HDD not Detected: Disk 1, Unknown, Not Initialized, Online

MelissaM

New Member
Messages
32
I have this 160GB hard drive that I have not been using for a while, yet I am very sure it was working fine the last time I used it.

Today when I plugged it in to my new notebook that is running Windows 8.1 now, it doesn't detect my hard drive. I also tried on other notebook and it has the same issue. So I know the problem is most likely on the hard drive.

Using Command Prompt, it says Disk 1's status is "Online", but size is "0".

Here is the status at Computer Management:
Disk 1
Unknown
Not Initialized

I also tried to Initialize on MBR, but it returned me with "Incorrect function." message.

I tried "Troubleshoot" and the result says:
"USB Mass Storage Device is an older USB device and might not work with USB 3.0
Plug the device into an available USB 2.0 port..."
My notebook has 3 USB ports where according to the manual, 2 of them are backward compatible to 2.0... I tested on each, but it is still not working.

What should I do? Although I have not been using it for a while, I wish to check the content first before formatting it. I might have some forgotten, yet important files within.

Thanks in advance. Hope I can be assisted here.
 

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Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If the controller in the enclosure failed removing the drive and slaving it into a desktop PC may let you recover your files. If the drive failed there isn't much you can do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
If the controller in the enclosure failed removing the drive and slaving it into a desktop PC may let you recover your files. If the drive failed there isn't much you can do.

All right. I will try plugging it to a desktop PC and see what it returns me this time.

Just in case if I can't recover my files at all. How do I format this hard drive and make it functional again?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Why don't you try using something like this: Download Macrorit Disk Scanner - MajorGeeks to check HDD for bad sectors etc. Or if you know the make of the HDD you can use a test program for that particular make. You can find appropriate program here: Download Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Tools Tools for Windows - MajorGeeks

Using the Macrorit Disk Scanner you provided, it wasn't able to detect the hard drive. Only my notebook's internal hard drive was detected, even after reloading/refreshing the disk :(

The manufacturer is Western Digital. I downloaded WD's diagnostics tool and performed the test. It only detected as "USB" instead of recognizing it as a WD product and unable to determine the capacity of the drive.
The test result was a "PASS" but oh well, with the capacity: 0.00GB (refer to screenshots).
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
It would seem that your drive is toast. :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus CM5675
    CPU
    IntelCore i5 3.20Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus CM5675
    Memory
    6.0Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD integtrated
    Sound Card
    SB Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 24'
    Screen Resolution
    1900x1080
    Hard Drives
    Segate 1tb
    Intel 120Gb SSD
    Internet Speed
    100mb down /10mb up
Before getting some peanut butter on that "toast" try some programs like this "Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free" (just Google it, it will not let me paste that address here).
to see if something can be recovered from the disk. It might be something as simple as not having a letter assigned to it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Before getting some peanut butter on that "toast" try some programs like this "Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free" (just Google it, it will not let me paste that address here).
to see if something can be recovered from the disk. It might be something as simple as not having a letter assigned to it.

Thank you CountMike for the link! I installed and tried it, it doesn't list the drive at all :cry:

It would seem that your drive is toast. :(
:(
I hope at least it is still usable after having it formatted? If I can't recover or took a peek at the content, then at least I would like to use it as a "new", additional storage. Is there a way to wipe/format it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
There might be a power issue with the adapter, it would really be best if you puled it out of the casing (if possible) and try directly in the computer, Which model exactly is that drive. ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
There might be a power issue with the adapter, it would really be best if you puled it out of the casing (if possible) and try directly in the computer, Which model exactly is that drive. ?

Yes I have pulled it out of the casing but it doesn't do anything better.
The model of the hard drive is WD Blue (EIDE) WD1600BEVE.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Can you feel it spinning at all ?
I just run WD DLG tools on my WD HDDs (have 2) and after doing short test I can see there is an option to "Write Zeros" which is especially low level format. It will erase all the data on disk but might make it work after that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Can you feel it spinning at all ?
I just run WD DLG tools on my WD HDDs (have 2) and after doing short test I can see there is an option to "Write Zeros" which is especially low level format. It will erase all the data on disk but might make it work after that.

Uh-oh :( it says "Delete Partitions Error!" on both Quick and Full Erase.

I think it really is toasted...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Can you feel it spinning at all ?
I just run WD DLG tools on my WD HDDs (have 2) and after doing short test I can see there is an option to "Write Zeros" which is especially low level format. It will erase all the data on disk but might make it work after that.

Uh-oh :( it says "Delete Partitions Error!" on both Quick and Full Erase.

I think it really is toasted...


Well you did your best, RIP the drive than. I think I have seen more dead than live HDDs in my life.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Oh yes, I forgot to reply on spinning part. I could hear it spinning and there is a light indicator to tell that it is plugged.


Can you feel it spinning at all ?
I just run WD DLG tools on my WD HDDs (have 2) and after doing short test I can see there is an option to "Write Zeros" which is especially low level format. It will erase all the data on disk but might make it work after that.

Uh-oh :( it says "Delete Partitions Error!" on both Quick and Full Erase.

I think it really is toasted...


Well you did your best, RIP the drive than. I think I have seen more dead than live HDDs in my life.

Hahaha. I totally agree with you! It's an old hard drive anyways... I think I bought it around year 2008 or 2009. But it is also vexing that I know it was working completely fine the last time and I kept it well on my shelf. Only to return my "care" with this.

Thanks so much for your help! I am glad I come to this forum that I receive responses so quick!

This problem is basically not solved, so how do I conclude this post?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
If it's spinning and showing up on test program, that can mean heads are in trouble. Keep the post open, maybe somebody will have another idea. I'm pretty much out of them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
It would seem that your drive is toast. :(

Maybe, maybe not. It could just be the USB interface in the enclosure that failed. I don't think the OP has removed the drive from the enclosure yet. That would be my next move. A lot of those uitilities may actually work with the drive connected in a PC and removed from the enclosure.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
I read this in earlier post "Yes I have pulled it out of the casing but it doesn't do anything better.
The model of the hard drive is WD Blue (EIDE) WD1600BEVE. "
so I assumed it's connected directly to IDE port. To connect 2.4" HDD to desktop PC it would need an adapter from micro (laptop ) connector to full size IDE for Desktop PC.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
It would seem that your drive is toast. :(

Maybe, maybe not. It could just be the USB interface in the enclosure that failed. I don't think the OP has removed the drive from the enclosure yet. That would be my next move. A lot of those uitilities may actually work with the drive connected in a PC and removed from the enclosure.

I read this in earlier post "Yes I have pulled it out of the casing but it doesn't do anything better.
The model of the hard drive is WD Blue (EIDE) WD1600BEVE. "
so I assumed it's connected directly to IDE port. To connect 2.4" HDD to desktop PC it would need an adapter from micro (laptop ) connector to full size IDE for Desktop PC.

I am sorry if I misunderstood your sentences. Did you mean the pins?

The pins are soldered intact with IDE to USB 2.0 circuit.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
I read this in earlier post "Yes I have pulled it out of the casing but it doesn't do anything better.
The model of the hard drive is WD Blue (EIDE) WD1600BEVE. "
so I assumed it's connected directly to IDE port. To connect 2.4" HDD to desktop PC it would need an adapter from micro (laptop ) connector to full size IDE for Desktop PC.

Yes, I see that now, missed it before somehow, sorry. Yeah it sounds like the drive died.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
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