Hello everybody!
In this video, I will show you what to do if your hard disk stops, freezes, malfunctions
or cannot be seen in BIOS, or if
you encounter the following problems: it starts rotating and then stop suddenly, with squeaks
or clicks; when transferring files from one disk to another, or when opening photos and
videos the computer freezes, shows a blue screen, or if the operating system won’t
boot at all.
How to take a hard disk apart If the disk is pretty old, examine the circuit
board visually and if you see any corroded contacts, the following method is very likely
to help you.
First of all, you need to remove the circuit board.
You can do it by unscrewing these four small bolts, but you need to have a special TORX
screwdriver, T6 or T7 type.
If your disk is of a laptop type, it can have more bolts than that, but the basic principle
is the same, so it doesn’t matter actually if you’re dealing with a larger or smaller
hard disk.
Having finished with the bolts, pull the board: don’t worry, you’re not going to damage
anything - provided that you have unscrewed all the bolts.
Turn the board upside down and you will see two groups of contacts.
Those contacts supply power to the hard disk motor, and these are the contacts we need
to find because they help transfer data.
How a hard disk can be fixed Over time, they can get corroded and it can
affect the way how the hard disk works.
For example, in my case they are heavily corroded and the hard disk began to freeze at times,
and soon the operating system was not able to boot.
To remove this substance, take a rubber and do some careful cleaning moves.
If it doesn’t help, take some cotton wool and spirit.
Moisten the cotton wool with spirit and wipe the contacts carefully; you can even try to
wipe the entire board if it’s covered in dust.
Don’t worry, the spirit won’t harm the circuitry.
If the contacts have become too corroded and you can’t clean them easily, there is one
more way to fix it.
Take some polishing paste, for example, GOI polishing paste, put a little paste on the
cotton wool and rub the contacts carefully.
Or you can take the disk to a servicing workshop - where they will do about the same thing,
for your money :) You can put the board back to its place after
you’ve finished with the cleaning.
When the disk is put together, connect it to the computer and check if it’s working
properly.
Stuck HDD heads Another frequent problem with hard disks is
getting their magnetic heads stuck.
If the disk is not recognized in BIOS and is not displayed in the Device Manager, emits
squeaking sounds and you cannot hear the platters rotating, there must be a problem with stuck
magnetic heads.
It may be caused by the hard disk falling or being hit, problems with the air pressure
inside the hermetically sealed block, or sudden turning off the computer.
In each of the possible scenarios, the magnetic heads lack the time they need to return to
the safe landing area and get stuck to the platter surface; now it is only some physical
action that can help get them to where they originally belong.
When the heads get stuck, it is accompanied with a typical sound, like short beeping repeated
in cycles.
To return the hard disk magnetic heads to the landing area you need to take the hermetical
block apart.
First of all, you have to open the upper part of the hard disk body.
Then, use a pair of tweezers or a screwdriver to move the heads slightly to the landing
area while rotating the spindle in the right direction.
To determine the direction where the spindle should be rotated, turn it slightly and have
a look at the contacts of the magnetic head: they should not be stretched, otherwise you
are risking to tear off the heads if you keep on rotating the spindle.
Usually the right direction is counter clockwise, but there can be exceptions in your particular
case.
This method is good for recovering data, but you should not see it as actually repairing
the disk; if the disk had this problem once, the situation may repeat itself pretty soon.
Yes, in some cases the disk may keep on working for a long time without any issues, but you
can hardly treat it as a completely reliable one.
Restoring data from a faulty hard disk When opening the disk compartment, try to
make sure that as little dust as possible gets inside, because it can affect its further
work heavily.
If the information on the hard disk is not vitally important and you wouldn’t like
to pay too much at the service workshop (taking into account that there are never too many
highly-qualified service shops), and if you are sure that the actual problem with your
hard disk is the magnetic head getting stuck (which you will find out only after you open
the hermetical block), you can take the risk of putting the heads to their proper place
on your own.
Yet if the information is too important, never open the hermetical part of the hard disk
to try fixing the magnetic head problem without having the required skills and equipment.
It is almost impossible to do without damaging the head suspension and the platter surface.
Even if you succeeded in fixing the stuck head problem and you did it in the cleanest
room, some dust from the air can get inside and result in more scratches on the platter
surface – which makes it impossible to restore data even in a specialized lab.
So before you begin taking the disk apart, think carefully about all pros and cons of
your decision.
That is all for now.
Hit the Like button and subscribe to our channel.
Leave comments to ask questions.
Thank you for watching.
Good luck.