Swap out the controller board BIOS controller chip

I ordered a replacement controller board on Friday from you for my WD 2TB purple drive that had a broken SATA data connector.   The board you had pictured matches my board model number exactly, including the Revision.  My question is you suggest to swap out the controller board BIOS controller chip before installing the replacement board onto the drive.  That chip is soldered onto the board, it is not socketed.  For the average technician, it would be impossible to unsolder that chip with all of the pins without destroying the board ?

You can move the BIOS from your original PCB by using hot-air gun, then solder it on the replacement board. Please refer: https://www.hddzone.com/hard_drive_pcb_firmware_transfer.html  Or you can find an electronics repair shop help you.

Thanks for the information.  My WD purple drive is new, with no data on it.  Do I still have to swap the BIOS for a new drive with no data on it ?

You can dirctly swap PCB to try. If the HDD can’t spin or can’t be recognized. The BIOS still need to be changed.