Hi, I just want to know is there anything I can do with this hard drive. Does not spin or anything. I think it is dead because of a short in the pc. Took out CD ROM too. Just want to know if there is anyway of getting files off it or is it just another paper weight? I know there is a company that could get it, but I want to hear some opinions. Thanks!

If it won't even spin up, it's dead. Life is more painless for those who are brainless.

I have read here where some folks have tried to change the circuit board on the drive using an identical one from another drive. Don't know if works or not. If it does, its certainly cheaper than a recovery service. The problem would be to find the EXACT board.

On an HDD that wouldn't even spin, there is not a chance you'll be lucky even with a different controller board. Is the data that critical?

As already mentioned, it's probably bad but have you tried the drive in another computer? The short may have damaged the motherboard or PSU leaving them unable to power up the drive.

Hey Redd, You might want to try one of these sites. This one for information. http://www.quick.com.au/data-recovery/hard_drive_crash_the_essential_data_recovery_report.php And this one for more detailed stuff. www.acsdata.com They have some mp3 sounds to compare your drive disfuction to their info on file. The worst type of failure is when the head colapses on the hard drive surface and gouges a physical ditch into the surface whilst the disk is spinning. (OUCH!!) That one is almost always completely DOA. For more info google - hard drive recovery or repair. But remember that it's gonna cost you some for this service. The good ones have professional CLEAN ROOMS for dissasembly of the hard drive. Might want to enter this into the google search engine too. I hope this helps. Alpha