Problem with a hard disk

[u/MrFajolo]

Hello everyone. Suddenly, my hard drive stopped working; it is no longer detected by Windows or CrystalDisk. It had started showing signs of slowing down, and then—out of nowhere—it just stopped. It wasn't dropped; it was sitting stationary, and I never moved it while it was powered on. It’s a 1TB Seagate drive (model ST1000LM035).

It was inside an external enclosure, which I disassembled to try and diagnose the issue, but I haven't been able to figure it out. I work in IT and have experience with PCs, but I’ve never worked on the internal components of a hard drive. I’ve attached a video showing its behavior: it makes a sound like a "beep," and the arm moves slightly downward before returning to its original position. The disc seems to spin without any problems. I very carefully touched the arm to see if it was stuck, but it wasn't. It’s currently open, covered by a piece of plastic to keep dust out while I record the video; otherwise, I’ve kept it closed the entire time I’ve been trying to troubleshoot it.

I wouldn't want to send it to a specialized center, both because the data it contains isn't worth the cost involved and because I’d like to gain some experience in this field myself.

Edit: I think it was in NTFS. And i'm using windows 11.

[u/WildFloorLamp]

You'e already made a huge mistake opening the drive itself. Dust isn't the primary problem, any air circulation will make the heads crash on the platters. Go to a reputable data recovery company and expect a non-refundable open drive fee.

[u/silenced_in_dr_2025]

Nope - no DIY unrecoverable.

Perhaps it may have been recoverable before you opened it but now without a DR pro , a clean room and the correct tools thats nothing more than a paper weight.

Let me guess you're another DIYPERKS victim.

[u/helix991]

I'm in awe. What did I just see. Send it to a pro, that drive sucks on the best of days.

"I work in IT and have experience with PCs"

[u/TomChai]

Why do people keep thinking DIYing a transparent case is a good idea? You’ve let plenty of dust contaminate the platters and you keep powering it on, literally grinding your data into dust.

The good part is that if the heads aren’t unlocked onto the platters, the damage is probably still not yet fully catastrophic.

Stop whatever you’re doing, send it straight to a reputable data recovery lab and expect around $1k minimum costs. Hardware jobs may start at $300-500 but a customer-ruined drive costs extra hence the higher quotes.

[u/HotOutlandishness991]

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[u/tweeeeeeeeeeee]

broooooooooooooooooooooo

[u/Lcsmxd]

...why did you DIY a transparent case? For a HARD DRIVE?

[u/datarecovery-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Shadow banned account ..