External HDD access issue

[Alfred1234]

For the past year i have been trying to get access to my HDD but without any luck.

everytime i plug in my external hdd to my pc or laptop it asks me to format it

after googling the issue and checking many links for solutions, i have tried many things even solutions from this forum but the results always fail

i tried the f disk from cmd to fix the issue

then i tried to recover and i read that ddrescue is the best tool for that
the problem with ddrescue was that i need atleast 1 year to recover that hdd and iam not sure if after 1 year it will be a success or not

My HDD is 1tb with 900gb used (WD elements usb)
and ddrescue speed was around 1kb or 2
other recovery tools are just as slow

my question is:
should i keep trying anything else? or should i just give up with the hdd
i just want to know if there is hope or not

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I would suggest using a HD Dock instead of an external drive. I have brought many a HD / SSD back to life by removing them from a system and formatting them in the dock.

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[RolandJS]

Data recovery not necessary, I guess

 

[Alfred1234]

@jack
but i want to recover the 900gb in the hdd
is that possible?
the data is important to me if there is any hope

 

[RolandJS]

If affordable, if possible, boot a usb or dvd backup/restore/clone utility, one of your choosing, and clone your source HD onto an external target HD, HD would be best. Put that target HD in a safe place, in case more drastic recovery attempts are needed.

You are now at an important fork in the road.

1) DIY path -- there are numerous free and pay-for data recovery utilities and there are many threads all over The 'Net that can guide you through DR.
(Be aware -- several data recovery specialists indicate that many end-users, in the midst of their crisis, often "try everything", those who don't succeed find out from DR companies that now recovery is much harder, much less successful in general, and much more expensive.)

2) Send the HD to any well-known, well-respected DR specialist or company, and let them handle the recovery attempt.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

@jack
but i want to recover the 900gb in the hdd
is that possible?
the data is important to me if there is any hope

Again, I have found that using a dock, for reasons I do not understand, sometimes allow me to accomplish things that I can't to when HD is in a proprietary enclosure or installed inside PC. You won't know till you try.

 

[Alfred1234]

but the dock formats the hdd as stated
how will that help me recover whats on it?
my hdd is an external hdd with a usb 3 wire

 

[RolandJS]

Don't use the dock, don't format that HD. Go back to my earlier comment about the fork in the road -- either clone & DIY recovery OR send it to a DR specialist.

 

[Alfred1234]

@roland

i would go with the recovery option but the problem is it recovers veeeeeery sloooooow
what programs do you recomend ?
name me the best one and il try it

i tried ddrescue which should of been the fastest and best but like i said it copies at 1~2kb 🙁