Milo, I have tried to gently move the plug around to no avail. The drive here is the type that has like 'forged' rubber around it with no seams (it appears). I have searched on line and all of the drives shown there are the type that a person can split apart - this will be difficult here. Even if I got it open, I would have to buy a 'magnified, magnifying glass' to locate the possible broken contact.
. Hells, I will locate an anti-static bag (?) and try the freezer trick, it certainly sounds feasible. I will also look here for recommendations on recovery software. You gotta trust a pilot, right?