Question I need help restoring the partition on my WD 8TB My Book ?

[Darkmatterx]

Without any noises or fanfare, my 8TB My Book stopped being recognized by my PC. At first the HDD didn't show up at all, but after a few reboots it did. In Disk Management it showed as not initialized and unallocated, with no partitions.

I think this is a corrupted MBR or whatever they use for 8TB drives. This is a non-boot drive just for storing files. It's still in it's housing and has always been a USB attached drive with 1 large partition.

I still don't know why the drive is now showing unallocated in disk management when all I did was a typical reboot. /shrug

What's the best way to go about diagnosing/confirming & fixing this? I'm hoping that file recovery won't be needed if the drive's MBR got partially corrupted.

Win 10 64bit Pro

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Other disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

= = = =

Unfortunately anything you do could cause data loss or further data loss.

Start by posting a screenshot of the Disk Management screen. Expand the screen so all can be seen and then post the full image here via imgur (www.imgur.com).

Is that WD 8TB My Book using only host USB power or does the My Book have its' own independent power supply? The images I found appear to show just host USB power.....

More information needed.

 

[SkyNetRising]

At first the HDD didn't show up at all, but after a few reboots it did.
In disk management it showed as not initialized and unallocated, with no partition.

Please show screenshot from Disk Management.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

 

[fzabkar]

Can you retrieve the SMART attributes?

https://www.reddit.com/r/datarecoverysoftware/wiki/index/smart/

Can you show us the Partitions tab in DMDE?

https://dmde.com/

 

[dwd999]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Other disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

= = = =

Unfortunately anything you do could cause data loss or further data loss.

Start by posting a screenshot of the Disk Management screen. Expand the screen so all can be seen and then post the full image here via imgur (www.imgur.com).

Is that WD 8TB My Book using only host USB power or does the My Book have its' own independent power supply? The images I found appear to show just host USB power.....

More information needed.

WD's webpage "In the Box" section indicates there is an AC adapter so perhaps that failed. There's also a second cord visible in their video. But if it failed at a critical point in writing to the disk professional data recovery service may be needed. OP could try reading the adapter's labelling to check the voltage and wattage provided by it and might be able to substitute a replacement adapter but will most likely still need to send the whole thing out to a service company.

 

[Darkmatterx]

OK, so here's some of the info requested.

SMART test = fail

https://imgur.com/3uHz9Lx

View: https://imgur.com/3uHz9Lx

https://imgur.com/UNjnqjQ

View: https://imgur.com/UNjnqjQ


PSU Corsair RMx850x

Problem drive is a WD My Book portable drive. Uses both USB and power adapter for power, which is plugged into an APC UPS.

All components new and individually sourced by me. Approx. 3y.o. Maybe 4.

I haven't tried DMDE before, but I can take a look.

Thanks

 

[Darkmatterx]

WD's webpage "In the Box" section indicates there is an AC adapter so perhaps that failed. There's also a second cord visible in their video. But if it failed at a critical point in writing to the disk professional data recovery service may be needed. OP could try reading the adapter's labelling to check the voltage and wattage provided by it and might be able to substitute a replacement adapter but will most likely still need to send the whole thing out to a service company.

I did try several USB cords in different USB ports, but not a different power adapter. I do have a 2nd 8TB, so I could see if that works, but that won't help in critical file info for the partition is partly corrupted.

I'm wary of even rebooting this thing since the drive wasn't even seen for several reboots.

 

[Darkmatterx]

DMDE showed me this after I took a peak inside the "advanced" options, although I touched nothing inside it.

The error itself is kind of expected, but without knowing the error code itself I stopped there and quit the program.

https://imgur.com/8X1AYwf

View: https://imgur.com/8X1AYwf

 

[Darkmatterx]

Ignore this post. I just forgot to "reply" to people so I'm not sure if they'll notice my post.

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Other disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

= = = =

Unfortunately anything you do could cause data loss or further data loss.

Start by posting a screenshot of the Disk Management screen. Expand the screen so all can be seen and then post the full image here via imgur (www.imgur.com).

Is that WD 8TB My Book using only host USB power or does the My Book have its' own independent power supply? The images I found appear to show just host USB power.....

More information needed.

Please show screenshot from Disk Management.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

Can you retrieve the SMART attributes?

https://www.reddit.com/r/datarecoverysoftware/wiki/index/smart/

Can you show us the Partitions tab in DMDE?

https://dmde.com/

WD's webpage "In the Box" section indicates there is an AC adapter so perhaps that failed. There's also a second cord visible in their video. But if it failed at a critical point in writing to the disk professional data recovery service may be needed. OP could try reading the adapter's labelling to check the voltage and wattage provided by it and might be able to substitute a replacement adapter but will most likely still need to send the whole thing out to a service company.

 

[Ralston18]

8 TB MyBook being the I: drive - correct?

 

[Darkmatterx]

8 TB MyBook being the I: drive - correct?

Actually I need to remove those letters. They're from my old system. The drive in question is disk 6, which is just below the 8TB that shows as working. The bad drive has no letter and chkdsk says it can't scan it because it's "raw."

 

[fzabkar]

It appears that the drive has physical problems, probably heads or media.

 

[Darkmatterx]

It appears that the drive has physical problems, probably heads or media.

What makes you say that? The error in my last screenshot?

Does anyone know which way the HDD's face in the enclosures? I might try laying it on it's side, correct side up.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Does anyone know which way the HDD's face in the enclosures? I might try laying it on it's side, correct side up.

That's insane amount of external drives.
Do you need to use them all simultaneously?

 

[Darkmatterx]

I'm actually surprised it took this long for someone to say something. lol

On top of collecting old anime that never made it over to the west, I'm also a photographer. RAW files take up a lot of space, as do 4K videos.

You can kind of see my progression as tech changed and my needs changed regarding the portable drives. 2TB, 3TB, 6TB, 6TB, 8TB, 8TB. lol

Anyone have any other suggestions, or know which side is 'face up' for WD My Books?

Thanks!

That's insane amount of external drives.
Do you need to use them all simultaneously?

 

[SkyNetRising]

I think, you're hitting some USB power limits because of number of external drives used.
And that is causing drive disconnect and partition table corruption.

If you insist on using external drives, then connect only those you're currently working with.
Disconnect idle unused drives.
External drives are not meant to be constantly connected. Connect, use, then disconnect.

If you want to use drives as permanently connected, then install them internally (unless your pc is a laptop).
With 3x 20TB internal drives you could replace all your 9 external drives.

 

[fzabkar]

What makes you say that? The error in my last screenshot?

Does anyone know which way the HDD's face in the enclosures? I might try laying it on it's side, correct side up.

SMART data are stored on the platters in a reserved "System Area" (SA). Therefore, an inability to retrieve the SMART attributes would suggest that the heads can't access the SA.

DMDE can't read sector 0. I expect that it will have the same problem with all other sectors, in which case this once again suggests that there is a head/media/firmware problem. (Most of the firmware resides in the SA.)

 

[USAFRet]

On top of collecting old anime that never made it over to the west, I'm also a photographer. RAW files take up a lot of space, as do 4K videos.

You can kind of see my progression as tech changed and my needs changed regarding the portable drives. 2TB, 3TB, 6TB, 6TB, 8TB, 8TB. lol

That use case screams out for a NAS, rather than a bunch of USB drives.

 

[Darkmatterx]

That use case screams out for a NAS, rather than a bunch of USB drives.

Yea I see that. I'd get one now if I could afford it.

I tried 1 other program, Disk Genius, and I'll show you what it was spitting out during "partition recovery."

My last question before I chalk this up to hardware dedge is that someone mentioned to me a program, bootable off a USB that is good at fixing things (not hardware of course) called,

https://www.hirensbootcd.org/
Edit: I'll probably pass on this. It tries to update drivers for everything, and does everything, and may make a bigger mess.

Do you know of it, or if it would have any better chance then Disk Genius? I'm guessing no.

So, that leaves me with the last option since I don't have $10K to spend on a silly recovery. I try to re-partition/initialize the drive and hope I can recover files if it will read at all.

On the off chance that it does, what program do you suggest?

That image I mentioned above.

https://imgur.com/7iXEcju

View: https://imgur.com/7iXEcju

 

[USAFRet]

Do you know of it, or if it would have any better chance then Disk Genius? I'm guessing no.

No I don't.

So, that leaves me with the last option since I don't have $10K to spend on a silly recovery. I try to re-partition/initialize the drive and hope I can recover files if it will read at all.

Assuming this actually works (doubtful), this will kill your data completely.

 

[Darkmatterx]

No I don't.


Assuming this actually works (doubtful), this will kill your data completely.

Really? I thought it just damaged the areas that were overwritten, such as anything that might be overwritten by the new GPT.

Can I quick format it? I've had to do that once, a long time ago and I was able to get files back, just not all.

I actually just wish I had a file list of what was on the drive...

 

[USAFRet]

Really? I thought it just damaged the areas that were overwritten, such as anything that might be overwritten by the new GPT.

Can I quick format it? I've had to do that once, a long time ago and I was able to get files back, just not all.

I actually just wish I had a file list of what was on the drive...

A quick format, on a fully functional drive, just deletes the FAT (File Allocation Table).
Basically, the table of contents.
The data kinda mostly still lives.

On this drive?
No idea.

But expecting actual recovery from a format of any kind is a false hope.

 

[Misgar]

RAW files take up a lot of space, as do 4K videos.

Been there. Done that. When I came back from vacation in 2023, I had 660GB of RAW + JPG files. This year i bought a GoPro and took videos on the move instead of stills. Same amount of data, but half of it's 4K, not RAW.

Can I quick format it?

Don't do anything that even hints of writing back to the drive. Any changes you make now could make things far more difficult for a professional. Leave it up to the experts.

I don't have $10K to spend on a silly recovery

You might find a data recovery agency that doesn't charge quite that exhorbitant a fee.

In some instances, they'll perform a few "simple" tests and report back with a confidence level and price., to copy your data to new media.

If you have an identical (exact same hard disk part number inside the enclosure), fully working, drive that can be used as a donor, you might be able to negotiate a discount. The shop could remove the platters from your bad drive in a clean room, plus its controller card, then fit them into the donor drive. Recovery price normally includes the cost of a donor drive. By supplying your own, you might save money.

It's worth a shot and you might get away with a few hundred dollars. Next time, make backups.

I think, you're hitting some USB power limits because of number of external drives used.

If, and it's a big if, all the OP's drives are 3.5" with their own individual +12V DC power bricks, then there shouldn't be a problem "overloading" the USB ports. Mind you, there's no way I'd hang more than one external drive off a computer, unless I was copying files between two portable disks.

It's been my experience that 3.5" desktop portable drives get "toasty" warm after an hour of intensive reads and writes. The plastic housings contains pitifully few vents which are totally inadequate for good ventilation.

I've seen portable 3.5" hard disk temperatures up to 55°C (131°F) in a room ambient of 25°C/77°F. In summer the drives roast. Not good.

This guide recommends 20°C (68°F) to 45°C (113°F) as a good temperature range for hard disks.
https://hdsentinel.com/blog/safe-hard-drive-temp

When I do use 3.5" portable drives, I aim a desktop fan over the plastic case to keep things inside cool. No way would I run a bunch of drives for days/weeks/months on end, without additional cooling. Same applies to drives inside computer cases, but they tend not to get quite so warm due to better air circulation.

 

[Darkmatterx]

Thanks, yea they all had power cords.

I actually tried a bootable Ubuntu USB on a different computer and even it couldn't do anything. Really does seem to be a hardware SOL situation.

There wasn't anything critically important on there, I just wish I had a file list of what was on the drive. Funny the things you think of later.

I think I'll skip recovery and put that money towards a large NAS. I'm assuming that that's a better option then a cloud service? I don't need "access from anywhere" so the only big benefit would be off site protection if I had a fire and was away.

BTW, speaking of temps, while doing this, my Samsung M.2 SSD was getting up to 50 C.

Should I be getting a heatsink to try to bleed some of that heat off? Maybe up my fan ramp up speeds?

Thanks

Been there. Done that. When I came back from vacation in 2023, I had 660GB of RAW + JPG files. This year i bought a GoPro and took videos on the move instead of stills. Same amount of data, but half of it's 4K, not RAW.


Don't do anything that even hints of writing back to the drive. Any changes you make now could make things far more difficult for a professional. Leave it up to the experts.


You might find a data recovery agency that doesn't charge quite that exhorbitant a fee.

In some instances, they'll perform a few "simple" tests and report back with a confidence level and price., to copy your data to new media.

If you have an identical (exact same hard disk part number inside the enclosure), fully working, drive that can be used as a donor, you might be able to negotiate a discount. The shop could remove the platters from your bad drive in a clean room, plus its controller card, then fit them into the donor drive. Recovery price normally includes the cost of a donor drive. By supplying your own, you might save money.

It's worth a shot and you might get away with a few hundred dollars. Next time, make backups.


If, and it's a big if, all the OP's drives are 3.5" with their own individual +12V DC power bricks, then there shouldn't be a problem "overloading" the USB ports. Mind you, there's no way I'd hang more than one external drive off a computer, unless I was copying files between two portable disks.

It's been my experience that 3.5" desktop portable drives get "toasty" warm after an hour of intensive reads and writes. The plastic housings contains pitifully few vents which are totally inadequate for good ventilation.

I've seen portable 3.5" hard disk temperatures up to 55°C (131°F) in a room ambient of 25°C/77°F. In summer the drives roast. Not good.

This guide recommends 20°C (68°F) to 45°C (113°F) as a good temperature range for hard disks.
https://hdsentinel.com/blog/safe-hard-drive-temp

When I do use 3.5" portable drives, I aim a desktop fan over the plastic case to keep things inside cool. No way would I run a bunch of drives for days/weeks/months on end, without additional cooling. Same applies to drives inside computer cases, but they tend not to get quite so warm due to better air circulation.

 

[dwd999]

BTW, speaking of temps, while doing this, my Samsung M.2 SSD was getting up to 50 C.

Should I be getting a heatsink to try to bleed some of that heat off? Maybe up my fan ramp up speeds?

Samsung's specs say that an Operating Temperature of 0 - 70 C is preferred, so 50 C isn't that bad. If you have an available 4 pin pwm connector on your motherboard a cooler like the Team Group T-FORCE DARK Air Flow M.2 2280 SSD Cooler TJ190002 would be the current ultimate.