2TB hard drive problem

[famuseccles]

I have a 2TB hard drive that I have 80% filled on a computer using Windows 7. However, when I turned it on several weeks ago, the drive was not recognised and showed that it needed optimizing. I now have a new computer but I get the same need. If I optimize as instructed, do I lose all the data currently on the drive?

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

When you say optimise, do you mean the "Scan for and repair errors on the drive" box? If so, go ahead and run it - it won't affect the data on the drive.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey famuseccles. As @PizzaTheHutt said, it's not quite clear what you mean by "optimize the drive". Could you please write the exact error message or warning that you're getting? As for his suggestion, if it is this message indeed, it won't hurt the drive. But I'd also recommend that you backup any important data which you might have on it, if the drive is giving you errors and is not recognized sometimes. After that go ahead and download the manufacturer's diagnostic tool to test the drive with it and see if there are any errors with the HDD.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[famuseccles]

Thanks Guys.
I'll try to be more specific. When I go through Start - right click Computer - left disc management, a small box titled Initialize disc comes over the computer management window asking me to initialize the disc drive highlighted. It gives me two types of partition styles; MBR (Master Boot Record) and GPT ( GUID Partition table. If I select MBR, I get a message from the virtual disc manager saying 'the request failed due to a fatal device hardware error'. If I choose GPT I get a different message from the virtual disc manager saying 'The specified drive is not convertible because the size is less than the minimum size required for GPT discs'.
I do not if that helps you because it beyond my level of understanding. If there is nowhere for me to go from here, is it possible to open to drive, extract the disc and use in my player to get access to the data.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

This doesn't sound very good. If the drive is shown as not initialized then, it is very possible that the partition is corrupted or there might be a physical issue with the drive or its enclosure. For drives 2TB or less you should use MBR, but don't initialize the drive, because you'll lose all the data on it. I'd recommend that you try the HDD with Linux Live USB/CD if it's recognized properly and if you are able to get your data. If that doesn't work, then you could try some of the data recovery options from this thread here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1644496/lost-data-recovery.html

Other than that, you always have the most reliable option of all, which is a professional solution such as a data recovery company.
I hope you're able to get your data. Good luck!

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

Yeah, Boogieman_WD is right - your drive is probably corrupted. You may want to try a PCB swap but other than that, you may just need to pay for data recovery if the data on the drive is critical.

 

[fzabkar]

@famuseccles, initialising your drive would be data destructive. Please don't do it.

The error message is telling you that Windows cannot read or make sense of the data in sector 0. A failure to initialise suggests that Windows cannot write to sector 0, which in turn suggests that the drive has an internal fault. It is unlikely to be PCB related.

There may be a DIY solution, but it would depend on the problem. Can you tell us the model number of your drive?