After the mechanical damage, several mistakes followed. The user plugged it back in, tested it, and then inexpertly opened it. A hard drive often doesn't survive such treatment, so if you lack the necessary knowledge and equipment, definitely don't attempt such experiments with important data!
This Seagate drive then ended up at a competing company, which did not complete the job, and the drive eventually landed with us. Diagnostics confirmed that a more complex intervention was needed, involving the magnetic heads of the drive, which also required modification of the service data on several levels.
Work on the magnetic heads is especially critical. If a deformed magnetic head (or multiple heads) severely damages the data platter, it can be fatal for the user’s data. Damage to one data platter can cause the scraped recording layer to spread to other parts of the drive, degrading other magnetic heads and data platters. Seagate drives seem to be more prone to this issue compared to other brands, so each step must be taken with caution. If the data platters are in acceptable condition, the magnetic heads and other drive components are replaced.
The next step in recovering files from the drive involves working with service data. First, the service data of the drive's electronics (PCB) needs to be modified, and then the drive’s own service data, which is stored in a dedicated part of the data platters. The main goal is to gain maximum control over the data recovery process. Normally, a functioning drive performs various tasks to optimize the processes of reading and writing data, but these can become undesirable if the drive is damaged, and should be modified.
It's clear that recovering data from a Seagate drive after mechanical damage requires specialized hardware and software, but also skilled hands and an optimized thought process from an experienced technician.
Internal drive: Seagate ST5000LM000
Capacity: 5TB
Problem: Mechanical damage, likely due to a fall
Solution: Work on the magnetic heads of the drive, modification of service data
Result: Approximately 90% of data successfully recovered
The result of this data recovery from the Seagate hard drive exceeded initial expectations. Successfully recovering 90% of the data meant restoring over 3TB of work and memories that were given a new chance. Such problems can be avoided with regular backups. However, if your hard drive or another data storage device is damaged and contains irreplaceable data, do not attempt home data recovery experiments. Contact us – we offer free consultation and diagnostics.
