Hard Drive Prevents Power Up

  • Thread starter Thread starter Floyd
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Floyd

I have a hard drive that prevents my computers from
powering up.

When this drive is connected, my PCs behave as if they
are disconnected from AC power. (Well, the disk access
light sometimes flickers for a split second but then all
is silent.)

No drives or fans ever even start to spin and (of course)
the machines do not even get close to booting.

I have tried this on two different PCs and I get the
same results. When I remove this weird drive, both
systems run fine.

I have googled heavily for an answer to this and I
have found nothing. (Maybe I am not formulating my
query correctly.)

Anyway, does anyone have any tips for me? Is there
any hope of getting data off this drive?

Thanks,
Mark
 
I have a hard drive that prevents my computers from
powering up.
Click to expand...

Your drive is Seagate or WD? It have a short circuit in the electronic
board. You may replace the PCB with good PCB from same model HDD and
same firmware revision to recover your data.

Leonid
 
Either a short in a chip on the board, a short in one of the servos, or
both. Only the first can be fixed with a board swap.
 
:I have a hard drive that prevents my computers from
:powering up.
:
:When this drive is connected, my PCs behave as if they
:are disconnected from AC power. (Well, the disk access
:light sometimes flickers for a split second but then all
:is silent.)
:
:No drives or fans ever even start to spin and (of course)
:the machines do not even get close to booting.
:
:I have tried this on two different PCs and I get the
:same results. When I remove this weird drive, both
:systems run fine.

Those symptoms suggest that the drive has a short circuit that is
drawing *way* too much current from one of its supply voltages.
Your system's power supply promptly shuts down when it senses the
overcurrent. Unless you find something obvious, such as a bent pin
on the power connector causing a short, you don't have much chance
of making the drive run again.
 
Previously Robert Nichols said:
:I have a hard drive that prevents my computers from
:powering up.
:
:When this drive is connected, my PCs behave as if they
:are disconnected from AC power. (Well, the disk access
:light sometimes flickers for a split second but then all
:is silent.)
:
:No drives or fans ever even start to spin and (of course)
:the machines do not even get close to booting.
:
:I have tried this on two different PCs and I get the
:same results. When I remove this weird drive, both
:systems run fine.
Click to expand...
Those symptoms suggest that the drive has a short circuit that is
drawing *way* too much current from one of its supply voltages.
Your system's power supply promptly shuts down when it senses the
overcurrent. Unless you find something obvious, such as a bent pin
on the power connector causing a short, you don't have much chance
of making the drive run again.
Click to expand...

Exactly. In order to short out a PSU it takes in the 30-60A range
(depending on whether 5V or 12V is shortened out). That is enough
to melt connectors.

The drive is toast, unless it is a short very close to the power
connector, in which case removing the sort will help. Professional
data recovery may rescue your data.

Have you by chance used too long screws to mount the drive and
destroyed part of the PCB?

Arno
 
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