Cyclic redundancy check

[exhdwontwork]

I accidentally tripped on and unplugged my external HD. Next time I plugged it in it wouldn't show up in My Computer. It shows up in Device Manager and Disk Management (but not in the list). It shows as not initialized, but when I try to I get "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)." All the answers I've found say to do chkdsk but I can't because the drive does not have a drive letter and won't let me assign one. Data recovery tools don't work b/c the computer doesn't recognize it. I've been reading about this for an hour and can't find anything. The brand is Buffalo if that matters. Please help!

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there exhdwontwork,

Well, that is really unpleasant. 🙁
This error message could be caused by some physical issue.
One thing you can do is to attach the drive with another USB cable to a different USB port or even system.

In case the issue persists, then there is something wrong with the enclosure or the HDD itself. If the data is really important, your safest bet would be to contact a data recovery company.

Some users take the drive out of the enclosure and try to attach it internally in cases like this. Keep in mind that this may not work due to various reasons: proprietary connectors, some sort of encryption, the enclosure is working good but the HDD is bad, etc.

Let me know in case you have some more questions,
D_Know_WD

 

[saratj1]

Put it in the freezer over night , then try it when your ready to transfer data to something in case it did work if only for a short time, or as a last resort give it a whack on one side (watch a youtube video on this method for details and more info (like approx., force, what side and direction to hit, type of object to hit it with for better odds of helping and not hurting) but I cant remember and its a long shot anyway if you aren't going to do any pro data recovery.
Even possible to open up the drive and get the heads unstuck, but difficult because one spec of dust on the platter is game over so you need a sealed clean area to work in. Just depends on your skill and desire to get the data.

 

[D_Know_WD]

I believe that freezing and whacking the drive would result in unrecoverable data.
Also, drive should be opened up in a dust clean environment, which means: special room used only for that type of work.

Just start with the simple troubleshooting steps from my first post.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD