Computer HDD Repaired
Received WD HDD for repair Stating Problem it is making some noise but not Detecting in PC.
For confirm the problem, I connected the HDD to the computer & I found drive motor is spinning but it is not detecting in BIOS.
In the BIOS settings, I noticed that only one drive was visible—my testing drive. I also observed that the customer’s HDD was getting excessively hot. These appear to be some Familiar Fault symptom.
So I removed the PCB from the HDD.
And as expected I found the Familiar Problem.
HDD reading head Contacts are badly Oxidized.
The contacts were cleaned using an eraser. I fitted the PCB for testing, then thought—why not apply solder to these pads so the problem doesn’t recur?
I removed the PCB again, applied soldering flux, and used solder to coat the contacts with a layer of solder.
This task should be performed carefully by hand. A minor mistake could increase your workload. Excessive heat or scratching during the coating process can cause the pad to tear or detach & that is Microscopic work.
I have successfully applied the coating and cleaned the PCB using IPA to remove the flux residue.
After the coating process I connected PCB back to the HDD for testing.
& it is detected Under the BIOS.
Computer Booted through my HDD & found Customers DATA Intact.
The customer asked me to reinstall it on his PC and said he would pay any applicable extra charges. He took me to his office on his bike; I fixed the issue, and he is very happy now.
This article was prepared for you by Yogesh Panchal who works as a Computer Hardware Engineer in Mumbai India.
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Note: You can check his previous repair articles on Creative SBS 240 Speakers
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Parasuraman S
October 24, 2026 at 5:50 pm
Travelling in Mumbai in a Bike is unthinkable for me! I have visited the city several times during my BPL days and also when I was in the other company. Always preferred to travel in taxi, not to expose to the high pollution and also humidity. Many thanks for sharing a wonderful fix, dear Yogesh Bai! It is very informative.
Yogesh Panchal
October 24, 2026 at 10:48 pm
Thank you! Sir,
Yes, some market areas do get crowded, but people visit them according to their needs; however, we now have several options for getting around the city.
Kevin Davison
October 24, 2026 at 6:29 pm
Well done! An excellent repair and a great idea to solder those contacts.
Yogesh Panchal
October 24, 2026 at 11:03 pm
Thank you! Kevin Davison
Older devices used to have an original gold plating on PCB contacts—such as edge connectors or "gold fingers", but due to market competition, they now feature a nickel-based color coating instead,Which gets degraded by environmental effect.
So, applying a solder coating is the most inexpensive task.
Albert van Bemmelen
October 24, 2026 at 6:44 pm
Good and quickly done hdd repair!
Recently I read about a story that had killed many same type of hdd's because of a manufactured problem with a automatically deteriorating chip in those harddisks. It can be found on youtube under this title:
The Fireproof Chemical That Killed Millions of Hard Drives.
In 2002, Fujitsu said around 300,000 of its hard drives were faulty. In court, its own filings put the number of potentially defective chips at nearly 5 million.
The killer wasn’t a virus or a design flaw. It was red phosphorus, a fire-safety chemical mixed into the plastic of a tiny controller.
Yogesh Panchal
October 24, 2026 at 11:51 pm
Thanks!Albert,
As a gesture of goodwill, the company should take full responsibility for the faulty parts and provide the necessary replacements, even if the product is beyond its warranty period.
Mark J
October 25, 2026 at 2:39 am
I have come across that problems with hard drives a few times. I never thought to put some frosh new solder on the contacts. Good job on the repair Yogesh .
Yogesh Panchal
October 25, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Mark J
I shared my experience in my reply to Kevin Davison. This type of Gold plating doesn't last long and oxidizes easily in harsh environments.so solder on the contacts is handy solution.