Please help: 2.5 SATA drive died along with the computer (won't spin up)

zlm24 · Aug 30, 2014

My laptop died a few days ago (http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2278229/laptop-hard-drive-dead.html). I thought my HDD should be OK (I have very important data on it..).
My roommate let me use her old laptop for now. So I bought a 2.5 SATA to USB enclosure to transfer data out. But when I connect it to the computer, the HDD won't even spin up, not to mention being recognized by the computer. I'm pretty sure the enclosure is working OK, because I've tested it with another hard drive and on school computer.
So I guess my HDD somehow died along with my laptop?
I really need to save the data, and I can't afford a professional data recovery. So what should I do now? Do I need to buy a PCB and replace my old one?
It's a Toshiba MK6465GSX 640GB hard drive
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Y0GI · Aug 30, 2014

Does your drive enclosure have an external power source that plugs into a wall outlet?

Yogi

zlm24 · Aug 30, 2014

Y0GI :

Yes! And when I connect it, the power lights on the enclosure come up.

Y0GI · Aug 30, 2014

zlm24 :

Good. That's the best kind.

Is there a max size limit, like 500GB, for the drive enclosure?

If you put the bad HDD into the enclosure and connect the enclosure to a computer that is running Windows, do you get the normal USB device just connected sound?

After the enclosure is connected, can you see any USB HDD in Windows Device Mgr.? What about Windows Disk Mgmt.? Any USB HDD there?

Yogi

zlm24 · Aug 30, 2014

Y0GI :

Thanks for your help! Here are the answers:

Is there a max size limit, like 500GB, for the drive enclosure?
Yes, its max size limit is 2TB, but my HDD is only 640GB.

If you put the bad HDD into the enclosure and connect the enclosure to a computer that is running Windows, do you get the normal USB device just connected sound?
No, no sound at all.

After the enclosure is connected, can you see any USB HDD in Windows Device Mgr.? What about Windows Disk Mgmt.? Any USB HDD there?
No, it doesn't appear in either device manager or disk mgmt.

Chicano · Aug 30, 2014

Sometimes the cause is that the Actuator Arm gets stuck on the platter surface. I have watched videos on the cause and repair. The PCB board can help but that may not be the only cause. Besides, the logical board may have more to do with data than with hd mechanics.

On the video, the user opened the hard drive and manually released the actuator arm, and the HD started running again. This may render the HD useless for an operative system but can be used for data storage, and if you only want to make it run so you can recover your data, it won't matter if it loses reliability but if possible open it in a closed enviroment, under a transparent plastic cover to lessen the amount of dust in the air. Dust is supposed to contaminate the disk platter but some people say the actuator arm removes the dust particles. Whatever the end result, opening it to release the stuck actuator arm may be the only solution.

A tip I read somewhere said you can sometimes release the arm by attempting to make the hdd platter spin in a motion as if throwing a frisbee, obviously without releasing it. This may have worked for someone to have shared the trick but on a light 2.5 HDD it may not work or at least it may take more effort.

The only tool you need is a scredriver with a torx tip I may be wrong but I believe it's size 4 tip. A screwdriver with torx kit should have different size tips.

2.5" hdd pcb board repair
http://www.google.com/?hl=en#hl=en&q=2.5%22+hdd+pcb+board

Open HDD parts named
http://bit.do/hard-drive-parts

Y0GI · Aug 30, 2014

zlm24 :

Y0GI :

Thanks for your help! Here are the answers:

Is there a max size limit, like 500GB, for the drive enclosure?
Yes, its max size limit is 2TB, but my HDD is only 640GB.

If you put the bad HDD into the enclosure and connect the enclosure to a computer that is running Windows, do you get the normal USB device just connected sound?
No, no sound at all.

After the enclosure is connected, can you see any USB HDD in Windows Device Mgr.? What about Windows Disk Mgmt.? Any USB HDD there?
No, it doesn't appear in either device manager or disk mgmt.

Are there any "Unknown Devices" or devices with a yellow exclamation mark showing in Dev. Mgr. when the enclosure is plugged in?

Does the enclosure require any drivers?

Yogi

zlm24 · Aug 30, 2014

Y0GI :

zlm24 :

Are there any "Unknown Devices" or devices with a yellow exclamation mark showing in Dev. Mgr. when the enclosure is plugged in?

Does the enclosure require any drivers?

Yogi

No drivers are needed for the enclosure, and no "unknown devices" or yellow "!" appear either.

Y0GI · Aug 30, 2014

I am all out of ideas. The last suggestion that I have is professional recovery. Here is one option that will do the job for $300: http://www.300dollardatarecovery.com/

Yogi

fzabkar · Aug 30, 2014

If the drive doesn't spin up, or attempt to spin up (ie no noises), then you could check the fuse near the SATA +5V power pins on the PCB.

If you need to replace the PCB, you will need to transfer the 8-pin flash memory chip at location IC602 from patient to donor.

http://www.onepcbsolution.com/229283572t.html
http://www.hdd-parts.com/14030671.html

Search

Please help: 2.5 SATA drive died along with the computer (won't spin up)

zlm24

Reputable

fzabkar

Y0GI

Splendid

zlm24

Reputable

Y0GI

Splendid

zlm24

Reputable

Chicano

Judicious

Y0GI

Splendid

zlm24

Reputable

Y0GI

Splendid

fzabkar

Judicious

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page