Need to recover data from hard drive platters

[Myth Buster 0018]

I have a Western Digital Passport Essential 1TB (USB 3.0), Model #WD10TMVW-11ZSMS1, external hard drive.

A few months ago I was plugging my hard drive into my laptop, via an eSATA/USB 2.0 port. I believe that the USB 3.0 cable somehow got disconnect while plugged into the eSATA/USB 2.0 port.

The second after I notice that my hard drive was disconnected, via Windows 7's disconnect sound fx, my hard drive wasn't showing up on Windows 7's My Computer ‘Hard Drive' section. I tried using recover programs with no luck.

I believe that the there's something wrong with either the PCB and/or Actuator Arm are malfunctioning and the platters are still good and still spins. I believe that some or most of my data can be retrieved be either replacing the PCB & Actuator Arm on my hard drive OR taking my hard drive's platters and placing them into a working hard drive of the same type and model.

Can anybody suggest any hard drive recovery company's that can perform the tasks I listed above. I would prefer places somewhere within Michigan, but anywhere within the US will be fine.

Thanks for your help.

[Mark Phelps]

I tried using recover programs with no luck.

Did you try using either RecoverMyFiles or GetDataBack (both MS-Windows apps from Runtime software)? I have found these two to be the best data recovery apps out there.

[Myth Buster 0018]

I've tried both if those, and others, recovery software with no luck. I believe that the actuator arms are malfunctioning and my hard drive is beyond any software help.

Do you know of any computer recovery places that somehow read/recover the data off my platters?

[Mark Phelps]

I've tried both if those, and others, recovery software with no luck. I believe that the actuator arms are malfunctioning and my hard drive is beyond any software help.

Do you know of any computer recovery places that somehow read/recover the data off my platters?

Sorry to hear that... no, I don't know of any, but from the little I've heard, be prepared to spend LOTS of money -- as the work involved disassembling your drive in a clean room environment.

[Myth Buster 0018]

I know that the recovery process could go into the thousands of dollars and I might be ok paying that much. I would like to find a well reliable company that I can get an quote from and has a 'No Data, No Cost' policy.

I'm currently looking at ACS Data Recovery http://www.acsdata.com/ They have experience in heading Western Digital hard drives and swapping their platters.