hard drive wont initialize

[tom sharon]

I had an old computer that worked really bad so I stripped it down and found out that the HD is pretty decent, so I connected it to this computer but the drive wont show up, when I tried to initialize it I just get "incorrect function ", help!
p.s. the drive worked just fine in the old computer so i dont think that the problem is in the drive itself.

thanks

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the TH Community, Tom!

Can you please share more details about the HDD? Is it an internal or an external drive? It would also be really helpful if you share a screenshot of your Disk Management in Windows. If you have any important files on this drive, initializing it would format it and erase everything, so make sure you back up your files to the computer where you are able to access them. I'd also suggest to change the cable and the port where you are connecting it and see if that will make any difference in the proper detection of the HDD.
You could also try to initialize and format the drive through Command Prompt's DiskPart. However, this error does sound concerning, so I'd still advise you to run the HDD manufacturer's brand-specific diagnostic utility or a third-party alternative to check up on the health and SMART status of the hard drive.

Keep me posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[tom sharon]

Welcome to the TH Community, Tom!

Can you please share more details about the HDD? Is it an internal or an external drive? It would also be really helpful if you share a screenshot of your Disk Management in Windows. If you have any important files on this drive, initializing it would format it and erase everything, so make sure you back up your files to the computer where you are able to access them. I'd also suggest to change the cable and the port where you are connecting it and see if that will make any difference in the proper detection of the HDD.
You could also try to initialize and format the drive through Command Prompt's DiskPart. However, this error does sound concerning, so I'd still advise you to run the HDD manufacturer's brand-specific diagnostic utility or a third-party alternative to check up on the health and SMART status of the hard drive.

Keep me posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD

the drive is an old 500GB WD internal drive
i couldn't add a screenshot but i have two options for initializing: MBR and GPT
both of them end with a small error window saying "incorrect function ".
tried the DiskPart tip but it didn't wok.

tried all the diagnostic utilities but none of them seem to recognize the drive

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @Tom!

I'm sorry to hear about these issues you are encountering with this old WD HDD of yours. Are you sure that you are recognizing the HDD in Disk Management and DiskPart? I'd suggest you check the connections and even try plugging it using a different cable and a different port on your computer. If you have access to another PC/laptop try connecting the drive there as well to see if you will be able to detect it anywhere properly. How does it appear in the Device Manager, though? I'd also like to ask you if this is an internal or an external drive and what is its model?

Keep me posted with the details! They would be really helpful.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[tom sharon]

Hey there again, @Tom!

I'm sorry to hear about these issues you are encountering with this old WD HDD of yours. Are you sure that you are recognizing the HDD in Disk Management and DiskPart? I'd suggest you check the connections and even try plugging it using a different cable and a different port on your computer. If you have access to another PC/laptop try connecting the drive there as well to see if you will be able to detect it anywhere properly. How does it appear in the Device Manager, though? I'd also like to ask you if this is an internal or an external drive and what is its model?

Keep me posted with the details! They would be really helpful.
SuperSoph_WD

yes, im sure that im recognizing the HHD in disk management
tried to reconnect to the old computer and it dosen't recognize it there either
in device manager it appears as disk 1 underneath that is "unknown" and then "uninitialized"
the rectangle that shows how the space is distributed is blank.
its a device from Western Digital modeled WD500AAKS link to drive page
(500GB, internal, 16 mb cache)
tried to plug the drive to other ports but it changed nothing

hope i helped
tom

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Do you have any important data on that WD Blue of yours, @Tom? Have you tried initializing it from the other computer?
If you do have important files on it, you might want to consider contacting a professional data recovery company for assistance.
I'd also strongly recommend attempting to test the drive using WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Windows. Running the QUICK and EXTENDED tests should help us determine the health and SMART status of your WD Blue. As long as the drive is recognized in Disk Management and Device manager, the utility should pick it up as well.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[tom sharon]

Do you have any important data on that WD Blue of yours, @Tom? Have you tried initializing it from the other computer?
If you do have important files on it, you might want to consider contacting a professional data recovery company for assistance.
I'd also strongly recommend attempting to test the drive using WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Windows. Running the QUICK and EXTENDED tests should help us determine the health and SMART status of your WD Blue. As long as the drive is recognized in Disk Management and Device manager, the utility should pick it up as well.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
SuperSoph_WD

i only have on the drive a few files that i already backed up
i'l try the WD lifeguard thing
hope it works

tom

 

[tom sharon]

Do you have any important data on that WD Blue of yours, @Tom? Have you tried initializing it from the other computer?
If you do have important files on it, you might want to consider contacting a professional data recovery company for assistance.
I'd also strongly recommend attempting to test the drive using WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Windows. Running the QUICK and EXTENDED tests should help us determine the health and SMART status of your WD Blue. As long as the drive is recognized in Disk Management and Device manager, the utility should pick it up as well.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
SuperSoph_WD

tried the WD lifeguard and it does recognize the drive but it shows up as 0mb with "unknown" in the health bar
i think that using the "write zeros" thing will solve the problem
thank you!
tom

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

tried the WD lifeguard and it does recognize the drive but it shows up as 0mb with "unknown" in the health bar
i think that using the "write zeros" thing will solve the problem
thank you!
tom

Hey there again, Tom!

This sounds pretty unfortunate. If the WD Blue is listed as 0mb and 'unknown' and you are unable to successfully run the QUICK and EXTENDED tests from the Data LifeGuard Diagnostics utility, you might be dealing with a failed drive. Please make sure it passes both tests before running the 'WRITE ZEROS' feature. (it will fully erase the drive)
Here's an article from our knowledge base that can walk you through the process of Low-level formatting.
If it any point, the diagnostics fail, you should definitely consider replacing the HDD. Even though, this is an older model, you might still want to check the warranty.
Either way, I'd not trust any data with the drive until you have determined its health and SMART status.

Let me know how it goes! Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[tom sharon]

tried the WD lifeguard and it does recognize the drive but it shows up as 0mb with "unknown" in the health bar
i think that using the "write zeros" thing will solve the problem
thank you!
tom

Hey there again, Tom!

This sounds pretty unfortunate. If the WD Blue is listed as 0mb and 'unknown' and you are unable to successfully run the QUICK and EXTENDED tests from the Data LifeGuard Diagnostics utility, you might be dealing with a failed drive. Please make sure it passes both tests before running the 'WRITE ZEROS' feature. (it will fully erase the drive)
Here's an article from our knowledge base that can walk you through the process of Low-level formatting.
If it any point, the diagnostics fail, you should definitely consider replacing the HDD. Even though, this is an older model, you might still want to check the warranty.
Either way, I'd not trust any data with the drive until you have determined its health and SMART status.

Let me know how it goes! Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

im going to take it to a computer technician and see if its really failed
thank you for all the help though!
it couldn't have figured it all out without you
thanks again
tom