External harddrive error

Aeternum

Hi guys I have a Seagate 2TB external hard drive and it has stopped letting me copy files to it! An error comes up on my laptop saying:

"An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the file. If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem.

Error 0x800701E3: The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error."

I get the error code when I try to open any files on the device now too! IS everything lost? :(:(

Tokyo

Doesn't sound good to be honest. Have you tried accessing the drive from another computer??

riclad

IT could be a loose power cable ,or a loose data cable inside the case.
DOES the hd activity light come on when its plugged into pc.

The hardrive itself maybe fine,
if you remove it,and connect to a pc, using the sata data, power cables,
eg use the cables from the pc dvd sata drive.
or use a usb hardrive caddy.
drives over 300gig need a caddy enclosure with its own power supply.

is there any indication ,the drive is powered up, power supply is working,
does it just use a usb cable for power.

davo2001

riclad wrote: »

drives over 300gig need a caddy enclosure with its own power supply

Slightly off topic but this is not true at all.

riclad

to clarify, if drive is .3.5inch .i find in regard to enclosures ,it ,usually needs its own power supply,
usb power may not be enough ,
sata 2.5inch uses less power.
For 2.5inch drive a usb caddy may be ok, to power it up,
cost 14 euro.approx.
powered caddy,30-35 euro approx.
actually i know someone has a wd 500gig drive, just uses usb power.
2.5inch drive.

Aeternum

The drive is powered up the green light comes on. It has it's own power supply from the mains and connects to the laptop through USB. I have tried using another laptop and same problem. I tried using a different USB cable in case that was the fault but no luck. I don't mind replacing the drive itself it's all the files I'm more concerned about! I was told to try using Recuva which couldn't find anything on the hard drive, just found some old files from the laptop itself. Anyone have any other ideas of how to save them?

riclad

AS i said, you may need to connect drive to a pc, or put in a caddy,
does the drive show up ,in MY COMPUTER,
or start,menu, control panel,administration,storage. drive e, f?
cud be loose cable, inside case, or case pcb faulty,
only way to test the drive is connect to pc or use a drive caddy.
maplins have units ,they work on 2.5inch, or 3.5inch sata drives.
drive dock.


http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/2535-inch-sata-usb-dock-a83hq
i bought one last year.
35 euro in maplins .,near parnell st,dublin 1.

When you plug in drive,
does green icon,appear, in system tray.
usb device detected. open files?
scan drive.?
ARE you using windows 7?
does it show up, in my computer,drive , e, f , 500gig ?

riclad

http://www.pcinspector.de/default.htm?po=1&language=1

Here are some of the new features in PC INSPECTOR™ File Recovery 4.x:

Finds partitions automatically, even if the boot sector or FAT has been erased or damaged

Recovers files with the original time and date stamp

Supports the saving of recovered files on network drives

Recovers files, even when a header entry is no longer available.


try file recovery free,

i,tll only work if drive can be detected ,acessed by your laptop ,or pc.
maybe the case unit,case pcb is faulty?

degsie

https://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm might be worth checking out.

riclad

i used RECUVA TO recover data on an sdcard,
where windows says,
do you wish to format this drive,
even though card was 90 per full .

MickyJoe

As riclad posted - I would extract the disk from the external case (not usually too easy with bought external drives and would probably end up with the case being damaged). If you know how then you connect it as an internal hard drive or else buy an external case or caddy and hook it up then see if it works - if it does then the interface in the external drive was the problem.

If you know someone who has a similar power supply unit for the external drive then this could be tried first (same voltage, connector and polarity for connector)

riclad

MickyJoe wrote: »

As riclad posted - I would extract the disk from the external case (not usually too easy with bought external drives and would probably end up with the case being damaged). If you know how then you connect it as an internal hard drive or else buy an external case or caddy and hook it up then see if it works - if it does then the interface in the external drive was the problem.

If you know someone who has a similar power supply unit for the external drive then this could be tried first (same voltage, connector and polarity for connector)

Get small screwdriver take out. 4. Screws from case ,open case ,take out drive ,don't. Touch. Drive. PCB. ,
Underneath drive, put. Down on a towel, soft surface. Gently,
Circuit board , turn. Off. PC, connect. Drive. To. PC. Data ,power. , data cables. ,
Or. Else. Place. Inside. A caddy. Enclosure. Turn on. Caddy. Power ' turn. On. PC'
Plug. Drive. USB. Cable. Into. PC, it. May. Take. Ten or 15 minutes. For. Drive. To. Be. Detected. As. Drive. E,
Or. Drive. F,
Excuse my grammar , I,m. Posting. From. My. Tablet. ,

Or. Try. Booting PC. From. A Linux. Live cd Eg. Mint.
Plug. In drive. ,
Click. Computer. , drive external. Filesystem. Icon. 500gig drive

Livecd means PC. Boots up. Linux. Is. into. Ram,
Try mint 6 32bit I so file ,it fits. On 1 CDR. Disk. ,
Linux mint. Can access any. Files. On. A fat32. Or. NTFS. Hardisk.
Even if. Some of folders ,files are messed. Up'

bonzodog2

Worth noting that some external drives, based on 2.5" disks, can't be put into a regular enclosure, the PCB on the disk includes the USB interface, so you can't put it into a SATA enclosure. I think it was a 1TB WD drive I encountered this on.

Steviemoyne

I've had a 500gb seagate external HDD drive in the past. It stopped working after being dropped, to be specific it starting beeping (much like the bios beeps on certain motherboards).

Try downloading a version of seatools off the seagate website and run the diagnostic on the drive using seatools.

There is also a high chance that the drive itself is perfectly fine but the actual connection for the USB is broken (more specifically the chip connected to the drive), this happened to me when I dopped a 2.5" drive (I have terrible luck with dropping drives). Drive stopped working but I took it apart and put it into the enclosure for the 3.5" seagate drive and it worked fine...so I picked up a cheap enclosure off amazon. If it's not beeping the drive itself is *probably* fine. Seatools might give you more information though.

If it's under warranty and seatools doesn't fix it then send it back to where you bought it from.

riclad

Most drives inside the enclosure /case, are just. Standard. Data,
Port, power. Port, using. Standard sata. . Interface,s
With easy. To. Plug. In. Cables,
Data power cable. Is small, sata. Data cable about. 2 inch wide.

wheresmybeaver

I had a 1tb external usb fail on me a few years ago, i was gutted as it had a lot of my own music recordings which i stupidly didn't have backed up anywhere else. So i bought a new 3.5inch disc and a caddy to go with it as it worked out cheaper. A few weeks later i thought on a whim to take the disc out of the busted 1tb drive and try it in the caddy and lo! Immediate access to my files! Turns out the enclosure / usb interface was fried and not the disc itself. Now I know! And i also make double backups of everything, on a regular basis.. Once bitten..

riclad

AFTER a certain amount of time the external drive pcb board, stops working ,
but the hard disk can be taken out and put in a caddy,where it works as before.

degsie

riclad wrote: »

AFTER a certain amount of time the external drive pcb board, stops working ,
but the hard disk can be taken out and put in a caddy,where it works as before.

If you mean the controller board then no.

beauf

degsie wrote: »

If you mean the controller board then no.

AFAIK (Just to be pedantic)

The PCB board mounted directly to the hard drive is the controller.

The PCB board in the external case is a bridge board.
(I assume - bridges between external interface and the internal one)

beauf

I'd also do as other suggested. Take the drive out and try it outside the case.

Aeternum

Ok thanks for the suggestions! Do I just need to get something like this so? http://www.amazon.co.uk/12-7MM-Laptops-second-laptop-replace/dp/B0074AWDI6

beauf

Why?

What's the model/name of the drive you have.

bonzodog2

Aeternum wrote: »

Ok thanks for the suggestions! Do I just need to get something like this so? http://www.amazon.co.uk/12-7MM-Laptops-second-laptop-replace/dp/B0074AWDI6

Thats one option, if the drive is a SATA (probably). I have a similar one in mine sometimes. Bear in mind that one is 12.7mm high, some laptops are only 9.5mm.

Also the drive is running whenever the laptop is on. Maybe slight reduced life.

Also make sure the laptop BIOS will support a 2TB drive

Also less battery life running 2 disks

The alternative is a regular enclosure, if Amazon is your preferred source, search there for "2.5" sata enclosure". Some of the cheap ones don't last for ever.

wheresmybeaver

Ok I think some of the advice in this thread is not particularly relevant to the OP's issue.

OP has a 2TB external Seagate HD, probably something like this.

It has a desktop 3.5inch disk drive inside, and you definitely won't be fitting it in a laptop anytime soon - laptops will fit a 2.5inch disk at the very most and many now are using proprietary 1.8inch or smaller SSD drives. 3.5inch drives also need an external power source.

OPs options include:
1. Get a hot-swapping 3.5inch caddy such as this, I have a similar one myself and it allows me to keep a few "naked" 3.5 inch disks for backup purposes without having to buy a dedicated enclosure for each disk. OP can take the HD out of the faulty Seagate drive, pop it in here and immediately be able to tell if the disc itself is knackered or not. This caddy can be used in future on a desk if OP might be picking up some more naked 3.5 disks (some excellent value out there).
2. Get a dedicated 3.5 HD enclosure like this. Like above, OP can pop the 3.5 inch disk from the Seagate drive into this enclosure and if the disk itself is ok, you're flying. If it does turn out that the disk is damaged and useless, then OP can order a naked 3.5 inch disk a little bit cheaper off Amazon or elsewhere. This kind of enclosure is more of a permanent solution - you won't be swapping out internal disks very often with this one.

Anyway, hope the data is still intact OP!

riclad

I ,d get the caddy unit sata dock,
as i think you,d need a unit with a power supply for a large 3.5inch drive .

http://www.maplin.co.uk/search?text=dock
You might get one at a reduced price,
maplin have sales on certain items every week .
IF you buy it from the shop.
a 3.5/ 2.5 sata dock will work on any sata drive.
and its slighty cheaper than a 3.5 inch dock.
THE bridge board in the case maybe faulty.

Flinty997

This thread is from 2014.

It's either fixed or in the bin Peter.