Western Digital Hard Drive Data Recovery – Grinding Noises & Physical Damage

A family historian from Newcastle Upon Tyne contacted Newcastle Data Recovery after their Western Digital external hard drive suffered a fall from a table. The reported issues included:

• The drive started making a grinding noise when plugged in.
• The computer no longer detected the hard drive in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
• The drive contained valuable family tree history, including documents, scanned records, and genealogy research spanning generations.
• The client attempted to connect the drive using a different cable and computer, but no response.

Since grinding noises often indicate internal mechanical failure, such as damaged read/write heads or platter degradation, a specialised cleanroom recovery process was required.

Our Expertise in Physically Damaged Western Digital Drive Recovery

With 25 years of experience, Newcastle Data Recovery specialises in:
✔ Recovering data from physically damaged Western Digital hard drives
✔ Handling head crashes, motor failure, and platter damage
✔ Using advanced forensic recovery tools like Acelabs PC3000, Deepspar Disk Imager, and cleanroom head swaps

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the Western Digital hard drive, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic assessment in our cleanroom. The key findings included:

• The hard drive’s read/write heads had suffered a crash, causing physical contact with the platter.
• Metallic grinding noises indicated head failure, which could lead to platter surface damage if not addressed immediately.
• The drive’s motor was still functional, meaning recovery was possible with precise head replacement.

To successfully recover the family historian’s data, we implemented a multi-step forensic recovery strategy:

Step 1: Cleanroom Head Swap & Imaging

• Opened the hard drive in a controlled cleanroom environment to prevent further contamination.
• Performed a head swap using donor components from an identical Western Digital drive.
• Used DeepSpar Disk Imager to create a full drive clone, minimizing risk to the original drive.

Step 2: Logical Repair & File Structure Recovery

• Used Acelabs PC3000 UDMA to stabilise firmware issues and allow controlled data extraction.
• Rebuilt the damaged file system and recovered lost partitions using R-Studio.

Step 3: File Integrity Check & Secure Transfer

• Verified all family tree documents, genealogy research, and scanned historical records for completeness.
• Transferred fully restored data to a secure external SSD for reliability.

The Result

We successfully recovered 97.6% of the client’s family tree history, including:
✅ Handwritten genealogy notes & scanned family documents
✅ Photos, birth & marriage records spanning generations
✅ Historical archives and research materials

The family historian was able to continue their research without losing decades of valuable work.

Why Choose Newcastle Data Recovery for Physically Damaged Hard Drive Recovery?

✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in mechanical failure and hard drive head crashes.
✅ Cleanroom Recovery Process – Ensuring the safest recovery for damaged drives.
✅ Fast, Affordable, & Reliable Service – Offering the best value data recovery in the UK.

If your Western Digital hard drive is making grinding noises and contains irreplaceable data, contact Newcastle Data Recovery today for expert data recovery services!