I rebuilt my computer recently, upgrading from a top-tier-five-years-ago to a near-the-top-tier-two-years-ago PC. Obsolescence is just how I roll; don't hate. I didn't do a drive backup on the old machine because I was getting new drives for the upgrade, ie. The old drive would just be dropped into my Masscool external and everything would be cross-checked, transferred, and great justice would ensue.
It took me a day to parts the old rig and build the new(er). Man, some of those parts are small! Honestly, you need microsurgery tools just to transfer a jumper. With cellphones more powerful than the Apollo mission computers you'd think a new motherboard would just jump itself. Easy there: That kind of thinking will get you arrested in some countries.
PC Mission Control, we are go for launch. Fans are good; LEDs are on; RAID is up. All systems nominal. Roger that, PC, godspeed. Launch!
Then came the tweaking. The part where you take all of the same parts and software everyone else has and make it as much "yours" as you can. Alright, I change the wallpaper and the font, whatever. Now, because the old rig was 32 bit, and the new machine is 64 (and Windows uses a registry system) I was going to transfer the data from the old, and use the program list as a guide for updated programs to download. So into the external goes the old Seagate HDD and to Windows Explorer I go.
What's that smell? It smells like failure at 110 volts / 5 amps. Unless the transfer is being done by smoke signal, smoke coming from the external is bad. Mission scrubbed! Abort abort abort!
The end result is that a resistor (desistor?) burnt up, and the drive goes into a coma. All data intact but no contact with the outside world. Black box in deep water. Other metaphors here.
Sometimes on the dark days, through the obscuring smoke, there is a small light. Squint now, can you see it? It's possibility glimmering through the pall of failure: I have access to the pr0n and corporate networking system that is the web. Somehow in its' chaotic overload of Twitter and self-shot nudity, actual services and excellent creativity carve a niche. Probably by a combination of subterfuge and brute force. On the upside, if you can think of it, the web has it, usually of a Rule 34 variety. What I needed was data recovery / replacement parts.
First step: Go to the source - Seagate.
Seagate offers data recovery services which include "self-recovery" software, and a service called i365. The software was of no use because logic board was the fail point, and they do not offer replacement parts. The service, on the other hand, offers data recovery at a reasonable price. By "reasonable" they mean batshiat, and by price they mean your leg. At around $2000 - $3500 dollars plus the cost of a new drive or double-layer disk(s), they would do their best (no guarantees) to recover all my "important" data. I didn't get an explanation for the range of cost, and I do concede that if you are running a small business, nuclear secrets exchange, or brothel client list, this kind of money may be small change compared to what you will lose. Why you wouldn't back up something that could be the death of your income I don't know. Ok, you don't want the launch codes / plans for world domination / newest iPhone app duplicated for fear it could fall into the wrong hands. Those would be the breaks with that.
Plan A is a wash, go to Plan B.
Step 2: Enter the Internet.
A Google (or Bing if you swing that way) of my Seagate Barracuda turns up a few places I can actually buy a replacement logic board. Hoorah (Russian accent here - I've been playing Russian produced games lately, and all the characters will say this on occasion)! After navigating their catalogues, two places seem to have the board: One in Singapore, and one in BC, Canada. No wai! Wai. Knockout.
I don't know if onepcbsolution.com is associated with PCB Solutions Inc. or PCB Solutions LLC, both based in the US, or not. All I know for a fact is that Kevin is the man. THE MAN. You'll see.
I ordered based on what I could understand from the sticker:
Within 2-5 business days, a small package arrived in my mailbox. In the small, hand posted box was circuit board win in an antistatic pouch. Included was a Torx driver. I shit you not - the gentleman had included the tool. Cost so far: $39.99. A two minute part swap and another job well done. However, just like many things in life, the drive was all noise, no action. It spooled, but was unreadable.
Undeterred (ok, slightly deterred) I wrote a quick email (thanks, internet) to the company explaining everything and including 8x10 coloured glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was. I didn't expect much, but had to try.
(The original board above. Ignore the circles - I thought circuit difference was the issue with the board not working. You can see the burnt circuit in the top right corner.)
(The first replacement board in place. Shiny!)
Within hours I was happily disappointed when Kevin wrote back, gave me options and recommendations, as well as an explanation of what I had missed. He offered to swap the board and / or take the old one to ensure that the firmware matched perfectly. If I needed to clone the board, he was sorry but it would cost me $10. Total cost so far: $39.99 with the possibility of +$10 (almost $50 for those with mathematitis). I repacked, in the same box, the replacement board with the original damaged board. I got to keep the Torx driver - awesome!
Less than a week later, I received the perfectly matched replacement board, no extra cost. Two minutes and another job well done. Shiny. This time, unlike the guy with the dirty bandana that said he could get you the best hydro EVAR, like blow your mind man, but he really took your $40 to meet the girl with the neck tattoos who would be totally hot except for that nagging mystery cough, Kevin came through. The drive spooled, was recognized, and happily gave up the goods. Go for launch? We've already landed.
The tl;dr: Kevin at onepcbsolution is professional, efficient, and fixed my drive for $40. I got back the data, and this is win. Pure win.
See? I told you Kevin was The Man. If any of my reader need replacement parts or help with their drives you won't find anyone better. Thanks, Kevin!
