Question HDD inaccessible ?

[Artisanico]

I have found an old HDD that I never knew I had. I connected it up and it shows as being 298 Mb. However, when I try to use Explorer, I just get a panel saying it's inaccessible and there is an incorrect parameter. I changed the drive letter but this didn't resolve it. I can feel it buzzing normally so mechanically it seems OK. Is there anything I can do? TIA.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Is there anything I can do?

Throw it out.

 

[rgd1101]

exact model of the hdd?

 

[Artisanico]

exact model of the hdd?

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12

 

[USAFRet]

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12

Supposed capacity?
Age?

 

[Artisanico]

Supposed capacity?
Age?

320 Mb. I thinks it's about five years old, but can by no means be certain.

 

[SkyNetRising]

320 Mb. I thinks it's about five years old, but can by no means be certain.

Are you mixing up 320MB with 320GB ? That is difference in x1000 (1024 to be precise).
And for 320GB drive, usable capacity is 298GB.
(because it is not actually 320GB but 320'000'000'000 bytes. You divide it with 1024x1024x1024, to get actual number in GB.)

Do you absolutely have to recover the data?
Is it of any importance?
Can you show a screenshot from Disk Management?
and a screenshot from HDtune health.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

 

[USAFRet]

320 Mb. I thinks it's about five years old, but can by no means be certain.

Assuming you mean 320GB (not MB), it could easily be 15 years old.

320MB? That is last century.

 

[Artisanico]

Are you mixing up 320MB with 320GB ? That is difference in x1000 (1024 to be precise).
And for 320GB drive, usable capacity is 298GB.
(because it is not actually 320GB but 320'000'000'000 bytes. You divide it with 1024x1024x1024, to get actual number in GB.)

Do you absolutely have to recover the data?
Is it of any importance?
Can you show a screenshot from Disk Management?
and a screenshot from HDtune health.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

I have never heard of HDtune health but this is Computer Management:

https://imgur.com/a/NW0vQNR

View: https://imgur.com/a/NW0vQNR

 

[SkyNetRising]

I have never heard of HDtune health

Download and install HDtune 2.55 free version.
https://www.hdtune.com/download.html

Show screenshot from HDtune health section.

 

[Artisanico]

Download and install HDtune 2.55 free version.
https://www.hdtune.com/download.html

Show screenshot from HDtune health section.

Two screenshots here.

https://imgur.com/a/YJcoSql

View: https://imgur.com/a/YJcoSql
So it doesn't seem to be a health issue. The error scan reveals only green cells. `I find it hard to believe, because I stuck a label on the drive saying DATA STORE - DO NOT FORMAT, that I simply forgot to format it.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Is is connected with sata cables?
Or are you using it externally - with some kind of USB sata adapter?

 

[Artisanico]

Is is connected with sata cables?
Or are you using it externally - with some kind of USB sata adapter?

Using in a caddy, externally, with SATA.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Using in a caddy, externally, with SATA.

Connect internally (with sata data/power cables).
External SATA/USB adapters often use different sector size settings.
Then to use drive externally is has to be reformatted.

 

[Artisanico]

Connect internally (with sata data/power cables).
External SATA/USB adapters often use different sector size settings.
Then to use drive externally is has to be reformatted.

Thanks. I put it in internally and ran the data recovery programme Disk Drill on it. This revealed a full tree of folders and their files, apparently in good shape, and it seems this was a full backup I made as long ago as 2013. I am now doing the recovery option for Disk Drill and it will take many hours and it seems I won't have a folder tree at the end of it, just 100,000-odd files scattered in a single folder. Is there anything better I can do? TIA.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks. I put it in internally and ran the data recovery programme Disk Drill on it. This revealed a full tree of folders and their files, apparently in good shape, and it seems this was a full backup I made as long ago as 2013. I am now doing the recovery option for Disk Drill and it will take many hours and it seems I won't have a folder tree at the end of it, just 100,000-odd files scattered in a single folder. Is there anything better I can do? TIA.

A backup from 12 years ago...unless you know there is life changing data in there, let it go.

Reformat and move on.

 

[Artisanico]

A backup from 12 years ago...unless you know there is life changing data in there, let it go.

Reformat and move on.

Will the disk be OK to use after a reformat, at 12 years of age?

 

[USAFRet]

Will the disk be OK to use after a reformat, at 12 years of age?

Maybe, probably.

Personally, I assume every storage device is subject to fail, in the next 0.25 sec.
No matter how old.....15 years or 15 hours.