Loss of Life :(

[SerenadeRB]

I need some serious help.
I had a 500 GB Western digital Hard Drive that I stored everything ( and I mean everything ) on. Of course I can't explain the importance, but lets just say very important information. My MOBO wont recognize it at all. I currently have 2 HD plugged in and it only shows the 120GB one. Ive tried different SATA cables, different power cables in different configurations, the "Frisbee" for static friction, yet I don't know whats wrong. I put my ear to it and I believe I can hear it spin up, but it's just not showing up on my mobo.

Any help would be appreciated with the gratefulness of peasant, and the debt of a king.

~Evangeline

dude I though you had lost somebody near and dear, but you data maybe compares to that .

[Fitseries3]

see if you can find another drive with the same PCB and swap it out so you can copy the data. use acronis or norton ghost to get the files off of the drive fast so you dont risk loosing anything.

dont give up.

if the drive wont spin up then feeze it for 24hours and you only have one shot to get the data off so be quick about it.

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by wolf2009

dude I though you had lost somebody near and dear, but you data maybe compares to that .

Of course it doesn't compare, but I had a lot of files pertaining to family/work/research (BioChem) on it, and although I know I should have backed up my data, that won't help now. Sorry If the title implies that, but I did put way to much un-backed info in that HDD.

[WhiteLotus]

tried sticking it into another computer to see if it'll read?

[JrRacinFan]

I am beleiving your MBR is fubar'd. Now as to fix it, that is a good question my friend. There may be some DOS software utilities out thery may fix the problem.

But do as WhiteLotus suggested first, try it in a different pc!

EDIT: Can you confirm its getting power Serenade?

[Fitseries3]

to fix the mbr you can use the xp install cd and hit R to use the recovery console.

once in the console, type fixboot and hit enter. go through the crap questions answering yes to all.

then type fixmbr and hit enter. go through the crap again and then type exit and reboot.

[BrooksyX]

Originally Posted by wolf2009

dude I though you had lost somebody near and dear, but you data maybe compares to that .

I was thinking the same thing myself, glad to hear that no died.

Sucks to hear about the HDD, good luck.

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

tried sticking it into another computer to see if it'll read?

I hadn't when you asked,
but I just did put it into another computer, and it wasn't picked up by the mobo.
It sounds like it's spinning though, that is what's odd.
Im going to take a few pics, so gimme a minute.


Is the top


Is the bottom

[JrRacinFan]

Ohhh crap, forget what I said about the MBR. I was thinking you couldnt boot windows.

Have you had to reset CMOS lately? Possible to have to enable the SATA controller/channel its on?

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

Ohhh crap, forget what I said about the MBR. I was thinking you couldnt boot windows.

Have you had to reset CMOS lately? Possible to have to enable the SATA controller/channel its on?

They are all enabled, tbh, I have a hunch something is wrong with the circuitry on the pcb, but I have nothing to substantiate that with.

[acperience7]

Why don't you get an external enclosure for the 500GB drive and use the 120 as the boot drive? That way you might be able to just grab the files you want from the 500GB drive and put them elsewhere for now.

[FooArm]

does the hardrive work ??

use esata or get a new mobo is its so important

[WhiteLotus]

Can you see it in the BIOS?

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

Can you see it in the BIOS?

No, I cannot.
That IS the problem.

I have extremely little knowledge of HDD's , but I think it spins up just fine, which would lead me to think it goes on.

But In the BIOS no matter what SATA port I plug it into it just doesn't show :/

[WhiteLotus]

Guess you haven't played with the jumper settings lately then. Changed any of them by accident etc?

The only thing i can think of is that yea - its gone. If discs are fine then maybe PCB messed up or SATA port is messed up on the drive itself.

[SerenadeRB]

Considering what I've done, I'm coming to the conclusion it's the pcb (probably from static damage).
Is there any way to fix it? ie. replace the pcb with a copy?

[WhiteLotus]

Originally Posted by SerenadeRB

Considering what I've done, I'm coming to the conclusion it's the pcb (probably from static damage).
Is there any way to fix it? ie. replace the pcb with a copy?

yea that could work - only one way to find out i guess

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

yea that could work - only one way to find out i guess

I neither have the experience nor the materials to do that :/
And I quiver at the thought of how much I'll be charged to have someone else do it.
Lose-lose

[WhiteLotus]

well I imagine you would have to change it with one of the same firmware etc, so probably the same hard drive PCB would appropriate.

How much would that set you back?

[SerenadeRB]

To have someone else do it would costs many times more than the original cost of the HDD.
Do you know anywhere that I can find:
a) The PCB that my HDD uses
b) Where to buy Said PCB
c) How to swap them

Any answers would be <33

It's a Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 Gb HD with 16 MB of cache and 7200rpm... whew!

[WhiteLotus]

I have been reading up on how to swap PCBs, looks a bit complicated.

I shall google some more

[WhiteLotus]

that the model number: WD5000AAJS
?

[Tatty_One]

Have you tried something as simple as swapping the SATA cables over to see if it's a cable fault?

[SerenadeRB]

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

that the model number: WD5000AAJS
?

No it is WD5000AAKS-00YG0

and thank you for all your help dude, much appreciated!