WD2000 Won't Start, Spin, Work, etc. 1

[brandonjp]

I've got this (what i thought was nice) Western Digital "Caviar" 200 GB HD

here was the order of events:
+ everything was great and working fine
+ rendered a video file, took 12 hours
+ render completely successfully
+ turned off computer
+ 2 hours later upon reboot the 200gb drive wouldn't start
+ took it out of the tower, tried external cases, etc.
+ no luck

it simply won't start, won't spin up - when the power's hooked up it's just dead...i can hear a slight high-pitched noise if i listen closely, but it's definitely not spinning up.

i contacted Western Digital and they offered to send me a new drive...but what i really want is my data back. So, I contacted Volgon International...the minimum price for recoverying any drive is $870 (miuns a 15% discount from Western Digital)

GRRRRR.... so much for having a backup hard drive. I bought this one in July of 2004. I almost purchased a cheaper Seagate, but have had such good luck with the WD drives that I thought the extra money was worth it....GRRRRRRR!!!!

anyone have any ideas? anyone had a similar problem?

http://www.brandonjp.com

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http://www.littleamericarecords.com

 

[Sleepsalot]

Take the drive out. Put it in zip lock bag and put it in the freezer for a couple of days. Then put in as quickly as possiable in your machine.

Wayne

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.

Wayne

 

[mainegeek]

brandonjp,
12 hours of intensive load on that drive probably caused a component on the circuit board to fry. Especially if the drive was mounted in a tight space with out proper air flow to keep it cool. You could buy a new drive that is identical to that one and swap the circuit board.It is not difficult to do. I am not saying with 100% certainty that it is what happened, but that is what I would try.

 

[micker377]

With the drive in your hand (don't touch the electrics), hooked up and the computer on, twist the drive back and forth and see if you can feel the "gyroscopic" action of the discs. You may have overheated a spindle bearing, what we used to call "stiction". If this will get it started, carefully set the drive on a cardboard box, and get your info off as quick as possible.

 

[brandonjp]

- Wayne: I'd already tried the freezer thing, but no luck (Side Question: why the plastic?)

- maingeek: thanks for the circuit board idea, i, too, was guessing that might be the problem, but hadn't thought about replacing the board. $100 for a new drive sure beats $800 to a recovery company

- micker: it's definitely not spining, the only thing different about when it's plugged in is that very faint squeal, there's at least a little life in it!

Thank you guys so much for your help so far!

http://www.brandonjp.com

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http://www.littleamericarecords.com

 

[micker377]

The plastic is to keep moisture out (as much as possible).

As the last resort (and I do mean last!), there is a sticker on the bottom of the drive covering the spindle bearing. Try a drop of oil. On the top of the drive, is the bearing "preload" adjusting screw. Unscrew it about half a turn, and see if the platter will start spinning. If this works, carefully tighten the screw back down slghtly, and get your data off.

This step is just before the "doorstop" solution.

 

[Sleepsalot]

brandonjp
This is to keep any moisture from getting the drive some times the temp differance can create condensation on the pc board. Another thing to try is plug the drive up then give the end without the plug a sharp hit with the plastic handle of a screwdriver. It may jar the stuck part loose.

Wayne

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.

Wayne

 

[brandonjp]

well...i got the new harddrive in the mail today....first thing i noticed was this:

on the circuit board of the OLD/BAD drive it says
"2060-001179-0103 REV A"

on the circuit board of the NEW drive it says
"2060-001265-001 REV A"

would this cause a problem? I went ahead and swaped the circuit boards and got the OLD drive to spin up, but it made this clicking noise...it would spin up, then CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, then the sound of spinning up again, then CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK...over and over again

any clue what that indicates?

thanks to everyone who's posted here...i would have never had the idea to change the circuit board on my own - the fact that it spun up was at least enough for me to have a little hope

--bp

http://www.brandonjp.com

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http://www.littleamericarecords.com