Green Light Reveals Failed Recovery Attempt
Two drives from the same customer, both opened by a repair shop that had no business opening hard drives. Steve's green light shows the damage.
Two Drives, Same Mistake
Both drives had stuck heads (stiction), which is a recoverable failure when handled correctly. Whoever opened them unstuck the heads, did not inspect the sliders under a microscope, and powered the drives on. Debris left on the sliders gouged into the platters.
The first drive, a Western Digital, shows faint circular scratch marks in the head resting area. The second, a Seagate SpinPoint M8E, is far worse: deep gouges across the platter form a visible halo pattern where the heads dragged through the magnetic coating while the drive was powered. The coating that stores data has been physically destroyed.
Green light wavelengths reveal defects on reflective platter surfaces that are invisible under white LED lighting. As Steve puts it: "You can't hide from this. I can see everything you did." It is the first thing a professional technician checks when a drive arrives already opened. It immediately answers whether recovery is still possible.
The Lesson
General computer repair shops do not have clean benches, green lights, microscopes, or PC-3000 hardware. They do not have head combs or donor drives. A well-intentioned technician without proper equipment is more dangerous to your data than leaving the drive alone entirely. The Seagate SpinPoint M8E's stuck head problem is usually recoverable. This one is not, because someone powered it on after unsticking the heads without checking the sliders.
The customer asked for this video to be published. Both drives are now unrecoverable.
Drive Already Been Opened?
We can assess the damage with green light inspection and tell you honestly whether recovery is still possible. If it is, we have the tools to do it right. If it is not, we will tell you that too.