Hard Drive Recovery

R

rickwoodall

New Member
Hi folks. Apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place, I'm not very familiar with this forum.

I have a WD2500JS-60NCB1 DCM:HSBACT2CAN. It hasn't worked for about 10 years and is predominantly full of music projects. However, there is a slim possibility that I might have saved a bitcoin code on there. I'm 95% certain that I didn't actually save the bitcoin on there but it's a long time ago so I don't fully remember.

The drive itself was originally inside a housing/box i.e. it needed mains power to work, but I've taken it out of the housing and tried it with an external hard drive reader and I'm still not getting anything. I just wondered if anyone could offerme any advice?

I've considered paying someone to recover it but I'd have to have some way of knowing that they hadn't just taken the bitcoin (assuming it's on there) and removed al trace of it from the harddrive. bit of a conundrum really.

TIA for any advice

many thanks,

Rick
 
If it's 3.5" you'd also need a power source for your external reader unless it was literally a powered dock.

If you can verify power and data cabling and still can't even see a device ID sometimes you can swap boards on the drive with a donor from the same kinda drive, although a lot of self investigation or recovery actions could also cause further damage or reduce your probability of recovery, assuming it's above zero to begin with.
 
That is an IDE drive and most likely way over 10 years old at this point, as the first of SATA was released in 2003. So what happens when you connect it to a pc? Does it turn on and spin up? You should be able to feel it. Without more info, the drive could be totally dead and could be upwards of $1000 to recover any data on the drive if you send it in to a professional data recovery company.
 
johnb35 said:
That is an IDE drive and most likely way over 10 years old at this point, as the first of SATA was released in 2003. So what happens when you connect it to a pc? Does it turn on and spin up? You should be able to feel it. Without more info, the drive could be totally dead and could be upwards of $1000 to recover any data on the drive if you send it in to a professional data recovery company.
Click to expand...
No it doesn't start up or make any sound when connected via the harddrive reader :( does this mean it's completely dead?
 
just out of curiosity, is this an appropriate reader for the drive? it works on the similar one to the left but maybe the one I'm trying to access needs a different power suply or something?
 

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rickwoodall said:
just out of curiosity, is this an appropriate reader for the drive? it works on the similar one to the left but maybe the one I'm trying to access needs a different power suply or something?
Click to expand...
The one on the left is a SATA hard drive which requires a sata power cable. With the one on the right, as long as you have I assume a usb cable plugged into the computer and the other one plugged into power then it should work. Are you sure the reader you have is good? What do the other ends of the reader look like? Normally we recommend something like this as it can read sata and IDE desktop and laptop hard drives.

Amazon.com: Vantec SATA/IDE TO USB 3.0 Adapter (CB-ISA225-U3) : Electronics

Amazon.com: Vantec SATA/IDE TO USB 3.0 Adapter (CB-ISA225-U3) : Electronics
www.amazon.com
 
johnb35 said:
The one on the left is a SATA hard drive which requires a sata power cable. With the one on the right, as long as you have I assume a usb cable plugged into the computer and the other one plugged into power then it should work. Are you sure the reader you have is good? What do the other ends of the reader look like? Normally we recommend something like this as it can read sata and IDE desktop and laptop hard drives.

Amazon.com: Vantec SATA/IDE TO USB 3.0 Adapter (CB-ISA225-U3) : Electronics

Amazon.com: Vantec SATA/IDE TO USB 3.0 Adapter (CB-ISA225-U3) : Electronics
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...
I've been using this. Works okay on the one on the left but not the one on the right (the one I'm trying to access)power suply.jpg
 
Can you show us the end of the adapter you are using and then end of the hard drivce that you are trying to connect to? Trying to confirm whether or not you have an IDE or SATA hard drive. Until we see that, then we are only grasping at straws. If both drives have the same type of connection then most likely the drive is dead if the adapter works on the other drive. But as I said, we need more pictures to verify what type of drive it is.
 
johnb35 said:
Can you show us the end of the adapter you are using and then end of the hard drivce that you are trying to connect to? Trying to confirm whether or not you have an IDE or SATA hard drive. Until we see that, then we are only grasping at straws. If both drives have the same type of connection then most likely the drive is dead if the adapter works on the other drive. But as I said, we need more pictures to verify what type of drive it is.
Click to expand...
drive and reader.jpg
This is the drive next to the reader. They look as though they should be compatible but I'm no expert.

Thank you for your responses btw, I really appreciate it
 
Yes, they are compatible, it is a SATA hard drive not IDE. So since the other drive works with the adapter we can only assume this drive is dead.
 

Where to Find Matching Drives by DCM/Model​

  1. Specialist donor/parts suppliers like DonorDrives.com list WD2500JS units with specific DCMs (though not your exact HSBACT2CAN yet). For example, one listing is WD2500JS‑75NCB1, DCM DSCACT2AH, produced in February 2006 in Thailand Amazon+8donordrives.com+8Computer Forum+8. You can check their catalog further to hunt for your DCM.
  2. Second‑hand marketplaces like eBay or Walmart sometimes have the WD2500JS‑60NCB1 variant, e.g. DCM HSBHNT2AHN, but that’s not your exact DCM; note slight differences may impact PCB compatibility Walmart.
  3. Refurbished drive vendors such as DiscTech and UniversalDataSystems may offer the WD2500JS model. However, they usually don’t specify DCM codes in product listings, so you'd need to confirm with them before purchase Disctechuniversaldatasystems.org.

✅ Potential Matching Listing (Used/Refurbished Drives)​

Western Digital WD2500JS 250 GB 3‑.5″ SATA Drive

WD2500JS 250 GB refurbished
Western Digital WD2500JS 250 GB 3‑.5″ SATA Drive
£39.00
American Technology Products DBA Server Disk Drives
Western Digital 250 GB SATA 3.5″ Hard Drive

WD 250 GB SATA 3.5″
Western Digital 250 GB SATA 3.5″ Hard Drive
£111.23
Harddiskdirect.co.uk + others
★★
4.3
Ask about this
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  • Western Digital WD2500JS 250 GB 3‑.5″ SATA Drive — explicitly WD2500JS; likely close to what you’re after.
  • Western Digital 250 GB SATA 3.5″ Hard Drive — also a 250 GB WD drive; may match your model or be usable as a donor.
These drives are offered as refurbished or used, with prices around £30–40. But none explicitly list your exact DCM/PCB variant in their merchant descriptions.

Suggested Steps to Ensure Compatibility​

  1. Reach out to sellers: Before ordering, ask if they can confirm the DCM/PCB code (HSBACT2CAN)—sometimes proprietary listings omit this, but support can check.
  2. Buy from sellers with clear returns or warranties, especially important given age and risk of mismatch.
  3. If you only find close variants (such as HSBHNT2AHN or DSCACT2AH), they might work for PCB swapping if donor-centric—but ideally you match the exact DCM to ensure seamless donor compatibility donordrives.com+8Computer Forum+8universaldatasystems.org+8Walmartdonordrives.com+1Walmart+1.

✅ Summary Table​

OptionWhat to CheckLikely Match
Donor parts suppliers (e.g. DonorDrives)Exact DCM, production date, PCB stickerHigh
eBay / second‑hand marketplacesSeller disclosure of DCM; accept returnsMedium
Refurbished vendors (e.g. DiscTech)Confirmation of model/DCM before shippingMedium
If you're unable to find a listing specifying HSBACT2CAN, it's still worth contacting vendors to see if they can match drive batch records or PCB records. Let me know if you want help drafting an exact compatibility checklist or contact script for sellers.
 
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