Seagate has been the #1 name we see coming onto our intake bench because Seagate makes so many drives: BarraCuda desktops, Expansion/Backup Plus externals stacked in all electronics stores, IronWolf in network attached storage (NAS) boxes, SkyHawk in CCTV recording systems. The large number of drives results in a lot of drive failure, and the patterns are consistent enough to call by name.
What Seagate sells as an everyday desktop and laptop drive is the BarraCuda. The Expansion and Backup Plus ranges are external. A detail to know about these is that many of them do not contain a normal SATA connector to fit inside your computer case; instead, the USB connection is soldered on the same circuit board as the disk itself. This means if the circuit board is damaged, you can’t just remove the disk from its casing and then access the data: it will require either fixing the circuit board or transplanting the platter(s). Therefore, when sending in for recovery, please send us the entire unit with cable attached (not a bare drive). IronWolf drives live in NAS boxes and SkyHawk drives in CCTV recorders, both built for constant duty.
Three main shape types prevail. Head failure results in endless clicking as the heads reset to their home position while waiting for the next reset. These failures require matching donor heads and become progressively worse when powered on. Firmware failures are especially common in Seagate drives, so knowing what to look for helps greatly. The drive can report no capacity even though it’s been detected, stall the entire machine, or just will not turn on. Usually the platter surfaces are clean; the drive has locked itself out. Some families have developed a reputation from this exact type of problem. And bad sector problems are the most insidious killers: they mount perfectly fine, and hang while attempting to copy certain files; each time you try to move the file(s), it will degrade slightly.
Some Seagate drives (and some from other manufacturers as well) are using shingled magnetic recording (SMR). The SMR uses data track overlap similar to how roof tile layers fit on top of each other to maximise disk space. While this method has its advantages in archiving, it performs badly with sustained write activity to random locations. This is why an SMR disk can stall when doing a long rebuild or copy. Also, it would not be a good idea to put these types of disks into a RAID configuration. It is not defective; it is not unrecoverable. However, since it is possible to have slow performance under load conditions, simply copying all your files from one disk to another quickly may not be the best option. Image it properly instead.
Recovery programs will only work when your computer’s disk is physically healthy but has a logical problem (e.g., lost files, corrupted file system, accidentally formatted). These recovery programs can’t fix a bad head, unstick a frozen motor or communicate with a drive that is being blocked by its own faulty firmware. So, running recovery scans on a Seagate hard drive that is mechanically failing essentially keeps it operating at full capacity while trying to access those same failing areas of the drive. That is why a recoverable drive can quickly become an unrecoverable drive. The most costly error made in a failing hard drive is ignoring mechanical failure signs such as clicking noises, buzzing sounds, lack of detection and incorrect reported sizes: the fault is hardware, and no software will reach it.
No matter what the type of the badged drive may be, we follow the exact same procedure in each case. Before doing anything to the drive, we diagnose it. Then, we restore enough functionality (mechanics or firmware) to get the drive reading once. Once the drive can read again, we take a sector-by-sector image using some form of hardware that will read softly across the weak sectors. Next, we rebuild your files from this image of the drive as opposed to recovering them directly from the failing drive. This approach holds true whether the Seagate arrives at our door unboxed, has been previously installed into an external enclosure, or was removed from a laptop. Most drives which are immediately shut down are typically a common hard drive recovery project.
Seagate clicking, Seagate not detected or Seagate showing an incorrect capacity? Shut it down and keep it shut down: that will save more of your data than just about anything else you could possibly do. There is no charge for the diagnosis; all quotes are fixed and put into writing; and on most jobs we don’t charge anything unless we recover your lost data. There is no cost to call us for honest advice at 0113 322 3083. Once you get a quote either over the telephone or through this quotation form, simply drop it off at our Leeds office located on Albion Street (you won’t need an appointment) or post it insured from any location in Yorkshire.