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HELP: External hd stopped working. Not recognized in "disk manager".

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8 replies

by monstarika

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I have a Conceptronic Hard Disk box (200GB) that worked fine until a couple of days ago. It suddenly stopped working (while beeing in use) and now it doesn't appear in "my computer" nor is it recognised by "disk manager" although it does appear in "device manager".
I've tried the HD in other computers and the same thing happens...

I am basically worried for the 200GB worth of personal information that's inside...

Any ideas?
Thanks
Monica

PD. it sometimes makes a funny noise as if something inside was broken (maybe the fan) but since it does get installed when connected to a compute I figure there's still hope?

8 replies

by computercookie

'slave drive', copy all of your data to that PC or removable backup and Fdisk and format.

Could be a faulty USB connection, if it doesn't work in the external case but worked as a slave the caddy or USB cable is crap.

by oh smeg

According to the Makers Web Site this supposedly has a Power Supply so check that out and make sure that It's actually producing power.

Look at the USB Lead and if it shows any signs of damage replace it.

If neither of the above works you'll need to have a look at the FAQ's on the makers Web Site as listed here

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Now as this holds a standard PATA Drive you can pull it out of the enclosure and fit it to another Enclosure or if your BIOS Supports a drive of 200 GIG you can use it as a Slave inside a Desktop Computer. Fitting to another USB Enclosure would be the best option but if that isn't possible and your M'Boards BIOS supports IDE Drives to 200 GIG you can fit it as a Slave though remember to change the Jumper to either Slave or Cable Select if you do not have the Slave option on your HDD.

If the drive is still blank you have been removing this unit from the USB Ports without using the Safely Remove Option in Windows and the Partition Information has been damaged. But if the drive doesn't appear in Either BIOS or Device Manager, Drive Management the Drive is damaged and needs replacing. If you absolutely need to recover your Data it's a job for a Data Recovery House and it's going to cost you money and quite a lot depending on what has to be done to recover the Data.

At this point if the HDD is working but Blank you'll need access to some Data Recovery Software. Following is a list of the more common Data Recovery Software there are 2 types the first rebuilds the Partition Information and is the more expensive. The second Lot recovers your Data off the HDD and depending on which one you use you may need to format the Drive so you can recover the Data but [b]Read The Destructions [/b] that come with the Software.

http://tinyurl.com/273ay5

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While the last 2 are from the same company they are very different products. Win Hex should only be considered foe use by someone who knows Hex Inside Out while Davory is a great cheap General Purpose Application.

Personally I prefer the On Track Option but it's anything but cheap. However because I use this type of software a lot it's paid for itself many times over by now, for a cheaper option Spin Rite from Gibson Research or Stella have both very good reputations by other TR members.

Col

by monstarika

The Power Supply is fine and I've also tried replacing the USB lead, but no luck there.

I will keep trying as you suggest, thank you very much.

by loonit

If after reading through that huge mess of links and references doesn't work for you... what we sometimes do here at the end of a hard drives life is freeze it. I know it sounds kind of weird but once they start to go the best thing to do is get all your crap off of it and onto something else. Literally freezing the drive over night may give it just enough life to get your stuff. This should obviously be a last resort. Good Luck

by oh smeg

External Caddies are not for Full Time Use they allow the drive to get too hot and this shortens the life of the Drive Drastically.

With these drives it's a good idea to only use them when they are needed and not leave then running all the time that the computer is on as they die much sooner than they otherwise would.

Also make sure that they never get moved while running as the shock can destroy the Drive by allowing the Heads to come in contact with the Platter/s. If you look at the drive it's supposedly safe to an impact of 30G's but this is only when it's turned off and the Heads are Parked. If the Drive is running a force of less than a few onces is sufficient to cause the heads to contact the platters.

Col

by jordias

I have the same drive 160Gb but my power adapter broke. If you didn't succeed solving your problem, maybe you can sell your adapter to me? Sunny Switching Adapter, Model SYS1298-1812-W2E, Part no. SYS1298-1812, Input 100-240V-1.0A MAX. 50-60Hz, Output +12V - - - 1.5A, Output power 18W MAX. Thanks. Jorge Dias - Portugal

by skdtech

Either install it as an internal drive as previously mentioned or remove it from it's current enclosure and place it into a new one.

So far I have had more enclosures go bad than the actual HDDs inside them. Empty enclosures aren't particularly expensive just make sure you get the right interface ie. IDE or SATA.

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