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Hello ominouswanderer, When trying to apply the fix for my 7200.11 500GB drive, although I did not make a note of the error hex/numbers, I too did have that same "formatted error" with regards to Spin Up failure, the R/W error, and humming as if wanting to start issue too (3 times). What worked for me was to not use the cardboard between the "head" and PCB and instead use the cardboard between the "3-conductor" motor itself and PCB ( I read this somewhere and this worked for me). I also needed to restore the Drive Configuration as my incorrect bit was "0" and not "1" as it should of been... this tutorial is what I used but with the mentioned switch from "head" to "motor": http://www.overclock.net/t/457286/seagate-bricked-firmware-drive-fix-with-pics I did not have to power-cycle my hard drive via the italics comments shown on that link. I notice that web site has the instructions with incorrect margin, but the important stuff is still readable. My in warranty drive (to 03-2013) is restored and I have already backed up my data. Good luck.