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FAQs
CRITICAL Information Please Read
Regarding certain external hard drive enclosures/connectors
Certain external hard drive enclosures/connectors need to be CONNECTED to your computer's usb port before your hard drive starts to spin. Also, some enclosures/connectors only accept one hard drive jumper setting, such as Master mode. Please remember to set your hard drive to the correct jumper setting!
What to do when you can't find the correct board for your hard drive
If you can not find the correct model, try using our step by step matching guide by clicking here.
My Seagate PCB is almost the same as a PCB you have, will your PCB work?
Unfortunately, if any of the specifications are different from those listed, it is impossible to guarantee compatibility because their firmware might be different (the firmware Seagate writes on the label doesn’t indicate the exact firmware).
It is recommended that you contact us with the the full specifications of your hard drive first, and we can tell you if it is likely to be compatible. (Usually have to match at LEAST the Model, Firmware, and Main Chip number).
An alternative would be a firmware transfer. Basically you would have to ship your board to us, we will then check the firmware on your board and make an identical clone of your board for you. The downside with this is you would have to ship your board to us, and there is an additional $10 charge (bringing the total to $49.99 + Shipping).
You can also try the board we have first, and if it doesn't work, send the boards to us for a firmware transfer. Please contact us if you are interested in getting a firmware transfer for your PCB.
General Questions
Do you carry any other brands beside Maxtor and Seagate?
We carry a few WD boards as well (250GB and below), but very little else unfortunately.
What about laptop hard drives?
So far, we have found laptop hard drives to be harder to match than their desktop counterpart, it is probably just because we don't understand them yet. Our very limited selection of laptop PCBs can be found here.
What exactly does "fully tested" mean?
All our products undergo a full test prior to shipment. Our standard testing/packaging procedure is as follows:
1) A visual inspection to make sure there are no cosmetic flaws
2) The PCB is attached to a working Maxtor hard drive and powered on
3) The first test is to make sure the computer can detect the hard drive
4) The second test is the read test, where we open a random file stored on the hard drive
5) The final test is the write test, a file is copied onto the test hard drive
6) If the hard drive passes all tests, the PCB is deemed working
7) The PCB is throughly cleaned with industrial strength alcohol and packaged in anti-static bag + protective box
8) Item is placed in bubble envelope and shipped to you
What is the large rectangular chip and why does it look slightly different from mine?
This chip is the buffer chip. In other words, it is the RAM/memory chip. This chip does not affect compatibility at all. The writing on the chip may be different because there are many manufacturers that make this chip. Since it does not affect compatibility, Maxtor decided to get these chips from a few different suppliers, hence the differences in the marking on the chips. Common maufacturers of these chips are: Samsung, Hynix, and Winbond.