5yr old external HDD doesn't want to copy big files even though there is 380 gigs of space left, borks USB ports

[just_dave]

Hello, today i borrowed our family HDD, because i wanted to copy over my Star Wars movies, but the HDD acted up on me.

I plugged it in and it showed up normally, then i wanted to copy over a movie and it threw a message "error: file is too big for the destination" or something like that. After few seconds, it disconnected but it was still spinning and the light was on.

I tried a different USB port on the back of my motherboard (first test was in front USB 3.0), this time it didnt show up, only spun and flashed the light.

Then i tried my flashdrive and my phone in those 4 USB ports, all of them were borked. When i restarted the PC it was like eh, but then the ports started working again.

The drive was from 2012 or 2013, some cheapass adata 500 gig. It was full of our family photos and things that we dont have anywhere else. My dad carries the drive with him together with the PC, so its almost every day traveling around the country. 

Do you think the drive is dead? 

Because if it is, my parents are going to kill me because they dont understand electronics and will think that i am the stupid one who broke it

[genexis_x]

Have you tried using another computer or reinstalling driver of the external HDD?

 

Just some sharing: This happened to me before, my laptop isn't detecting the external HDD but other PCs did. HDD is spinning and power light was on. Reinstalling driver doesn't work, somehow reinstalling Windows works.

 

Also check the HDD life with Crystaldiskinfo

[just_dave]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

Have you tried using another computer and reinstall driver of the external HDD?

 

Just some sharing: This happened to me before, my laptop isn't detecting the external HDD but other PCs did. HDD is spinning and power light was on. Reinstalling driver doesn't work, somehow reinstalling Windows works.

i dont have another pc to try with.

its weird the hdd showed up before

[emosun]

8 minutes ago, dave_k said:

external HDD does gimmicks

huh?

8 minutes ago, dave_k said:

"error: file is too big for the destination" or something like that.

Something like that? figure out what it said first so we can know what the problem was.

If the file was in fact too big then make sure the drive file system it's formatted in can handle files that large. 

[motorrad166]

2 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Also check the HDD life with Crystaldiskinfo

Definitely a good idea to check the S.M.A.R.T status of the drive in something.

[just_dave]

5 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Also check the HDD life with Crystaldiskinfo

The HDD doesnt show up connected to the PC, there is nothing in device manager, anywhere. 

3 minutes ago, emosun said:

Something like that? figure out what it said first so we can know what the problem was.

If the file was in fact too big then make sure the drive file system it's formatted in can handle files that large. 

Yep, that might be the issue with the file size. Not explaining why it borked 2 USB controllers though.

2 minutes ago, motorrad166 said:

Definitely a good idea to check the S.M.A.R.T status of the drive in something.

Yeah, i was thinking about that, but the HDD doesnt show up.

 

 

I have another question, could it be because it was carried around and stuff? I have the experience that my HDD in desktop (WD Blue) that was purchased the exact same day as this adata one, that drive died after 3 years of very moderate use and it was in desktop, so it was static. I know that HDDs are very prone to mechanical damage, especially external ones. This one wasnt rugged or anything, just basic hard plastic enclosure.

[emosun]

3 minutes ago, dave_k said:

Not explaining why it borked 2 USB controllers though.

it most likely just crashed your usb controller driver which happens a lot especially on my systems. it not uncommon for me to have to reinstall my own usb controller drivers to get them sorted again.

[genexis_x]

23 minutes ago, dave_k said:

i dont have another pc to try with.

its weird the hdd showed up before

Try reinstall driver, in my case the HDD also showed up before

[JustDenDimi]

And get a back-up of those files if there's really files on there that you don't have anywhere else.

[just_dave]

44 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Try reinstall driver, in my case the HDD also showed up before

 

55 minutes ago, emosun said:

it most likely just crashed your usb controller driver which happens a lot especially on my systems. it not uncommon for me to have to reinstall my own usb controller drivers to get them sorted again.

I reinstalled all USB related drivers and installed the drive's USB driver.

Nothing, drive is spinning, nothing seems like its mechanically broken, because there are no weird sounds or anything. LED is statically on, drive doesnt show up.

17 minutes ago, JustDenDimi said:

And get a back-up of those files if there's really files on there that you don't have anywhere else.

Thats a good idea, however i need to make it work before i can backup the data.

 

 

 

I am starting to think that either the drive is completely dead, or the connection between the SATA and the weird USB thing is somehow broken. The power part of the USB works, but not the data one.

[emosun]

5 minutes ago, dave_k said:

I reinstalled all USB related drivers and installed the drive's USB driver.

Nothing, drive is spinning, nothing seems like its mechanically broken, because there are no weird sounds or anything. LED is statically on, drive doesnt show up.

check disk management and make sure the machine is assigning it a letter.

whatever you do though , don't let the machine initialize or format the disk in disk management

[just_dave]

7 minutes ago, emosun said:

check disk management and make sure the machine is assigning it a letter.

whatever you do though , don't let the machine initialize or format the disk in disk management

Its not showing in disk management, its not showing anywhere.

[just_dave]

Okay, so i figured it out.

How the drive was kept with the cable connected and wiggled around, the connection got loose and the SATA to USB adapter was dead.

I plugged it through my motherboard and the drive is working, so i backed all of the data up.

Thanks for all your help guys.