How to fix input/output error on external harddrive repair

[Shaun_12]

Hi,

my extrnal HD was left pluged in to my computer and my battery ran flat, now wen I plug it in to my mac i can't access it, how ever it appears in disk utility. Wen I go to first aid, repair disk permission isn't avalible and wen I press repair this error came up " unable to read FAT (input/output error) ERROR:the underlying task reported faliure on exit. Does anyone know how to fix this, I have a lot a data I don't want lost on there.

Thank you

 

[cin19]

Most like you has the data corruption and loss, common causes are;
1)Power outages or other power-related problems.
2)Improper shutdowns, pressing and holding the power button, and hardware problems or failures.
3)Failure to eject external hard drives and related storage devices before disconnecting them or powering them off.

You need to recovery your files , check the link for free softwares, and use the "Recuva"
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/tp/free-file-recovery-programs.htm

I did have same situation and lost my files too, what I do now I save the important files into two difference HDDs.