How to Swap a Hard Drive Controller Circuit

The center of your computer's mind is the hard disk, where the computer stores all your information and keeps all the programs that you run. One of the most devastating things is to have a hard disk crash and not be able to recover the lost data and information. Backing up your data is a safeguard but there is another option to regain the lost data--swapping controller boards.

Instructions

1. Remove the hard disk from the computer. The first stage of repair is to access the situation visually. Examine the disk for obvious hot spots or any other visual defects. Gently shake the drive back and forth and listen for any sounds inside the disk of pieces that may have come loose or broken off.

2. Determine what role the hard disk played in the storage regimen on the computer. If the drive was a Cable Select or Master drive, attempt to change the jumper to the Slave position and start the computer with a floppy start up disk. When the computer has booted, see if the drive is recognizable. Also try setting the drive to the Master setting with it being the only hard disk in the system and try the same test again. If either of them works then you can probably retrieve the data by simply copying it to another storage source or backing up the disk and then replace it with a new one. Either way this disk is destined for the garbage heap.

3. Find another drive of the exact same manufacturer, model and version number. Try exchanging the controller boards and see if your drive comes back to life. If not, also check if the other drive works with the controller card that you removed.

4. Ground yourself well before removing the controller card. Unscrew the card from the hard disk chassis. Carefully take notes so that you can reassemble it the exact same way you removed it. Be especially careful with removing connectors and cables. These are extremely small, and narrow gauge wire tends to be fragile.

5. Rebuild the extra drive with the controller from the first drive and see if it works. If the drive works with your controller board there is more damage to your hard drive than swapping controller boards will fix. Send the drive to a data recovery company and pay them to remove the data and repair the drive or sell you a new one.

Tips & Warnings

• Working on the hard disk electronics or platters should only be a last resort. If the data contained on the disk is critical then consider having a data recovery company retrieve the data from the drive.

• Not all disk controllers are compatible with each other and should not be interchanged. Only attempt to interchange controller cards from disk drives of the exact same manufacturer, model and version number.