Data Recovery Digest

A hard drive typically has a printed circuit board or PCB inside that controls the operations of the disk itself. In many cases, disk failure may have to do with the PCB. This can mean that replacing a damaged or malfunctioning PCB can enable functional use of the drive.

Why Swap a PCB?

Lots of independent IT professionals may suggest replacing a PCB when a drive fails. The idea is that rather than sending the drive out to be worked on, the owner of the drive may be able to get it working just by switching out the printed circuit board. If replacing a PCB works well, it could be the easiest way to recover data from a drive. Unfortunately, these kinds of DIY fixes don’t always work as they are supposed to.

Potential Problems with PCB Replacement

One of the issues with PCB replacement is that the user will have to understand how to physically get inside the drive to remove the old circuit board. This can require specialized tools, like mini-screwdrivers, or specific knowledge about how to access interior parts of the device.

Along with physical access, the person working on the drive will need to know what kinds of compatibility the manufacturer supports for hard drive PCBs. In some cases, a replacement PCB may be fine, but in other cases, specific properties built into the original PCB mean that a replacement won’t work. Successful replacement of a PCB may require something that’s called a “firmware transfer.” In addition, some experts point out that replacing a PCB may require changes to a BIOS chip or other system changes to complement this hardware switch.

Another issue has to do with the contract between the drive manufacturer and the buyer or user. Trying to replace a PCB may void a warranty, which can cause trouble later.

Switching Out a PCB

Various drive builds require different strategies, but some of the common steps in switching out a PCB involve removing the small screws from the back plate of the hard drive, being careful not to introduce magnetic signals that could damage the disk. There’s also the task of freeing the PCB from other internal elements and getting it safely out of the disk housing.

Other additional factors include working with the ROM chip, which may need to be re-calibrated in order to effectively use the replacement PCB.
A lot of the work of replacing a PCB often involves communications between the user and the device manufacturer or distributor. Some tech companies make it easy to order a replacement PCB; others do not. Users will often need specific bits of information such as serial numbers to get the right replacement.

In the end, replacing a PCB for a disk drive may or may not be the best solution, depending on whether the process is well supported by the device maker, and whether this simple parts replacement actually fixes the problem. An alternative is professional data recovery, where companies can get data from a drive safely, regardless of damage to various internal parts.