I am not sure if it is the same with the MKII as the MKIII, but when you unplug the MKIII drive prior to letting is spin down and the red LED going out, in more cases than not it will ruin the drive. So if someone removed the perfectly functioning "new to you" drive prior to letting it completely shut down it could very likely have been the death of it. I would recommend going the MKIV route if you can get your hands on a unit.