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The laptop of a friend of mine ceased to function after being clumsily dropped to the floor. It had boot problems for a while (never getting to the O.S.) and then it stopped working altogether. Returning it is not an option, since it was bought overseas and no local support is provided. Data recovery firms are practically non-existent here, also.
My friend bought a SATA-to-USB adapter in order to recover the HD data, but it wasn't recognized either by the BIOS or by the O.S. Although it powers up, several mechanical noises can be heard and after a while they stop. Fearing the worst, we will now open it up and try to diagnose it. I'm prepared to make a mirror copy of the entire HD if and when we get it running.
Given the fact that we have zero experience in HD repairing, my inquiry to you is the following:
What are the the most common mechanical faults we should be looking for in this scenario?
In case it helps:
UPDATE:
I could salvage no S.M.A.R.T. data prior to the crash.
You won't be able to fix anything yourself. Opening the drive will very likely damage it. Internals of HDDs have to be perfectly free from any dust. – gronostaj – 2013-07-27T20:37:26.253
HDDs do not contain any user servicable parts inside their chasis. the most you could hope to do is replace the controller card on the bottom. to open the enclosure safely, you need a cleanroom and special anti-static tools. – Frank Thomas – 2013-07-27T20:46:10.820
What does your latest SMART stats tell you about the driver health? – Frank Thomas – 2013-07-27T20:47:21.840
Could a faulty controller card be responsible for the dead drive? If so, is there a way to test it with a multimeter or any other non-hardware tool? – FLM – 2013-07-27T20:58:19.950
Yes, but I'd say that is on the predominant lows of probability given your case. You are far more likely to be having a mechanical issue inside the drive itself by what you have stated, instead of the controller's PCB. – XXL – 2013-07-27T21:58:46.717