SSD/HD vs SSD/SSHD vs SSHD combinations

At the moment it appears my OE Seagate Momentus HDD may be completely dead. I installed it in my Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H/i7-4770k pc at work in an attempt to retrieve the data from it before continuing with my 1000H repair efforts. I could not make the i7 pc boot with the Momentus in SATA Port1 (Samsung 840 Pro = 0, ATAPI = Port 7). The i7 pc POSTS, but Windows will not load so, I do not reach the Desktop.

Our IT guy attempted to install the Momentus in his pc and observed the same result. Furthermore, he stated the Momentus was not warm and gave no indication or disk motion. Would the inertia be sensed when held in the human hand? I suspect yes. The BIOS recognizes the Momentus in both desktops, but it appears this consists of all the progress I can make on my own.

Any ideas as to how I can test/evaluate my Momentus HDD further? Retreiving the data from it...in a non-costly manner?

Thanks for your suggestion. I May be well-prepared for it as well. I recently downloaded fedora 20 for my x86 desktop and am ready to make the bootable CD.

I need a little more hardware assistance before I can continue. I decided to purchase the Samsung 840 Pro SSD. As a result, I need a solid recommendation for the USB/SATA adapter. The kit from Samsung would have been more convenient, but I think the required hardware items can be purchased for much lower cost.

Please advise.

Ordered. Thank you!