Dropped WD external hard drive

[Janjanx3]

I dropped my WD external hard drive and it opened up! I quickly put the top of it back on but when I plugged it in to my laptop it couldn't read it. What should I do?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey Janjanx3. This sounds a bit unfortunate. First, what model is the external drive or at least, do you know if the drive has hardware encryption? Do you hear any unusual sounds/noises coming from the drive? Can you see the drive when you open Disk Management? Here's how to open it: How to access Disk Management in Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8 to manage hard drives
If it's recognized there would you please post a screenshot?

If the drive is not recognized in Disk Management, I'd suggest to check if you can see it in Device Manager or BIOS as well. Please let me know what you find out so that we can figure out what to try as a possible solution.

Boogieman_WD

 

[_Tiki_]

I dropped my WD external hard drive and it opened up! I quickly put the top of it back on but when I plugged it in to my laptop it couldn't read it. What should I do?

You have to determine if you are dealing with a physical or mechanical fault. This may be the case seeing how the drive fell to the ground. If the drive is making a sort of clicking/ticking or grinding noise when powered on, it could be an indication the head may potentially be starching the platter (where the data is stored). This is probably the worse case scenario if you don't have a backup. Keep in mind, the more often the drive is turned on and if it is making that noise, you are essentially further damaging the drive when you power it on. It's best to leave it off and consult a data recovery specialist if that's the case.

Otherwise, check device manager and disk management to determine if the drive is recognized.