Fried HDD.Can it be repaired?

Mr_Warren_2

Hi all. Some important pictures were on my mains powered HDD (ie. needs to be plugged into mains socket via adaptor to work) ....Not sure why but I powered it with my Laptop adaptor. By the time I realised, the blue light had gone off.

I guess the internal power supply got fried-up ...... a) can oit be repaired b) are my pictures still on the Hard Drive?

Thanks for advice and replies.

securityguy

Yes, the pictures are still there (usual comment about "you've got backups, right?" here).

You might be lucky and what got fried is the DC-to-DC convertor in the enclosure that derives 5V and 12V for the drive. In which case, you can just open the enclosure, take the disk out, and put it in a new enclosure. Cost, five or ten quid for the enclosure.

If you're unlucky, it took the electronics on the disk itself with it, in which case you'll need to break out your credit card and get someone to transplant new electronics onto the disk. I've never had to do that, but I've heard costs of a few hundred quid mentioned.

Mr_Warren_2

Thank you. Back-up? ..... No back-up (didn't think I would be stupid enough to mix my adaptors about.....How do I go about getting this seen to ?? Local electronic shop ? ...Is it obvious in my description that I amtalking about a portable HDD? Thanks again.

Browntoa

New USB caddy cheap off eBay

2nd option needs to source an identical hard drive , probably again off eBay

1st us easy to do yourself , 2nd option just involves a screwdriver and some care

JournalGirl

Back up's not just about you doing something wrong. Power surge at home? Fire caused by lightening strike, flood damage (burst pipes in your attic) or just good old hardware failure of its own accord.

Mr_Warren_2

Browntoa wrote: »

New USB caddy cheap off eBay


1st us easy to do yourself ,

......... Thanks but what would I do with that ???? ..... yes you have guessed correctly ...... Me isn't too good with teckies .....

macman

You plug the HDD into the caddy and then try to recover the data with it connected to another device by USB.

grumpycrab

"my mains powered HDD" and if your still unsure what to do you need to break open the box and get the HDD out (then put in caddy).

Mr_Warren_2

grumpycrab wrote: »

"my mains powered HDD" and if your still unsure what to do you need to break open the box and get the HDD out (then put in caddy).

Thanks. I will probably follow this route as Seagate want £350 to recover the data or I can get a free replacement new drive as unit still under warranty.

agrinnall

Have you actually been told for definite that you can get a free replacement under warranty? Because I would have thought that plugging in the wrong power source would be an act that would exclude any warranty claim.

enkoda

You need to check exactly what is "fried". If it's the power supply pcb of the enclosure then, as others have mentioned, you may be lucky and it be a simple case of get another enclosure and swap the drive out.

If it's the actual controller pcb on the hard drive itself, you could, in theory, get hold of an identical drive and swap the pcb.