Question external hard drive issue

[xilin_0]

HD Brand : WD
I apologize for the general topic, but I would like to clarify the issue I am experiencing. I have several external hard drives, and the one I am referring to was purchased 13 years ago. It has not been damaged by water or impact.

When I connect it to the USB 3 port on my laptop, only 1 out of 4 partitions is visible. The other three partitions only display the drive names, without showing any volume information. Subsequently, my computer begins to fill a green progress bar at the top and becomes unresponsive (hangs). After a while, a message appears stating, "Format before use." I click on "Cancel."

First time I connected it, I received a message (Yellow exclamation in device manager) indicating that "drivers for the USB devices were not installed completely." I updated the drivers, and they now appear to be functioning correctly. The LED on the drive is blinking, and I can hear a buzzing sound, along with some movement inside the hard drive when I place my hand on it(I believe sound does not mean defecting and it's a natural sound)

Could you please assist me in retrieving my data, if possible? How can I check for the underlying problem? To be honest, this hard drive was my first one, and it contains all my important data, including old photos. I cannot bear the thought of losing them. Additionally, I would like to mention that I do not have confidence in handing it over to a technician or expert.

NOTE:defect drive of external HD is "O" , "P" , "Q" and "K"
Note: I have to eject HD by pulling it from the laptop's port and can't perform safety remove .

thank you

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I did Windows 10 and live boot LinuxMint , nothing shown

and this Linux OS is installed on another computer?

@stonecarver suggested you plug this drive into another computer, not just access through another OS on the same system.

have actually tried that yet?

 

[xilin_0]

and this Linux OS is installed on another computer?

Hi
It's not installed but I burned an ISO of LinuxMint and did live bootable

@stonecarver suggested you plug this drive into another computer, not just access through another OS on the same system.

I tried LinuxMint on other device . I understood not same OS but different system.
I have done 2 times.

 

[xilin_0]

If it just locks up, it may be too far gone.

But maybe, CrystalDiskInfo, to get some info from it.

Thank you
I haven't had any experience with Macrium , could it be used for single-folder backup?If yes what would be the file format? Is it selectable or what is that? If a clone/backup from a file or folder is there any guarantee it keeps healthy over a long period of time ?
what is the best file format for long-term preservation (I specifically refer to the folder that contains photos, videos, docs) and not mention system files like Windows.
Can put a strong password on each backup/clone file?

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you
I haven't had any experience with Macrium , could it be used for single-folder backup?If yes what would be the file format? Is it selectable or what is that? If a clone/backup from a file or folder is there any guarantee it keeps healthy over a long period of time ?
what is the best file format for long-term preservation (I specifically refer to the folder that contains photos, videos, docs) and not mention system files like Windows.
Can put a strong password on each backup/clone file?

For single folder, Macrium is probably too much.

Look into FreeFileSync and SyncBackFree.

Yes, I've used both.

I use Macrium now, because I do full drive Images. Not individual folders.

 

[xilin_0]

For single folder, Macrium is probably too much.

Look into FreeFileSync and SyncBackFree.

Yes, I've used both.

I use Macrium now, because I do full drive Images. Not individual folders.

Thank you.
Generally, what is the file format of this software?

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you.
Generally, what is the file format of this software?

Those two applications just leave the original file format.