rude and gave me no other choice

BTW: what type of hard drive is this?

[tremendous]

when i was in contact with maxtor about my drive they told me that on the type of drive i had - in the diamondmax series - the capacity didn't matter at all. all that mattered was the PCBA number.

[ShaolinMassa]

Guys I hope you can help. I have called about 50 different places, I even called as far as the United Kindom (no exageration) trying to find this exact drive. No one has it. I have found a million drives that are very similar though. Please let me know if you guys think this will work.

My Drive:
Maxtor D540X-4D
Model 4D040K2
5400RPM
40GB Ultra ATA/100

Drives I Found:
Maxtor D540X-4D
Model 4D040H2
5400RPM
40GB Ultra ATA/100


The only difference is the K and the H in the model numbers, does anyone know what the K and H stand for and if I can use the PCB board off of the drives with the H. Thanks...

P.S. Tremendous or Mr. Pickles since you have experience with Maxtor maybe you can tell me what the PCBA code is and where to find it on my drive. Thanks again guys....

[davewuk]

What a dilemma!! The Maxtor site does not list the K2 variety however searches across the web clearly indicate it was produced - figures! A couple of reasons maybe, country specific variation model numbers or my reckoning, oem specific model numbers i.e. produced for Dell, IBM etc. If the price is not too high, then I'd be inclined to take the chance - ask for date codes to make sure that you will not be regressing to an earlier revision.

If you really ask nicely, maybe a post to Maxtor's customer support may help clear things up.

BTW unless buying second hand the chances of getting info about codes will be slim. The PCBA code will refer to the revision of the circuit board (layout and modification level and probably firmware fitted). This is why I say use the date code found on the front of the drive, same & later okay, earlier risky!

[ShaolinMassa]

I called Maxtor this morning and they told me what the difference is. The one with the K has fluid filled bearings and the one with the H has ball bearings. The PCB cards from both models are exactly the same. They said I just need to make sure that the firmware version matches.

Thanks for your help guys. Ill let you know how it goes when I get the board.

[ShaolinMassa]

Does anyone know if the firmware on a drive can be changed? I found drives like mine but the firmware on none of them matches, is there a way I can change it? i called Maxtor and they are no help at all, thanks...

[davewuk]

Hmmm, the couple of drives I have needed to recover have both used later firmware but the specs were identical. It will be worth checking what the differences are in relation to how the drive spins up etc for the two different bearing types (timing), I don't think any, just one is quieter than the other. Of course Maxtor will advise the way they have - it means another potential drive sale! It is always best to get a revision the same as or later, however older (as long as it is only say a step or two back) may be okay too. You are left with several options;

Hang on until you find an exact match - safe but could take ages
Have the data professionally recovered - expensive
Bite the bullet, get a drive with the closest firmware revision or better and make the swap - IMO, go for the swap. Always run the Maxblast utilities immediately for at least 24 hours to confidence check the unit