Does it have any electrolytic caps? Tantalum don't count, these don't dry out but can short, but that can be easily checked with ohm meter without desoldering them. Usually the power rail filters die and smoke or trip PSU, but there might be a few in some local voltage regulator circuits that won't have any obvious signs of being short (except maybe getting hot).

HDD heads don't use that much current for writing that bad caps would affect them. Though I guess it's not impossible. I would be more concerned about any electrolyte leakage and PCB corrosion due to that - now that could cause all kinds of trouble. So if you are going to replace any such caps, clean the PCB well. Inspect for any signs of damage, preferably before you get it hot (due to soldering).

Yes has 3 aluminum caps on the back. There is leakage from one of the caps. A nearby chip has pins that are corroded, but I don't see any damage to traces. I have cleaned up the pins with alcohol. There is a post of vcfed with the same problem back in 2023, but the OP never updated. None of the repair videos of replacing the 3 caps mention having a write problem. I guess I will find out here about a week when the new Panasonic caps get delivered.