Platter and Logic Board Replacement Data Recovery Myth

While many parts of your computer can be replaced to bring it back to normal, the myth that your hard drive recovery can be as simple as replacing certain components is only partially true. If you’ve experienced a hard drive crash, then you can understand the desperation many people go through when trying to find a cheap solution to recover the data. Even though the logic board replacement and platter fix solution is not free, some people attempt to have this service done to save lost data and recover important files on their hard drive.

First, it’s been reported that efficient clean rooms cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s safe to say that your local hardware component technician does not have the available funds to provide a clean room for their customers. The first error in this myth is that whoever claims to be able to fix hard drives likely does not open them in a safe, uncontaminated room like they should do. While you may consider this a viable fix for your broken hard drive, consider our article on clean room and its specification before attempting to have the platters or logic board replaced.

Now, there are several refurbished sites that are mostly in countries such as India or China who promise to fix hard drives back to working condition. The refurbish drives and promise to get the working for years. While some hard drives may last for many years, the chances of a good refurbished hard drive actually lasting for long periods of time are slim. These hard drive recovery and refurbishing sites will replace the parts and hide bad sectors give you back a formatted hard drive that is supposedly fixed. While you can take the chance of your hard drive working, you still may lose data. You can use this as a form of data recovery by taking data off the hard drive while it is still working, but no one should expect a refurbished hard drive to last many years. In fact, refurbished hard drives should be used with the expectation that data recovery will be needed in the near future, so make sure to use a good storage backup system when using refurbished hard drives in your computer.

Replacing platters is just as dangerous as replacing the logic board in a hard drive. Data recovery, once again, needs to be done in a low contaminated room with few particles that can cling to components. Replacing platters is a delicate process that can ultimately ruin the hard drive altogether. Hard drive recovery is dependent highly on the tools that are needed to open, repair, and replace components. Most local shops don’t have access to these highly advanced technological devices, so it’s not possible to repair the platters properly. Other things to consider are the firmware and technology that allows the hard drive to read the data on the platters.

When deciding on a data recovery method, use professionals that can recover your data. Once you receive your data, the safest way to keep it stored is replacing the drive altogether rather than parts replacement.