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HDD Problem

Sylvanar
By Sylvanar
in Storage Devices
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Posted

Hello,

 

My 2tb external HDD fell by accident and now it isnt being detected by my laptop. Is there any way to fix the HDD or at least retrieve the data as it had about 1.5tb of data which I dont have a backup of and are important.

 

Thanx.

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Hello,

 

My 2tb external HDD fell by accident and now it isnt being detected by my laptop. Is there any way to fix the HDD or at least retrieve the data as it had about 1.5tb of data which I dont have a backup of and are important.

 

Thanx.

Don't know how to fix it but.... ALWAYS make backups... ALWAYS

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Was it powered on and connected when it fell?  It so the internal shock damage could be serious enough that you will need to recover data using a specialized service that will open up the drives and try to read the data from the platters.

 

If it wasn't powered on and connected, it could be the controllers that suffered the damage, and you may be able to recover the data by putting the HDDs into another enclosure or docking station.

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Even if it was powered off, that kind of hit would do quite a lot of damage to it. But yeah, you should always back up your stuff.

 

You might double check the controller PCB / SATA port for damage.

 

Otherwise, you'll have to pay up for the recovery service.

 

Is it attempting to spin up at least? Any odd noise?

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you would have to pay ALOT of money for a data recovery center to retrieve the data off it and if it fell it would more than likely be impossible so no :(, lesson learnt always have backups

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Was it powered on and connected when it fell?  It so the internal shock damage could be serious enough that you will need to recover data using a specialized service that will open up the drives and try to read the data from the platters.

It wasnt powered up when it fell. Also what kind of damage can falling cause in a HDD

 

You might double check the controller PCB / SATA port for damage.

 

Is it attempting to spin up at least? Any odd noise?

It is an external HDD and there is a single port which isnt damaged but I cant really disassemble it at the moment. Also it is not making any noise.

 

When I plug in the HDD the laptop confirms that something got connected to it but after 2-3 min the laptop again makes a sound related to unpluging of that something but during the entire process the HDD isnt being shown in MyComputer

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It wasnt powered up when it fell. Also what kind of damage can falling cause in a HDD

 

It is an external HDD and there is a single port which isnt damaged but I cant really disassemble it at the moment. Also it is not making any noise.

 

When I plug in the HDD the laptop confirms that something got connected to it but after 2-3 min the laptop again makes a sound related to unpluging of that something but during the entire process the HDD isnt being shown in MyComputer

 

Oh, well, there's usually an internal PCB inside of the external drive chassis that converts SATA to whatever ports is on the outside of it.

 

It's really sounding dead though / You might need data recovery services. My really old Western Digital Passport died in the exact same manner, where it would appear connected but then disappear as it failed to start up the drive.

 

Do you feel it try to start up (Should vibrate a little)?

 

As for the possible damage while powered off, you can cause the platters to shift, the motor/bearings to give out, or damage the reading heads. It really depends on how hard the drop is, but most drives will not survive a hard hit.

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It wasnt powered up when it fell. Also what kind of damage can falling cause in a HDD

 

It is an external HDD and there is a single port which isnt damaged but I cant really disassemble it at the moment. Also it is not making any noise.

 

When I plug in the HDD the laptop confirms that something got connected to it but after 2-3 min the laptop again makes a sound related to unpluging of that something but during the entire process the HDD isnt being shown in MyComputer

 

Ok what model of external HDD is it?  If it wasn't powered on, the platters inside the HDD wasn't spinning and the read/write head was tucked away in it's space.  So the main damage will probably be the external case's components.  If you can take it apart and extract the HDD, you may be able to recover the data.

 

How high was the fall?  If it was just a couple of feet, the external case may have acted as a shock absorber and the internal HDD or HDD's are most likely fine.

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Hello,

 

My 2tb external HDD fell by accident and now it isnt being detected by my laptop. Is there any way to fix the HDD or at least retrieve the data as it had about 1.5tb of data which I dont have a backup of and are important.

 

Thanx.

 

Hey there Sylvanar,
 
What is the brand and model of the drive? I would check if the drive is recognized in the BIOS, Device Manager and Disk Management. I would get a diagnostic tool from the manufacturer's website and run it on the drive to check its condition (for WD drives that would be WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=G2dBZj ). 
For getting your data back the safest way would be to contact a data recovery company, but this would be costly. If you are willing to risk it, you may find some third-party apps that might be able to read it, but I wouldn't recommend it if you value your data. :)
 
Captain_WD.

If this helped you, like and choose it as best answer - you might help someone else with the same issue. ^_^
WDC Representative, http://www.wdc.com/ 

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Oh, well, there's usually an internal PCB inside of the external drive chassis that converts SATA to whatever ports is on the outside of it.

 

As for the possible damage while powered off, you can cause the platters to shift, the motor/bearings to give out, or damage the reading heads. It really depends on how hard the drop is, but most drives will not survive a hard hit.

How high was the fall?  If it was just a couple of feet, the external case may have acted as a shock absorber and the internal HDD or HDD's are most likely fine.

 

The Height from which the HDD fell from wasn't much...a couple of feet or at max 3 feet. But taking apart the HDD would void the warranty as the HDD is barely 4-5 months old. I think I'll first check with the service center if they can do something about it and if not taking it apart it is.

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The Height from which the HDD fell from wasn't much...a couple of feet or at max 3 feet. But taking apart the HDD would void the warranty as the HDD is barely 4-5 months old. I think I'll first check with the service center if they can do something about it and if not taking it apart it is.

 

That seems like a wise choice. I hope you're able to recover your data or have it repaired.

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Hey there Sylvanar,
 
What is the brand and model of the drive? I would check if the drive is recognized in the BIOS, Device Manager and Disk Management. I would get a diagnostic tool from the manufacturer's website and run it on the drive to check its condition (for WD drives that would be WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=G2dBZj ). 
For getting your data back the safest way would be to contact a data recovery company, but this would be costly. If you are willing to risk it, you may find some third-party apps that might be able to read it, but I wouldn't recommend it if you value your data. :)
 
Captain_WD.

 

 

That seems like a wise choice. I hope you're able to recover your data or have it repaired.

 

I have one last question...my exams are very close at the moment and I dont wanna waste my time running around with the HDD. So if I wait for 2-3 months, will it lower the chances of data recovery?

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I have one last question...my exams are very close at the moment and I dont wanna waste my time running around with the HDD. So if I wait for 2-3 months, will it lower the chances of data recovery?

 

Sadly, probably yes in my opinion. But without knowing what is wrong with it, I can't firmly say I'm correct either. If it's just a PCB, then it's no big issue. If it's the drive though (Depends on the drive issue though), it wouldn't be good to leave it there (Would at least ask the manufacturer for their opinion / Would probably not turn it on any more).

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I have one last question...my exams are very close at the moment and I dont wanna waste my time running around with the HDD. So if I wait for 2-3 months, will it lower the chances of data recovery?

 

If the problem is bad sectors then every power up of the drive potentially increases the chance of losing the data permanently. The nature of bad sectors is such that the more the platters spin, the more likely is that more bad sectors form. Basically a small scratch (a.k.a. bad sector) forms a small air pocket on the drive's platter and each time the read/write head hovers over that air pocket, it bounces down, up and there's a huge chance that it may fall down on another place, further scratching the platter and thus forming more bad sectors. If you want to keep your data and have higher chances of data recovery I wouldn't touch the drive.
 
Captain_WD.

If this helped you, like and choose it as best answer - you might help someone else with the same issue. ^_^
WDC Representative, http://www.wdc.com/ 

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If the problem is bad sectors then every power up of the drive potentially increases the chance of losing the data permanently. The nature of bad sectors is such that the more the platters spin, the more likely is that more bad sectors form. Basically a small scratch (a.k.a. bad sector) forms a small air pocket on the drive's platter and each time the read/write head hovers over that air pocket, it bounces down, up and there's a huge chance that it may fall down on another place, further scratching the platter and thus forming more bad sectors. If you want to keep your data and have higher chances of data recovery I wouldn't touch the drive.
 
Captain_WD.

 

Thanx...yes I wont be touching the drive. Just keep it locked away for the time being...I did try to run the HDD 3-4 times after it fell to see if it would work or not but since then it hasnt been touched.

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Thanx...yes I wont be touching the drive. Just keep it locked away for the time being...I did try to run the HDD 3-4 times after it fell to see if it would work or not but since then it hasnt been touched.

 

Do let us know what's wrong with it. Curious to see what killed it.

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Do let us know what's wrong with it. Curious to see what killed it.

Sure...I'll update the thread as soon I get it done and over with.

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