HddSurgery™ head change tools - HDDS Sea 7200.11/.12/LP/ES.2 p3-4 - Guide

Aug 26, 2026

Guide for data recovery professionals on safe, non-contact head replacement using HddSurgery™ head change tools. Explains the purpose of enabling head passage over the data area above platters while transferring heads to a patient drive without contact, contrasts non-contact versus traditional contact-based techniques, and outlines safety and responsibility limits. Includes supported Seagate HDD model families and a 10-step replacement workflow, covering tool handling, mounting on the actuator arm, head lifting and securing, relocating outside the platter area, swapping heads, and dismounting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

HddSurgery™ head change tools

Supported models

Head replacement process

Step 1-Handling the tool

Step 2-Mounting the tool on actuator arm

Step 3-Lifting the heads

Step 4-Securing the tool

Step 5-Moving the tool outside of platters area

Step 6-Unscrewing the heads

Step 7-Mounting the heads in a new drive

Step 8-Removing the securing pin

Step 9-Removing the tool outside of platters

Step 10-Dismounting the tool

Page 1 of 15 Tools for data recovery experts Guide for using HddSurgery™ head change tools: 􀂃 HDDS Sea 7200.11/ES.2 p2 (2 platters) 􀂃 HDDS Sea 7200.11/.12/LP/ES.2 p3-4 (3 or 4 platters) Page 2 of 15 Table of contents: 1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. page 3 2. HddSurgery™ head change tools ………………………………………… page 4 3. Supported models ……………………………………………………………… page 5 4. Head replacement process (10 steps) Step 1-Handling the tool ………………………………………… page 6 Step 2-Mounting the tool on actuator arm ……………… page 7 Step 3-Lifting the heads …………………………………………. page 8 Step 4-Securing the tool …………………………………………. page 9 Step 5-Moving the tool outside of platters area .…….. page 10 Step 6-Unscrewing the heads ………………………….……… page 11 Step 7-Mounting the heads in a new drive ……………… page 12 Step 8-Removing the securing pin ………………………….. page 13 Step 9-Removing the tool outside of platters …………. page 14 Step 10-Dismounting the tool ………………………………… page 15 Page 3 of 15 1. Introduction This guide is intended as a short course in handling of our tools for professionals in data recovery. It is assumed that the user is experienced in data recovery and familiar with"traditional" ways of saving data. This manual should not be taken as a guide for training. Using these tools without adequate software support is not recommended. It is recommended to use some of the proven systems for cloning, such as Ace Lab, Salvation Data, Copy-r and other products. It is possible to recover data without HddSurgeryTM tools. In many cases, the known processes of hard drive head replacement are effective and sufficient. The general idea behind HddSurgeryTM tools was to make sure that the process of replacing damaged hard drive heads goes with no errors. The use of HddSurgeryTM tools prevents the ferromagnetic read/write heads to come in any kind of contact with the platter i.e. disk surface or other read/write heads. Also, with some basic procedures and short training, it is possible to let junior data recovery technicians handle complex tasks. With the development of these tools, we are trying to eliminate the element of luck that usually accompanies the process of data recovery. Experienced data recovery technicians or engineers can have great success even without our tools, but they can have absolute security only by using HddSurgeryTM tools. Non-contact head replacement implies that there is no contact between the heads, or between heads and platters in the process of dismounting the donor heads and mounting heads on the patient drive. Traditional techniques of replacing the heads imply contact between the heads and contact of heads with the platters in data area. These problems especially come to light on drives that have suffered some form of physical damage. A donor selection process is not covered by these guidelines. If you have questions about compatibility, you can send them to HddSurgeryTM support team on [support@hddsurgery.com](support@hddsurgery.com) HddSurgeryTM is not responsible for any eventual damage caused by usage of our tools. HddSurgeryTM is not responsible for the data stored on the patient or donor hard drives. Page 4 of 15 2. HddSurgery™ head change tools Seagate hard drives belong in the category of disks that "park heads" above the magnetic platters. That way of functioning implies that, in a situation when the drive is powered off, the heads are located on the surface that has no sensitive magnetic material. This allows drive to start the motor to the required speed. The purpose of HddSurgeryTM head change tools is to enable safe heads passage over the "data" area above platters surface, and to provide non-contact transfer to patient disc. 􀂃 HDDS Sea 7200.11/ES.2 p2 (2 platters) This head change tool is made for safe and easy head replacement on Seagate 7200.12, Seagate 7200.11, Seagate LP and Seagate ES.2 drives with 2 platters. 􀂃 HDDS Sea 7200. 11/ . 12/LP/ES.2 p3-

FAQs

What is the goal of HddSurgery™ head change tools in the head replacement process?

They enable safe head passage over the data area above the platters and provide a non-contact transfer to the patient drive, reducing the risk of contact with the platter surface or other read/write heads.

How does non-contact head replacement differ from traditional head replacement?

Non-contact replacement avoids any contact between heads and platters when dismounting and mounting heads. Traditional techniques involve contact between heads and platters, which becomes especially problematic on physically damaged drives.

Which Seagate drive families are supported by the HDDS Sea 7200.11/ES.2 p2 and HDDS Sea 7200.11/.12/LP/ES.2 p3-4 tools?

HDDS Sea 7200.11/ES.2 p2 supports Seagate 7200.11, 7200.12, LP and ES.2 drives with 2 platters. HDDS Sea 7200.11/.12/LP/ES.2 p3-4 supports the same families with 3 or 4 platters, plus certain 2-platter variants as listed in the supported models section.

Aug 26, 2026

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