Power path · board work · ADR-2025-3178
The Leads Went With It, and So Did the Power.
One single knock accounts for all that happened. The 3TB Seagate was sitting on the desk right next to the computer, wired in and operational, until he knocked the drive off the table and it pulled the cables out
. Since that time the unit no longer has any power when plugged in and switched on
. There's no light, no noise, no indication that anything happens at the switch. This thing looked just like a drive that had died. It is worth emphasising now that it wasn't dead. Any time a desktop unit goes over with its leads under tension, all of that force will get concentrated into those two connections. That's a much better place to put that kind of pressure than inside the mechanism.
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What failed, and why.
A desktop drive of this type has an external power supply plugging in to a barrel socket on the outside of the case. This socket is soldered to a printed circuit board, which is screwed to plastic. None of these designs are made to withstand being pulled laterally. If a unit comes off a desk and each lead is attached, the leads stop moving before the drive stops moving. Therefore, any lateral pull that occurs will be taken at the ends of the leads. As such, any failures that occur will happen at the connections where the force is being concentrated. Failures include broken solder joints, lifted pads, and occasionally a component in the input path that shorts to earth, taking the supply rail down to earth deliberately, which is what it exists to do. All of this is prior to reaching the disk. The disk is contained within a sealed assembly with its own connector, and no part of this sequence reaches it. Thus if a unit displays nothing upon startup subsequent to having been dropped (i.e., nothing turns on) it generally indicates a better job compared to a unit that lights up and clicks but ultimately fails to function (which is often difficult for someone picking it up to believe).
What the bench did with it.
The order of the job →| Equipment used | Its work on this job | The reason for it |
|---|---|---|
| ACE Lab PC-3000 Express | Prior to connecting power we confirmed that there was no other area of failure than at the input side. | This allows access to the manufacturer's service area (where normal ATA commands cannot go) |
| PC-3000 Data Extractor | Once the disk responded properly we copied every sector. | Instead of working around the drive's firmware and controller, it works with the two natively |
| R-Studio Technician | The file structure was built from the copy, and compared to what he expected. | Constructs an array from the images, and reads nearly every file system |
What the bench did with it.
Follow the power from the socket inwards
The case was opened and examined on the workbench under magnification before a supply went near it. The socket had moved on its pads and two solder joints had broken through due to the impact. Beyond this point the board showed no signs of thermal distress, nor were there any lifted components or shorts to earth. The disk remained connected via its own connector that had never been disturbed, which is consistent with the geometry of the incident.
Reach the disk rather than repair the case
At this point there needs to be a decision regarding whether to repair the enclosure or bypass it. Repair is for someone wanting their unit back. In this case, the task was simply getting his data. The disk was removed from the unit and placed on the workbench using its original connector, thereby leaving the previously damaged input side completely out of play. It powered up and operated as expected for a good disk. Nothing about the incident had reached it.
One straight copy, start to finish
Since the disk behaved perfectly there was no need to be creative. It was copied in a single pass from start to finish (first sector through to last), maintaining constant throughput during operation. It added nothing to its defect list during copying either. Everything else was read from the copy.
What went home.
After completing the recovery we put everything on new media and tested it before closing the package. We did not repair the enclosure: a socket that has been pulled sideways once will likely be pulled sideways again. The disk is better served in something that will stand upright on its own. He asked us what he could have done differently. Our response was brief: allow enough slack in each lead to permit them to slide freely. A single drive costs £300 + VAT on our published list, and he had that figure prior to anything being opened.
Begin here if yours is doing the same thing.
Other jobs that began at the mains.
Yours doing something similar? Power it down first.
Published prices are fixed. Memory cards and USB sticks are £250 + VAT. Any stand-alone drive is £300 + VAT. Drive configurations containing multiple disks (RAID, NAS or server) start at £500 + VAT. First assessments are always complimentary. Thereafter, data recovery charges are also fixed in advance and in writing, so you'll always know how much you owe before paying any money. Shut it down, get a quote first (by phone or with the form), then send it in or drop it off at our Guildford intake laboratory, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm (no appointment needed). On most jobs you only pay if we recover your data.