WD My Passport Drive Dead?

[rcoops72]

My friend asked me to look at her "WD My Passport External Hard Drive" It is still under warranty but she wanted to see if I could retrieve photos she stored on it prior to sending it back to WD.

I plugged it into my newer PC and it has its own USB cord which is both power/port.

The drive power up, white light blinks and I hear it spinning, scanning and then it beeps every 4 secs and repeats the same spinning/scanning until the drive just stops spinning around 3-4 minutes in. Then the light just blinks.

When I look under Device Manager>Disk Drives I do see it listed as
WD My Passport 0748 USB Drive

After it stops spinning I look in Computer Management > Disk Management and the drive is listed as DISK 1 "not Initialized"
Volume Tab says Capacity 0MB, Unallocated and Reserved Space 0MB
I have not yet clicked Initialize, fearing it might force a format.

After reading this what are your thoughts?

PS I even opened the case and connected the USB cable without the oversized case thinking it might not be fully seated, that did not work.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ArisVer]

Try using recovery programs posted at this thread.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2365726

 

[PliotronX]

The company I work for purchased 50 Passport Ultra drives and one of them did what you describe but no software was able to recognize it. Your only choices are trying the freezer trick or if the data is priceless, a recovery lab.

 

[mcginnis]

^Freezer trick ftw. I stopped getting passport drives, I had a bunch at work and they would all eventually fail. :/

 

[THRiLL KiLL]

The company I work for purchased 50 Passport Ultra drives and one of them did what you describe but no software was able to recognize it. Your only choices are trying the freezer trick or if the data is priceless, a recovery lab.

me issue sounds like its the enclousre and not the drive.

Remove the drive from the enclosure and the drive internaly into the system and see if windows/bios can see and read from it.

this will probably void the warranty.

 

[Fardringle]

While taking the drive apart is a possible option to recover important files, I had to fix part of your comment:

this WILL void the warranty.

 

[rcoops72]

The company I work for purchased 50 Passport Ultra drives and one of them did what you describe but no software was able to recognize it. Your only choices are trying the freezer trick or if the data is priceless, a recovery lab.

Thank you for the responses. I am trying the freezer trick right now.

How long is a good time to keep it in the freezer 5 Minutes?

 

[THRiLL KiLL]

put it in a zip lock bag...

 

[PliotronX]

Thank you for the responses. I am trying the freezer trick right now.

How long is a good time to keep it in the freezer 5 Minutes?

Two things to keep in mind, first we need to reduce the temperature thoroughly of all components inside the drive. I have always done at least three hours but one hour might do. Secondly, you have to control condensation and like THRiLL KILL suggested, ziplock bags are perfect. Some go so far as to seal an anti-static bag. The point is that it will keep condensation from forming within the drive and particularly on the platter or heads themselves.

Lastly, try to get the locations of specific photos because IME, if this works for temporarily reviving the drive, you will have 20-30 minutes before the drive warms up to a point where the head could violently collide and thereafter the freezer trick will be ineffective. So in that time you have to copy what you can, if the drive is detected and readable by the OS that is. Good luck!

 

[rcoops72]

Two things to keep in mind, first we need to reduce the temperature thoroughly of all components inside the drive. I have always done at least three hours but one hour might do. Secondly, you have to control condensation and like THRiLL KILL suggested, ziplock bags are perfect. Some go so far as to seal an anti-static bag. The point is that it will keep condensation from forming within the drive and particularly on the platter or heads themselves.

Lastly, try to get the locations of specific photos because IME, if this works for temporarily reviving the drive, you will have 20-30 minutes before the drive warms up to a point where the head could violently collide and thereafter the freezer trick will be ineffective. So in that time you have to copy what you can, if the drive is detected and readable by the OS that is. Good luck!

OK I was delayed in trying this trick. I just put the Drive in a Freezer Zip Lock and will take it out 3 hours from now and plug it in. I hope my PC sees the drive and can copy and paste them ASAP..like you said I might only have 20-30 Minutes.

It would be very cool if this works!

Thanks and I will let you know...

 

[Virgorising]

It would be very cool if this works!

Pun intended?

 

[rcoops72]

Pun intended?

Well 3 hours and after I plugged it in, the exact same situation occurs..PC still does not recognize the drive and it is making the same beeping and hard drive noises....I guess shes Gone...

Can we attach videos to these threads...I would love to record the noises it makes?

 

[Ketchup]

Videos have to be hosted from another site. But I wouldn't mind hearing that. Not that it would necessarily help anything.

 

[rcoops72]

How about if i create the video with my iphone and text it or email to you to listen and give your opinion?

 

[rcoops72]

Says I cannot reply to Private messages to you So I just want you to know I emailed you a short video of the cycle of the Hard Drive.

 

[Ketchup]

For those who didn't get to hear this, it sounds like 5 1/4 floppy drive reading a disk, hitting the same two spots over and over again.

My guess would be that the arm/actuator has lost it. A data recovery facility would be your best bet, if the data is worth it.

 

[Ketchup]

I have not used these services, so maybe someone else has some input here.

A quick Google search revealed a good many options though.

I would just give one a call, like this one, and see what they have to say:

https://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/

 

[rcoops72]

Thank you all again!

 

[SwampDog35]

I'm having a small problem with mine. It appears if you use Apple to open pictures. Then a Windows machine will not see them as a Jpeg.... Is this correct?

 

[Ketchup]

So are they a jpeg extension or something else?

Do you want to use the Apple software to open them, or something different?

 

[paulsandy85]

For reference to your issue and to recover your lost data on Western Digital this tutorial can be helpful. Take a look, http://youtu.be/Il8aGsqVZ3E

 

[corkyg]

I suspect it is all due to inadequate power. My experience with such drives is that they require a USB cable with a Y connector so it can connect to TWO USB ports.

 

[THRiLL KiLL]

thread necromancy for a software you have to pay for.

if you need an easy software for recovery use this:

https://www.piriform.com/recuva

its free. The professional edition (paid version) is for business. the personal version is free and does everything the paid version does.

 

[PliotronX]

thread necromancy for a software you have to pay for.

if you need an easy software for recovery use this:

https://www.piriform.com/recuva

its free. The professional edition (paid version) is for business. the personal version is free and does everything the paid version does.

It's a great piece of software however it is assuming the HDD is in working order to recover data. Most of the external drive failures I've witnessed have been the dreaded whir-click and I have not had the same level of success with the freezer trick as I have with internal drives. In this case, the lab is the only option.

 

[inachu]

The company I work for purchased 50 Passport Ultra drives and one of them did what you describe but no software was able to recognize it. Your only choices are trying the freezer trick or if the data is priceless, a recovery lab.

Correct!
Also try the drop the drive from 1 inch from the table.
Sometimes drive heads get stuck for no apparent reason.