How to recover data from a hard drive (stuck heads: buzzing, clicking, etc)

How to recover data from a hard drive (stuck heads: buzzing, clicking, etc)

Does your hard drive make a buzzing noise when you turn it on? Or does it make clicking noises or not spin up? Well, in this video I will show you how to fix this fairly common problem which is caused by the drive's heads getting stuck on the platters.

Thanks for this very useful video! As I was an engineer for WD, here are some responses to common comments from below:

[1] Yes, opening the drive IS a Last_Resort , giving you a chance to recover your data. You shouldn't expect the drive to survive indefinitely after "the operation". Opening the drive does let in contaminants, and since the heads fly at about 1nm from the surface of the disc, there is the probability of surface damage over time. Even with the filter, the winds in the drive will knock debris loose from the filter now and then. It is also because the fly-height is so small, that the heads & media must be so darn smooth that if the disc stops (stopping the airflow under the heads), the heads will likely WELD themselves to the surface. The media surface has many layers, including protective and "smoothing" upper layers, which likely suffer damage when the heads are un-stuck. Thus, though the data may be readable, that spot on the media becomes abrasive, the scab can grow, and is prone to failure. So get your data off quick!  :-)

[2] Removal & replacement of the discs themselves (say, for a busted motor) is impractical, save for experts, thus for very valuable data only. The drive they go in would have to be identical, and the parameters for head amplifier tuning would have to be transplanted to the drive's firmware with custom (factory) tools. Even so, the tracks on each disc would be very likely off-center, necessitating servo to track aggressively. If the data could be read, it's likely it would be with many soft-errors, many retries.

[3] The drive firmware DOES try its best to make due, despite difficulties. Error correction codes are pretty good in modern drives, and drives expect to handle sectors which go bad, and replace them from a pool of backup good sectors. Error recovery algorithms are elaborate, and don't easily give-up.

[4] Very minor criticism of video: Tapping the drive is less likely to un-stick the heads vs. rotating the drive. Because the head assembly is very finely balanced (keeps head seeks from shaking the drive), a linear shock (perpendicular to the head assembly axis-of-rotation) is unlikely to put an appreciable force on the actual head. Rotation, however, can work. As suddenly as you can, rotate the drive within the plane of it's discs. Both the media and heads will experience rotational forces.

[5] Some older discs of 20 years ago parked their heads on the media, in a laser-textured (for non-stick) landing zone area at the inner diameter. Even these could sometimes stick, and needed a rotation to get them loose. Modern drives park their heads on a plastic ramp (orange, in the video), which also frees up more media area for data.

[6] It's worth noting that some high performance, high capacity drives are helium-filled (better aerodynamics & heat-transfer characteristics). These drives are mostly welded closed to keep the helium in. Clearly, this wouldn't be for one of those drives.

* Finally, to repeat: this is a last resort for data recovery. Don't expect your drive to be anywhere near reliable after this procedure. Count yourself lucky if it works for long enough to get your data off. :-)
Thanks again DIY Perks for this very useful video! :-)