SOLVED Faulty Hard Drive ?

[Ken_A]

Hello,

I have a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 320GB hard drive which was installed in my desktop PC until I replaced it with a SSD in October 2017. It was working perfectly at that time, and as it has just been sitting in a drawer since, so I had no reason to expect any problems with it.

Now I have moved on, and don't need this old HD, so would like to sell it on ebay, or more likely just give it to a charity that takes unwanted computer stuff. BUT, obviously I must completely wipe the drive first, and that's where I have a problem:---

When I plug it in and go to Disk Management, it shows the HD as Disk1, Removeable(F). Below that it says "No Media". I strongly suspect that in fact the disk is not spinning. My experience with other HD drives is that there is usually a very small but detectable vibration when running. My Seagate drive gives absolutely no mechanical hint to show the disc is spinning -- no vibration and no hint of torque on start-up.

Can anyone confirm that this indicates a failed drive, or is it so well engineered that it might in fact be spinning properly, and so the problem is something else ?

Many thanks for any help.

 

[Bighorn]

I use 2 ways to check, one is to hold the drive then unplug the power to it, gyrational force will be felt usually for a short while. The other is to hold it to an ear, should hear some whirring or vibration noise from it. If the voice coil relay in it that moves the arms holding the read/write heads has problem there's usually a noticeable click [called the click of death]. The bearings on the shaft holding the platters/disks are sealed, possible but don't think the lubricant in them could have dried out.

 

[Ken_A]

Hi. Apols for delay in replying. Your comment confirms that my drive is not spinning. I have now got hold of its spec, and can see that it requires 5V and 12V supplies. The SATA to USB connector that I'm using provides only 5V; there is no voltage on the 12V pins, so I guess it's no surprise that it's not working. Perhaps I need some other type of SATA adaptor?

 

[Bighorn]

Yes, there are adapter kits just for the purpose, I keep a couple on hand. Mine are similar to this and have their own power supply, necessary to get the 12V supply in addition to the 5V:

https://www.amazon.com/Vantec-CB-ISATAU2-Supports-2-5-Inch-5-25-Inch/dp/B000J01I1G/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=hard+drive+adapter&qid=1588087773&sr=8-14

 

[Ken_A]

Good, I shall get myself one of these. Thanks for the link, and for your help. Problem solved.

 

[Bighorn]

You're welcome.