hard drive problem

[Lernik]

Hi, my WD passport hard drive is not opening, not on the laptop, it opens when connected to TV but shortly gets disconnected itself. While connected to the laptop makes crunchy noise...what shall i do.....don't want to loose all my data......HELP me pls

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Lernik.

Sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your drive. :\

From the sound of it, it really seems like the drive might be damaged, especially if it's making that kind of noise. If your TV has a second USB port and if you can transfer data between 2 USB storage devices, I'd recommend that you try to transfer your important data chunk by chunk to another drive (this is of course if the Passport doesn't disconnect really fast after being connected).

If the above is not an option, you should try the drive with a different computer as well and a different USB cable, to see if you'd be able to access it and recover your data.
Another option would be to try and access it via Ubuntu Live USB/DVD (this is a freeware, bootable, portable version of Linux), to see if the drive is recognized and if you can get to your files. If that doesn't help either you could give it a go with data recovery software: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/tp/free-file-recovery-programs.htm.

Note that the best option in your case would be a data recovery company: WD Data Recovery Partners. This is the safest bet, because if the drive has physical damage, the more you use it, the greater is the risk that it would get damaged even further when you scan it with data recovery software for example.

Good luck! Please keep me updated.
Boogieman_WD

 

[slyverine]

you can also remove the HD from the case and try to recover the data by plugging it into a computer. In any case try to get your data and then toss the HD it's damaged! You must always have a backup of your important files!

 

[Boogieman_WD]

That would be a big mistake. The Passport drives have hardware encryption which means that the OP won't be able to recover the data without the original enclosure, even if there has been no password set. Also, depending on the model it might have a proprietary connector, which would make it impossible to connect to a SATA port. It would also void the drive's warranty.

Besides, those noises indicate a hard drive problem rather than an enclosure issue. 🙁

 

[slyverine]

i didn't have that password thing in my mind . Also i guess his warranty is expired, hard for a WD external disk to die quickly. About the enclosure, plugging it directly is always better than from a case, narrows the problem because you are no longer dependant on a usb cable and external source for power.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

You might have a point there, but as I've mentioned, I've intentionally skipped that part as it would probably do more harm than help. Otherwise, with different drives (and probably different issues) it could be the saving point in terms of data recovery.