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External hard drive

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  • 04-09-2015 10:41am
    #1
    leemaree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭


    I have an external hard drive since 2 years ago and ever since it worked until last week it didn't. When I plug it in to the USB port it is making a sound (as it does to let it knows it's plugged in) but doesn't show up in This PC. It is not my USB Port as all of them work. The thing is also that when I plug it in, the drive inside make a beeping noise inside. Any suggestions? I have windows 8.1. It doesn't show up in Disk Management either. The blue light is on


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    #2
    Tefral
    Registered Users Posts: 4,358 ✭✭✭Tefral


    leemaree wrote: »
    I have an external hard drive since 2 years ago and ever since it worked until last week it didn't. When I plug it in to the USB port it is making a sound (as it does to let it knows it's plugged in) but doesn't show up in This PC. It is not my USB Port as all of them work. The thing is also that when I plug it in, the drive inside make a beeping noise inside. Any suggestions? I have windows 8.1. It doesn't show up in Disk Management either. The blue light is on

    Sounds like the drive has failed, especially if the sound is replicating itself over and over.

    I successfully got Western Digitial to take back and repair my hard drive after the warranty expired.


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    #3
    leemaree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭leemaree


    cronin_j wrote: »
    Sounds like the drive has failed, especially if the sound is replicating itself over and over.

    I successfully got Western Digitial to take back and repair my hard drive after the warranty expired.

    But there is stuff I want on the external hard disk


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    #4
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    It might be possible to remove the drive for the casing and plug it directly into a PC. It might also be worth giving the drive a gentle tap (while turned off). I had a WD that was beeping like that but it seemed to rectify itself.
    I can't stress enough that only having one copy of important documents is a huge risk.


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    #5
    Tefral
    Registered Users Posts: 4,358 ✭✭✭Tefral


    leemaree wrote: »
    But there is stuff I want on the external hard disk

    Unfortunately that information may be lost.


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    #6
    leemaree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭leemaree


    The device is showing up in Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Devices and Printer and it's showing up in Device Manager. Does that matter?


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    #7
    Tefral
    Registered Users Posts: 4,358 ✭✭✭Tefral


    leemaree wrote: »
    The device is showing up in Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Devices and Printer and it's showing up in Device Manager. Does that matter?

    In the File Explorer, when you right click and click properties does it show the drive in the pie chart as been completely full or empty? or does it recognize the files inside?


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    #8
    leemaree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭leemaree


    cronin_j wrote: »
    In the File Explorer, when you right click and click properties does it show the drive in the pie chart as been completely full or empty? or does it recognize the files inside?

    Sorry, I don't understand. When u right click, all it show is the system properties


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    #9
    leemaree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭leemaree


    leemaree wrote: »
    Sorry, I don't understand. When u right click, all it show is the system properties

    Oh sorry, now I know what u mean. duh.....NO it doesn't show up


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    #10
    Tefral
    Registered Users Posts: 4,358 ✭✭✭Tefral


    leemaree wrote: »
    Oh sorry, now I know what u mean. duh.....NO it doesn't show up

    Yeah, whats happening here is the computer is seeing the device and the small board that drive is connected to, beyond that nothing else.

    Did the drive fall while on? If theres is something on that drive that you badly want, then you can take it to places that specialise in extractions. These generally are clean rooms and cost a fortune.

    If not, chalk it up to experience and move on. You could probably open it and get a drive to fit in it and use that after as this would be cheaper than buying a whole new unit.

    You could search for "CMD" and run a command called CHKDSK from there on the drive and see if it recovers anything but id be 100% the drive inside the cradle is ****ed.


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    #11
    waynerooney
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭waynerooney


    As a last resort, go ahead and open that ****er up. I did this about a year ago with no clean room etc. etc.

    The disks are much more robust than the manufacturers make out. Watch the youtube video by 'diy perks' here to see how to do it. (Search for "How to recover data from a hard drive (stuck heads: buzzing, clicking, etc)" in google.


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