[ChRiZo]

Pretty much as the title says. My dad's hard drive recently died, can't get any data off it whatsoever cause it won't mount. He has a lot of work on it that he forgot to back up, so he wanted me to see what I could do. I figured if I bought an identical hard drive I could maybe switch out the good parts for the bad parts? I haven't done it before but I am A+ cert and work fixing laptops / computers as my daily job so I wouldn't be nervous jumping into taking them apart, I just dont want to waste the time if it isn't possible.

[thideras]

If you are talking about the electronics: I've done this myself. As long as they are the same, this should work fine.

If you are talking about the platters: Without a clean room, the drive won't last long. Not to mention, it voids the warranty and probably lowers the chances of recovering data professionally.

[Dooms101]

Originally Posted by thideras

If you are talking about the electronics: I've done this myself. As long as they are the same, this should work fine.

If you are talking about the platters: Without a clean room, the drive won't last long. Not to mention, it voids the warranty and probably lowers the chances of recovering data professionally.

+1

Most drives die because the controller components on the attached PCB get over heated and poop out. Simply swap it out (actually not that simple...) and you should be able to use it just fine again. However, you MUST make sure it is the exact same PCB and has the same firmware, otherwise you'll probably ruin the data on the platters. All you have to do is remove the Trox screws holding the PCB to the aluminum frame, melt or cut any glue on top of the ribbon cable the connects to the drive spindle and desolder it. Do the reverse to put the new board on.

[SteveLord]

I would go with the freezing technique + using a USB connector first. Put it in a ziploc bag, stick in freezer overnight. Then use something like this to hook it up to a PC. And if that doesnt work, find a computer with a USB 1.1 port. This has worked for me in the recent past more than once.

[thideras]

Originally Posted by SteveLord

I would go with the freezing technique

Unless the spindles are locked up, this does nothing.

[SteveLord]

Originally Posted by thideras

Unless the spindles are locked up, this does nothing.

I find "dead" to be a very broad statement. So that's why I went with that. For the sake of personal date, I always choose all the easy routes first.

[thideras]

Originally Posted by SteveLord

I find "dead" to be a very broad statement. So that's why I went with that. For the sake of personal date, I always choose all the easy routes first.

No offense, but I choose to suggest the safe route first. Putting it in the freezer and running it cold has a much higher chance of killing it unnecessarily. This is why I very rarely suggest it. There is only specific cases, which are just as rare, that could benefit from this.

[SteveLord]

I've been successful twice that I've done it. But then again, my drives would actually spin if powered. I will keep your suggestion noted in case I run into something like this though.