Seagate Freeagent 500gb HDD?

[Jonesy]

Hey,
So my father's Seagate Freeagent 500gb drive seems to have stopped working, it can't be accessed via the usb connection. I am wondering if anyone has cracked open the enclosure before, and if so does the drive use normal Sata connections inside, or have they gone the way of WD and use USB to the drive?

I am hoping it is simply a USB failure, as the drive is his only backup of many important files. (Told him many times to never leave those things on 24/7, or rely 100% on them for backup purposes)
I can hear the drive spinning within the enclosure, which gives me some (minor) hope that it has to do with the USB driver.

Edit:
Went ahead and cracked open the case, it is a regular Sata drive inside (7200.12) Also, if anyone else runs into the issue, it was the circuit board in the enclosure that failed. I had read a few people with the same results as well. Drive was fully recovered thankfully.