Western Digital My Book external hard drives are widely used by small businesses for data backup and storage. However, when a drive emits a burnt smell or sparks, it often indicates PCB (Printed Circuit Board) damage, usually caused by power surges or faulty power adapters, making data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered Word and Excel business files from a Western Digital My Book hard disk, after PCB damage prevented the drive from powering on.
As Leeds Data Recovery, with 25 years of experience, we used PCB replacement, firmware transfer, and deep sector-level data extraction techniques to restore lost business files.
The Challenge: Western Digital My Book Live HDD Showing Signs of Electrical Failure
A local small business contacted us after their WD My Book external hard drive stopped working, with the following issues:
- The drive emitted a burnt smell and showed visible scorch marks on the PCB.
- The system failed to detect the drive when plugged in.
- A slight clicking sound was heard when attempting to power on the drive.
- The drive contained essential Word and Excel business documents, including invoices and financial records.
Since continued power attempts could further damage internal components, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Western Digital My Book hard drive arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full electrical and mechanical diagnostic. Our findings:
- Burnt PCB components detected – The power surge damaged capacitors and voltage regulators.
- No damage to the platters or internal read/write heads – Meaning data remained intact.
- Firmware stored on the PCB needed to be transferred – Ensuring compatibility with a donor board.
Since WD My Book drives have encrypted firmware stored on the PCB, we prioritized firmware extraction and component-level repairs.
The Recovery Process
1. PCB Repair & Firmware Transfer
Since the original PCB was damaged beyond repair, we:
- Located an identical donor PCB from our extensive parts inventory.
- Transferred the firmware chip from the damaged PCB to the donor board to maintain compatibility.
2. Imaging & Cloning the Hard Drive
Once the drive was operational, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the hard drive.
- Used specialized recovery tools to bypass minor read errors caused by previous power fluctuations.
3. Extracting & Verifying Small Business Files
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered all Word and Excel documents, invoices, and financial spreadsheets.
- Checked all recovered files for accuracy and usability.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup drive.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our PCB repair and firmware recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the small business’s lost files, including:
✅ Business invoices and financial spreadsheets (Excel, CSV, PDF)
✅ Word documents containing contracts and proposals
✅ Backup files and customer data records
The business was able to continue operations without losing any essential files, preventing financial and operational setbacks.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading hard drive PCB repair specialists in Leeds and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ Power surge hard drive recovery & PCB replacement
✔ Firmware transfer & encrypted WD My Book data extraction
✔ Financial & business document recovery
✔ Secure & confidential data retrieval for small businesses
If your hard drive has stopped working due to electrical failure, emits a burnt smell, or has visible PCB damage, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.