Hello.

I have a click-of-death 4-platter Maxtor drive. It failed clicky while
running. So I believe that this is not a firmware issue or an issue with the
hidden data on the drive, nor simply due to bad sectors. By process of
elimination, it seems to be either the electronics, the heads or the head
amplifier. I obtained an identical drive and swapped the board, which did not
change things. So now I am thinking about trying to replace the head assembly.
I have attempted this before, on a Toshiba 2.5" drive with 5 platters, and met
with no success.

I recall two problems I had at the time. One was that when removing the voice
coil magnet, it seemed to be awfully close to the platters for comfort. Is
there any risk to the platters if this magnet is removed, as long as it stays
as far away from them as it did when mounted to the coil?

The other problem was that when I slid the heads off the platters, they slapped
together. I believe this may have instantly destroyed them, but I'm not
certain. It seems like I need some kind of "comb" type thing to keep the heads
separated while off the platters. Anyone have any bright ideas?

Thanks.