Problem with External Hard Drive

FlightMedic

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I have several Western Digital External Hard Drives USB 3.0, and 2 are identical drives with different data. One works fine. The other is not recognized; the light comes on and you can hear it working but it will not show up in "this PC," disk manager or device manager.

I was wondering if data would be recoverable or if there are any other options beyond sending it off. I read somewhere I could possible take it out of its case and use it as an internal? Or hook it up via SATA?

It is a WD My Passport 3.0 2 TB external drive.

Thanks In Advance,

Jim
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid 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
Thanks. It's not even showing up in the program. I've read where the USB connector can go bad. I'm hoping I can find someone to take it apart and replace the connector. It's a 2TB drive with 1.3TB being used. It would be expensive to have it sent off.

Jim
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
Thanks. It's not even showing up in the program. I've read where the USB connector can go bad. I'm hoping I can find someone to take it apart and replace the connector. It's a 2TB drive with 1.3TB being used. It would be expensive to have it sent off.

Jim
It's not a connector only, it's an adapter with electronics and everything and yes it can go bad. In most cases it can be taken out and connected directly by SATA cable to a desktop. That would be the best test.
 

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
Thank you. Is that something I can do myself? I took the HDD apart last night and it does not appear to be SATA. I also read that the new WD external drives are USB only, not SATA and that the USB connector is soldered right to the board. I can take it apart again and take pics if that would help.

Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
Such large drives are invariably SATA but USB part can be integrated in it's electronic controller so it may not be posible to separate in do it yourself fashion. Take a closeup picture from both sides when case is opened.
 

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
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1398036476.026617.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1398036516.692212.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1398036573.609779.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
I've personally run into problems where the WD diagnostics app would not "see" a WD drive connected externally through a USB cable, but when I powered down, opened the case, connected the drive to an internal SATA cable and rebooted, it DID see the drive.
 

My Computer

Checked with WD, looks like it is specifically made for USB3 so I guess there's no way to connect directly to SATA port, sorry.
 

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
I was hoping that would not be the case.

So it's hopeless? Or are there other options for data recovery?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
You could try with Linux. That is often more forgiving. If you have a live Linux CD, try this. Else you can easily make yourself a live Linux stick - here is how.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
I'll try Linux. I already have a stick to dual boot.

FYI I hooked it to my MacBook Pro and it's not seen on that machine either.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
If WD's own test program could not read it properly, it means its electro-mechanical problem and chances are very slim tahat anything can fix that. There are services that can change parts and save most data but are extremely expensive.
 

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
I'll try Linux. I already have a stick to dual boot.

FYI I hooked it to my MacBook Pro and it's not seen on that machine either.

That is not good news (MacBook). It is very possible that the thing is fried.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Unfortunately, you'll probably need to send it to a lab that can replace the controller card on the drive. In my previous employment, I sent dozens of customer's drives to a lab in Southern Ontario, and never saw an estimate less than $500. I believe this is par for the course. Basically, the lab has to source and purchase an identical drive so that they can transplant the defective components to yours.

If your drive is under warranty, you could go through WD directly, but they likely will just send you a new drive, and you will lose your data.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Crappy old Dell
    CPU
    Core 2 Duo e8500 3.16ghz
    Motherboard
    G33M02
    Memory
    3gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8600gt

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
Hey Jim,
If you are really good with a soldering iron, I would say this has a fair chance of working. If it were mine, I'd probably give it a shot.
James
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Crappy old Dell
    CPU
    Core 2 Duo e8500 3.16ghz
    Motherboard
    G33M02
    Memory
    3gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8600gt
I am NO good with a soldering iron lol.

Jim
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
It might be also possible that the external drive has a built-in hardware data encryption which makes the data recovery more difficult. You'd better consult WD's support site as they might have possible professional data recovery service partners around your area.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
Interesting development...I got a new Windows 8.1 computer. Lo and behold, the drive worked. Like an idiot, I did not back up the data.

But now it will not be read by the new HP computer. It lights up and you can hear it but it does not come up in device manager or computer management. It doesn't make the ding noise either when attached. BUT it works on my macbook pro. So now I'm in the process of trying to back it up.

Odd, to say the least.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition CTO Notebook PC
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Hard Drives
    1TB Toshiba Hybrid Drive
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