How a Damaged HDD Sounds Like, you can listen to some typical damaged hard drive sounds examples for each manufacturer.

We have recovered data in all these cases.

1. 3.5" WD drive which has unstable heads. It clicks a few times and then spins down.
It has to be opened inside a clean room for the heads to be changed.

2. Typical problem of damaged heads, needs to be opened inside a clean room and heads to be replaced.

3. Typical problem of a stuck motor. The drive tries to start and the siren means it doesn't succeed.

4. Typical problem of damaged heads, needs to be opened inside a clean room and heads to be replaced.

5. Motor problem from a 500GB WD. The drive can't reach the correct spin speed.

6. Typical problem of damaged heads in a 500GB drive. The drive clicks a few times and then spins down.
It needs to be opened inside a clean room and heads to be replaced.

7. Typical problem of a stuck motor. The drive won't spin up.

8. Typical problem of damaged heads. The drive clicks a few times and then spins down.
It has to opened inside a clean room and the heads to be replaced.

9. Problem in the preamplifier chip (which is on the heads). The drive clicks a few times and then spins down.
It has to opened inside a clean room and the heads to be replaced.

10. Problem in the motor and the heads of old Caviar drives. The drive makes strange sounds and doesn't spin or spins for  a while and then spins down. It's a motor damage that very often hits the heads. It has to opened inside a clean room.

11. Typical problem of heads in a Caviar drive. Needs to be opened in a clean room and heads to be replaced. These drives also exhibit problems with head alignment after the replacement.

12. Typical problem of drive heads in a Raptor drive. It has to opened inside a clean room and the heads to be replaced.

13. Stuck motor problem in a WD6400AALS drive. It needs to opened in a clean room.

14. Problem with damaged heads in a Tornado drive (WD5000AAKS-**YGA*). It has to be opened in a clean room.

15. Damaged heads on a 1TB WD Purple drive. Heads can be heard trying to calibrate and clicking. The drive needs to be opened and heads need to be replaced.

16. Damaged heads on a 500GB WD TahoeXL (3.5"). Heads can be heard clicking. The drive needs to be opened and heads need to be replaced.

17. Damaged heads on a WD 500GB HubbleLT (2.5"), job no. Α101403. Heads can be heard clicking. The drive has had its heads changed inside the Clean Room and has been recovered with 100% success. 

18. Typical damaged heads sound on a WD 1000GB 2.5" USB (My Passport) (Fblite - WD10JMVW-**AJG**), job no. A79301. Heads can be heard clicking. The drive has had its heads changed inside the Clean Room and has been recovered with 100% success.

19. Typical damaged heads sound on a WD 1000GB 2.5" USB (My Passport) (Fblite - WD10JMVW-**AJG**), job no. 288301. Heads can be heard clicking. The drive has had its heads changed inside the Clean Room and has been recovered with 100% success.

20. Typical damaged heads sound on a WD 1000GB 2.5" USB (Elements) (Firebird - WD10JMVW-11S5XS0), job no. 265601. Heads can be heard clicking. The drive has had its heads changed inside the Clean Room and has been recovered with nearly 82% success.

21. "Funny" sound that equals to damaged heads on a WD 1000GB 2.5" USB (Elements) (Fblite - WD10JMVW-**AJG**), job no. 198306. Heads can be heard clicking. The drive has had its heads changed inside the Clean Room and has been recovered with nearly 97% success.

22. Stiction on a WD 2.5" 1000GB FBlite (WD10JMVW-**AJG**) drive. Heads are stuck on the platters and they're unable to spin. The recovery was 100% successful (job no. 273603)

23. Typical Stiction sound on a WD Blue 2.5" 500GB Mariner family (WD5000BEVT). Heads are stuck on the platters and they're unable to spin. The recovery was 100% successful (job no. 77102)

1. Classic problem of stuck motor in a Seagate drive that fell.

2. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Seagate drive. It makes slow clicks & beeps.

3. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Momentus (2.5") drive. The drive makes loud sounds.

4. Typical problem of damaged heads. Needs to be opened in a clean room and heads to be replaced.

5. Typical problem of heads that are about to crash. Needs to be opened in a clean room and heads to be replaced.

6. Typical problem of motor seizure - spindle lock. The platters need to be transferred to a new drive (second case).

7. Typical problem of motor seizure - spindle lock. The platters need to be transferred to a new drive (third case).

8. Typical problem of motor seizure - spindle lock or stiction in Barracuda 7200.10 or 7200.11 drives. The platters need to be transferred to a new drive (fourth case).

9. Problem in drive heads that usually comes with surface damage, in Barracuda LP (i.e. ST2000DL01) drives. The drive clicks & beeps. It needs to be opened in a clean room to fix the damaged surfaces and then replace the heads.

10. Problems in drive heads of a Seagate drive. It needs to be opened in a clean room to fix the damaged surfaces and then replace the heads.

11. Problems in drive heads of a Seagate drive. It needs to be opened in a clean room to fix the damaged surfaces and then replace the heads.

12. Problems in drive heads of a Seagate drive. It needs to be opened in a clean room to fix the damaged surfaces and then replace the heads.

13. Heads problem on a Seagate 3TB drive. The drive is producing typical clicking sound and spins down. It needs to be opened inside the Clean Room and checked. Then, heads needs to be replaced.

14. Heads problem on a Seagate 2TB Grenada family (ST2000DM00*). The drive is producing typical clicking sound and spins down. It needs to be opened inside the Clean Room and checked. Then, heads needs to be replaced.

15.Heads problem on a Seagate 500GB 7200.10 series (ST3500630ΑS). The drive is producing typical sounds that might be an indication of media damage. The drive needs to be checked inside the Clean Room for surface damage. Then, heads need to be replaced.

16. Heads problem on a Seagate 160GB 2.5" (ST9160412ASG). The heads are damaged. It needs to be checked inside the Clean Room and heads need to be replaced.

17. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads on a Seagate 3.5" 7200.12 series (ST31000528AS). Needs to be checked inside the Clean Room for media damage and then the heads need to be replaced. 

18. Damaged heads and media damage on a Seagate 3.5" BarracudaLP/Bogart series (ST2000DL003). The platters are damaged and the drive is unrecoverable.

19. Damaged heads and possible media damage on a Seagate 3.5" Grenada family (ST1000DM000). The drive needs to be opened inside the Clean Room for inspection and heads transplant.

20. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads and media damaged on a Seagate 250GB 2.5" (ST9250424AS). The drive needs to opened inside the Clean Room for inspection and heads transplant.

21. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads and media damaged on a Seagate 500GB 3.5" 7200.11 (ST3500320AS). The drive is 100% unrecoverable.

22. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads on a Maxtor external 2000GB 2.5" drive. These drives, even though labelled as Maxtor, they are Seagate, and specifically they belong to the notorious Rosewood family. The drive needs to be inspected inside the Clean Room and then heads need to be replaced.

23. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads and media damage on a Seagate 3.5" 7200.12 series (ST31000524AS). The drive is 100% unrecoverable.

24. Typical sound that equals to damaged heads and media damage on a Seagate 3.5" Grenada family (ST2000DM003). The drive is 100% unrecoverable.

25. This sound equals to eccentricity problem on a Seagate 3.5" 7200.11 series (ST3500320AS) drive.

1. Classic problem of stuck motor in a Toshiba drive. You can hear the motor trying to start.

2. Classic motor problem in a Toshiba drive.

3. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Toshiba drive. The drive clicks when it starts.

4. Typical motor problem. The drive makes loud sounds.

5. Typical damaged heads on a 2ΤΒ 2.5" external drive (MQ01UBD200). The drive produces typical clicking sounds. It needs to be opened inside the Clean Room for inspection and heads transplant.

6. Damaged heads and media damage on a 500GB 3.5" external drive (DT01ACA500). The drive was unrecoverable due to platter scratches.

7. Damaged heads and media damage on a 500GB 3.5" external drive (DT01ACA500). The drive was unrecoverable due to platter scratches. [version 2]

8. Damaged heads and media damage on a 500GB 2.5" internal SATA drive (ΜΚ5065GSX). The drive is producing fast clicking and scratching sounds. It is unrecoverable due to surface scatches. 

1. Classic problem of damaged heads in a Samsung drive. The drive makes quick clicks.

2. Classic problem of damaged heads in a Samsung drive. The drive clicks a few times and then spins down.

3. Problem in surfaces in a Samsung drive. The heads click when trying to read from bad sectors.

4. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Samsung drive.

5. Damaged heads on a Samsung/Seagate 2.5" 1ΤΒ drive (ST1000LM024/HN-M101MBB). The drive had suffered a fall while copying data.

6. Stiction on a Samsung/Seagate 2.5" 1ΤΒ drive (ST1000LM024/HN-M101MBB). The drive had an impact during operation and the heads were stuck on the platters. The recovery was 100% successful. (job no. 226402)

1. Classic problem of damaged heads in a Quantum drive with many clicks.

1. Classic problem of stuck motor in a Maxtor drive. The drive makes the characteristic 'melody'.

2. Classic problem of stuck motor in a Maxtor drive. The drive makes the characteristic 'melody'.

3. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Maxtor drive. You can hear the characteristic sound together with a metallic sound.

4. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Maxtor drive with continuous clicking.

1. Classic stuck motor problem in a Hitachi drive.

2. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Hitachi drive.

3. Damaged heads problem in a Hitachi drive. You can hear the click and a beep.

4. Damaged heads problem in a Hitachi drive. Needs to be opened in a clean room.

5. Damaged heads on a Hitachi 2.5" drive (HTS541075A9E680). The drive is unrecoverable due to platter damage. 

6. Damaged heads on a Hitachi/HGST 3.5" drive (HDS721050CLA362). The heads are mashed. 

7. Damaged heads on a Hitachi/HGST 1TB 3.5" drive (HDS721010CLA332). The heads are damaged and the platters are suspect for damage.

8. Damaged heads and media damage on a Hitachi/HGST 500GB 2.5" (HTS541050A9E680) drive.The drive is 100% unrecoverable.

9. Scary sound that equals to damaged heads and media damage on a Hitachi/HGST 1000GB 3.5" drive (HDS721010KLA330). The drive is 100% unrecoverable.

1. Typical problem of damaged heads and damaged surface in an ΙΒΜ drive.

2. Typical damaged heads problem in an ΙΒΜ drive.

3. Typical damaged heads problem on an ΙΒΜ SCSI 36.7GB drive.

1. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Fujitsu drive.

2. Typical problem of damaged heads in a Fujitsu drive.

3. Typical problem of damaged surface in a Fujitsu drive.

end faq