Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS data recovery
Getting the files back from a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS, a 500 GB 3.5-inch desktop hard drive sold 2008–2009. Desktop PCs, iMacs, NAS boxes and external desktop drives.
About this drive
- Make
- Seagate
- Model
- ST3500320AS
- Capacity
- 500 GB
- Type
- 3.5-inch desktop hard drive
- Interface
- SATA
- Speed
- 7,200 rpm
- Years
- 2008–2009
Barracuda 7200.11 drives of this era had a well-known firmware fault: the drive suddenly shows as 0 GB or isn’t detected at all (the “BSY” fault). The data is usually intact and recoverable through the drive’s service mode.
How we recover it
We stabilise the drive first. Electronic and firmware faults are fixed on the bench; failed heads and motors are replaced in the cleanroom with matched donor parts. Then the drive is copied sector by sector, healthy areas first, and your files are recovered from the copy.
What’s it doing?
| Symptom | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Clicking or ticking | Heads failing to read. Stop powering it on; each start can scratch the platters. |
| Buzzing, no spin | Stuck heads or a seized motor. A cleanroom job. |
| Not detected, no noise | Electronics board, firmware or power. Often the data is untouched. |
| Slow, freezing, bad sectors | Weak heads or a damaged surface. Copy it now, before it gets worse. |
| Deleted, formatted or RAW | Logical recovery from a healthy drive. |
| Service | Price + VAT |
|---|---|
| Initial consultationWe find out whether the fault is physical or logical, and the best way to recover it. | Free |
| Deleted files on a standard hard driveUp to two hours of work. | £99 |
| Cleanroom diagnosticFor clicking, buzzing or silent hard drives. | £79 |
| Physical recovery on a single driveLabour, plus a donor drive if one is needed. | £450 |
| SSD firmware or electronic board repairDepends on how complex the recovery is. | £450 to £650 |
| External drive for your recovered filesPrice follows the market at the time. | £150 (1 TB) to £250 (4 TB) |
No data, no recovery fee. If we can’t recover the files you need, you don’t pay for the recovery, only the cleanroom diagnostic where one was carried out. A donor drive, if one is needed, is bought at cost plus 30%.
Questions
Can a failed Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS be recovered?
In most cases, yes. Most hard drive failures are electronic, firmware or head faults, and the data stays on the platters.
What should I do now?
Stop using it. Don’t keep powering it on, don’t open it, and don’t run CHKDSK or recovery software.
Related drives
Ready to get your files back?
Book online and you get a job number by email straight away. Bring the laptop or drive to our London SE1 lab, or call us to arrange a courier collection from anywhere in the UK.