Dead HDD, can i get the data off?

I have a WD 40GB that will not spin. I have had some problems with WD in the past with the power connector. Seems they wouldnt get power to spin unless i held the connector down or up. I have had 2 do this.

The current WD that will not spin makes me think the power connector is bad and not the guts of the HD. Is there anyway to replace the power connector, maybe not by me but by a certified tech?

I dont mind replacing the HD, but I really need to get some documents off of it. What are my options?

I really don't think there's much hope if it won't spin up at all. If it's not the internals of the HDD, I guess you could try replacing the PCB with one from an identical HDD, but you'd probably have a tough time finding one, and even then, it's a long shot. I remember someone talking about trying to do that a while back, although I don't rember if it was successful or not, probably wasn't, if I had to guess.

I guess worst case, you could contact WD and ask them if they can do some data retrieval from a dead hard drive.

There are data retrieval services which can retrieve the data for you but they cost $$$ of course.

Do a google search for "hard drive data retrieval".

you can try it yourself if you are feeling confident, finding an identical drive on ebay should be fairly easy and cheap.

http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000840067578/

My troubleshooting is .... attempt to pull data off harddrive set up as a slave on another computer. If it doesn't detect the drive (can't read data), then i pull the drive out, hold it about 6' off the floor (carpeted) and drop the harddrive. Then I try it again. So far i've been about 50/50 on the last step working. It'll work long enough for me to get what I want off of it, and then I trash it.

The dropping trick only works if the spindle is stuck and loosens it; otherwise, you should try to obtain a working pcb from the same board. I've even been successfull in making a 10 g quantum drive spin.. using a pcb from a 2 g quantum same connectors... and then quickly swapping pcbs to the original and gathering data that way... or try putting it in the freezer for a while..

also... if it's a connector problem, is the connector loose?? did you try doing any connectivity tests with a multimeter? if that's all it is.. use a soldering iron to try and and tighten it up... add some extra solder too...

Hope that helps... Good luck!!!

Don't drop the drive. I can cause unnecessary damage. I would first try newbienerd's suggestion of resoldering the connector first. If you can hear or feel the motor trying to spin then do this. Take the drive in you hand so the axis if the spindle motor passes through the center of your hand. Then snap your wrist to spin the drive in your hand. This has been the most successful way I've had for getting a drive to spin when it is stuck and it presents the least amount of damage.