Hard disk power connector broken

Habbakuk

I've got a hard disk with the pwoer connevtor broken. One of the pins snapped off. Now, when I connect it to the computer the hard disk isn't working. I did take it to a locak computer shop and they said they couldn't get it to work. Is there a way of getting the hard disk to work? Thanks.

JJ_Egan

Outside of a replacement board from a working same model you would require a very expensive data recovery service .
But i would be fiddling about with a bit of stiff wire etc to enable data recovery .

Liverfool

The trouble is that most PC Repair workshops aren't staffed by people with any real electronics experience <dons flame suit & retires!>.

But some are

When I ran a PC Support business, I came from a background where I could identify every single component on a circuit board & tell you why it was there and this hard drive problem is the sort of challenge I'd have had a go at quite happily, albeit at your risk.

More complicated if it's the newer style connectors on sata drives but sounds like the old 4 pin Molex connector to me. Should be do-able and if not, a new connector could probably be soldered in. That said, you're wanting someone with a bit more skill so may have to pay a little more.

In summary? I'd say don't give up - just try elsewhere! Look for somewhere where you can see a soldering iron on the bench or perhaps ask the local Amateur Radio Club if any of their members has an electronics repair business.

droopsnoot

I think you're right - because most haven't come through the pre-PC days where this kind of thing was required. I started in a firm that was run by ex-ICL people, so there was quite a lot of expectation of soldering cables together and general stuff that you would probably struggle to get on the high street now.

poppellerant

How many wires do you see going to the power connector? If it's four (red, black, black, yellow) then that's a 4-pin power connector commonly called Molex. It's five (orange, black, red, black, yellow) that's a SATA power connection.

When I broke my SATA data cable, I was able to lever it against the connectors on the harddrive for long enough to get all my data off it. It's not ideal, but it saved my bacon!