SEAGATE Barracuda 160GB HDD repaired
This HDD brand SEAGATE, Barracuda 7200.9 was brought to me and the complaint was the BIOS did not recognize it and the owner wanted to install Windows Operating System.
First thing done was to take the PCB off, an easy job: only some screws had to be removed.
Some electronic components were checked on with the Digital Multimeter and they were fine.
But look what I saw:
As you can see in the photos above the copper contacts of the PCB were really dirty. I had to use a brush and a pencil eraser for the job.
These contacts were cleaned with the pencil eraser and look at the result.
The HDD was fully armed and connected into the PC, and then look at the result.
As you could see, it was recognized by the BIOS, at this moment Windows OS had to be installed, and here’s the result.
Windows Just Installed
This time a HDD was saved from the dump.
Note: take into consideration that this is not a 100% solution to save all the HDDs, but many or some of them could be saved with this procedure.
This article was prepared for you by Humberto Rodriguez, one of our ‘Master Authors’ from Cuba
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Note: You may check his previous repair article in the below link:
https://www.jestineyong.com/imicro-smps-repaired/
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Mohamed Sittiq M
July 20, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Excellent work, well done
Humberto
July 20, 2015 at 7:56 pm
Thanks Mohamed
Shiharan
July 20, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Great job. Try using alcohol or acetone. Rub the surface with a ear bud soaked in alchol
Humberto
July 20, 2015 at 8:02 pm
Ok Shiharan, I'll take your advise.
Gopal Sharma
July 20, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Thanks for sharing, I also have a new hard disk which is not detecting. But it make sound like tik tik tik.....Is it possible to solve this way. It is a new 160GB Maxtor pata hard disk. There is no fault of motherboard and smps. I have to try this technique once.
Humberto
July 20, 2015 at 8:08 pm
Hi Gopal, if the HDD is making the sound described for you, in my opinnion there's no solution for this case. It's a pity.
SDS
March 21, 2016 at 6:47 pm
Actually I just finished repairing a Seagate 1TB HDD that had the "click of death" that was caused by this corrosion on the PCB header contacts so it is "possible". Pull the PCB if you still have it and check for dark grey almost black were the HDD headers contact the PCB.
Robert Calk
July 20, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Good job, Humberto. The eraser shines those contacts up good.
Humberto
July 20, 2015 at 8:12 pm
You are right Robert. And eraser never damage the contacts.
Robert Calk
July 21, 2015 at 6:15 am
Yeah. I use erasers on them also. They do a good job.
Albert
July 20, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Hi Humberto, I didn't know you could clean those contacts like that with just using a Pencil Erasing Gum. Gold layer contacts on Copper are very thin and this cleaning method probably is the best way to save them. And the tin/lead soldered paths can just be resoldered again to prevent oxidation or bad contacts I guess.
(But it probably won't do any good with Gopal's ticking noises Harddisk problem as I read in the previous Posts?).
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:03 am
Yes Albert, the Pencil Eraser does not damage the copper contacts. Regarding Gopal's case I replied to him that the HDD has no solution in my opinion. Thanks.
Abu Safiyanu
July 20, 2015 at 3:00 pm
That's great information shared. Can't stop reading these articles. Keep it up.
Humberto
July 20, 2015 at 9:43 pm
Thanks Abu.
Yogesh Panchal
July 20, 2015 at 3:05 pm
Humberto,
Congratulations! for this fix i think we have to find some other way to clean this type of contacts , because when you are rubbing with eraser this process is damaging original glating of contacts and this thing can keep on happening after over period of time that i have faced in MEMORY MODULE used in computer. any one is having any idea????
Henrique Jorge Guimarães Ulbrich - Brazil
July 20, 2015 at 9:47 pm
Dear Yogesh, dont't worry about. As far I am concerned, the use of pencil eraser for this job does not bring about any problem. The pencil eraser is like a very soft sandpaper, producing a negligible abrasion, not enough to erode the tracks. Unless you overdo it.
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:10 am
That's 100% right Henrique Jorge Guimarães Ulbrich.
Yogesh, this method is very used in my country, and I haven't heard it has damaged any circuit or track. Feel free to use it.
victor U
July 20, 2015 at 5:39 pm
Excellent. But can HDD with bad sectors be repaired?
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:12 am
Sorry victor U but bad sectors can not be repaired.
RobertyBob
July 20, 2015 at 6:22 pm
Thank you very much for this tip. I will certainly try the cleaning.
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:13 am
Ok, and keep me informed.
Y RAMANJANEYULU
August 9, 2015 at 2:28 am
sir,iiam facing problem with DC DC converter alll voltages are combining butt moniter is switching off automatically but when we connect other DC to DC converter its working fine .what is the solution for that PLEASE help me.
Bulent Nur
July 20, 2015 at 11:24 pm
Good job!
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:14 am
Thanks Bulent, you are welcome
Merlin Marquardt
July 20, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Great fix. The Windows scandisk program may be able to fix/remove bad sectors from a hard drive.
Humberto
July 21, 2015 at 12:17 am
Merlin, bad sectors will remain forever, Scandisk only markes them as not accesible area of the HDD.
arturo herrera
July 21, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Dear Mr. Jestine, I read all articles you set to me. This article by Humberto is very interesting. I¨ll try to practice. thank you.
hansen
July 21, 2015 at 12:53 pm
thanks Humberto you are good man
Albert Hoekman
July 21, 2015 at 11:34 pm
Mr. Humberto, good job to clean the contacts. They are mostly the main problem on a faulty HDD, especialy when the HDD comes from an external case. Most of the time I use a ballpointink eraser with grinded glass in it.
Abubakar Bakari
July 22, 2015 at 9:50 pm
Good day Sir, thank you for the piece of article.
Zed Pato
July 24, 2015 at 6:46 pm
nice informayion sir humberto. good job.
Sami Shomali
August 29, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Thanks for sharing ,, I appreciate that
Anwar Shiekh
December 26, 2015 at 12:38 pm
Just spent all day tracking down the problem to the internal contacts on a hard drive that I treated with silicone oil after cleaning them. Why do they neglect to gold plate these internal contacts?
John Wolf
July 31, 2017 at 12:41 am
I know this is an old thread but FWIW I had this problem with 6 HDD over a period of a few years. The problem was an intermittent, severe, loss of speed and sometimes the HDD would just stop. Turn it off for a while and it would work fine until the next time. Dirty contacts every one. I had contact problems with the digital selector keyboards on Seeburg jukeboxes years ago. I would clean the contacts and contact pads with an eraser, apply some silicone spray and wipe well with a clean cloth. The gold plate had been long gone and the silicone kept the copper from oxidizing.