How to I get the data off of an external HD not showing up on "my computer" ?
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M$6 Answers
You said this drive is connected via USB interface, you'll want to open up your machine and put the drive in there.
Now put the CD in the tray, and your computer will boot to a very basic DOS-like screen, and you will tell SpinRite that you want to fix the drive. This will take anywhere between an hour and a week.
When it's done, read the summary. It is likely that you will want to retire that drive after you've had a chance to transfer your important data from it.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1708&p_sid=4XV8vbLj&p_lva=1731
is the WD page about how to fix windows to see the drive. (before i followed any of those instructions, I would take the drive to a friend's computer, and see if it would mount there. Alternatively, load up a live Linux CD and see if the drive is available using Linix .)
Good luck.
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M$
The clicking can be caused by many different drive failures, on of them being a head crash. A head crash means a mechanical problem with the read-write head of the drive. If this is the case you risk losing data on the drive every time you power it up.
A clicking hard drive hardly ever can be fixed at home. I have seen some people recommending lightly tapping the hard drive when it starts up, but I wouldn't recommend that.
If the drive contains valuable data that is not backed up anywhere, your best option is to send it in to a data recovery company. They will be able to diagnose the problem for you and give you a list of what files can be salvaged and the cost to have them recovered.
Professional data recovery can be expensive. Prices can range from around $250 to over $1000.
personal experience
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M$
Or you can get a copy of SpinRite from http://grc.com and retrieve the data yourself (just like the pros do). But that only works if the drive spins and the heads move. If it's "broken", literally, then paying money to a specialist may be the only option.
First its USB... which people probably don't remember but it was incredibly flaky in the old days and still is.. So make sure its the only thing plugged in which you try anything. And don't plug it in to a USB hub.
2nd It can be recognized by Windows and still not show a drive letter. The drive letter denotes that a partition is detected. If it is in fact damaged you should be able to go into Control Panel > Adminstration > Computer Management then locate in the left hand column Storage > Drive Management. (vista). Here you have all drives listed see if your's appears if its plug-and-playing it will show as Drive 1 or 2 or something but with no drive letter. In such a case your file structure is damaged on the drive. If you need to save it then you'll need to listen to the spinrite advocates and/or get it out of the USB and see if chkdsk can help it.
3rd if it doesn't show then I boil it down to a bad USB controller in the external enclosure. And yes I've seen the burn out over time. One day they work the tnext tday they don't. You can get a new enclosure for $20-30. And if you just want to see if that's the problem you can buy a basic ATA to USB cable adapter off ebay for like $5.
PS- a drive need not to make sounds to be busted.
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M$If you are technically handy, I would recommend cracking open the external (most of them just have screws) and plugging it into your computer as a second hard drive. Inside an external is the same thing you put into your computer, although it might not be able to mount inside permanently, you will have your data back.
For instructions on installation look here http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=install-troubleshoot-sata-non-mac&vgnextoid=2b089d2c3c90e010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD
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M$
One caveat: some of the small hard drives are not outfitted with either PATA or SATA connectors. Some manufacturers put special connections on their external hard drives that only work in their particular case. I found this out when I tried this same operation with a small 3.5" external hard drive that a friend had. In a case like that you would have to buy another external hard drive that is the same make and model as yours. You won't be able to insert it into your computer.
If the hard drive is still not working then I too would say that SpinRite might be your only reasonable hope.
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M$
Boot in Safe Mode, go to Windows Explorer and try if you can find files.
Also try Disk Checkup, it may correct corrupted file system. Also try by connecting HDD at bootup, during bootup it automatically checks each drive for error, perhaps it will correct it.
If none of above is applicable, use Recover My File Software to recover the files. It is the best and easy to use software to recover files. Also do a virus scan of whole PC including that HDD, perhaps this work is of virus.
Should you require more help ? Contact me anytime.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
lol, just missed your entry!
Since you already tried the obvious ones, I would recommend a few more additional steps. I would suspect drive issues only if you hear constant clicks at periodic intervals. Not sure if this is the case. Maybe the drive was dropped.
If you bought the drive within the past 3 years, you can use the warranty support.
1. I would contact WDC support first, before taking other actions, using the link below.
Western Digital support
Most of the ext drives seem to have 3-5 year warranty.
WD Warranty
2. If the above doesnt work, remove drive from the case connect it directly to a computer as a second drive. Since it is 2.5in drive, you may have to buy a cable depending on whether it is a SATA or IDE drive.
If it shows up as a drive, then you can scan, or use recovery tool to get the data.
good luck...
I didn't think to mention this, but we own no desktop computers. There are 5 notebooks in the house and no desktop.
PP21 said: I didn't think to mention this, but we own no desktop computers. There are 5 notebooks in the house and no desktop.
grab you a live linux CD and boot to that ... see if you can mount the drive via USB with that.
or, take it over to a friend's house with an older PC they aren't using and try my 17 easy steps outlined above.
you also didn't say if there was anything worth saving on the drive. if you're missing important videos or photos, that's worth some effort, if it's just a big drive that used to work and doesn't now, let the warranty people at WD hear from you, i'm sure they can replace it.