Question Internal HD connected externally via USB not recognized

[AbdulMuhammed]

I turned on my ASUS laptop the other day and it wouldn't even power up. After much diagnosing, it was dead. I removed the 1 T. platter H.D. and the 500G SSD drives and got a new laptop. The SSD (the primary drive with the O.S. showed up fine when connected via USB and I transferred files to the new laptop. I used a Sabrent kit I had to connect the power and SATA to a USB and tried to transfer the 1T platter drive files and it isn't recognized. The SATA light flashes on the Sabrent, so I know it is trying to get info, and I hear the platters spinning.



1. Laptop is ASUS Zenbook with a pathetic 500G SSD and no backup drive bays.

2. O.S. is Win 11 (original laptop OS was Win 10)

3. SATA light on Sabrent block flashes intermittently

4. Drive Management in new laptop doesn't even see a drive is connected externally.

Any Suggestions? I doubt there was a catastrophic failure of the drive as it was a secondary and the SSD is fine. I bought a new SATA cable b/c I thought it may be a cable issue, but no. I connected a very old 44 pin IDE platter HD via the Sabrent kit using that connection and it was detected immediately.

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"The SSD (the primary drive with the O.S. showed up fine when connected via USB and I transferred files to the new laptop"

What files were transferred? Did the transfer include Windows?

 

[Misgar]

I doubt there was a catastrophic failure of the drive as it was a secondary

It doesn't matter whether the drive was your main (primary) drive or used as secondary storage. Drives can fail at any time. I have a 2TB drive which spins up but is not recognised by the BIOS or Windows. It needs to go to a recovery agency. Of course I keep multiple backups, so I haven't lost anything.

I used a Sabrent kit I had to connect the power and SATA to a USB

I don't suppose you know if the Sabrent kit applies "sector translation"? Probably not.

 

[AbdulMuhammed]

It is a Sabrent DSC5 that I've had for years. As I said, it detects very old 44pin HDs. I don't have a SATA drive other than the one I'm trying to open.
When I connected the old SSD, it opened fine. I didn't transfer the Windows files as the new laptop already had Win 11. BUT all picture/text/etc. files transferred fine and I can play a game (Civ 5) directly from the attached drive.
If the 1T. Platter drive failed right at the time that the laptop failed, it seems like a coincidence-SSDs are more sensitive to power surges, etc.
Yes-I'm an idiot for not backing up the 1T backup drive...I'm going to lose 4 years of Doctoral degree research and my dissertation...

 

[Bob.B]

It is a Sabrent DSC5 that I've had for years. As I said, it detects very old 44pin HDs. I don't have a SATA drive other than the one I'm trying to open.
When I connected the old SSD, it opened fine. I didn't transfer the Windows files as the new laptop already had Win 11. BUT all picture/text/etc. files transferred fine and I can play a game (Civ 5) directly from the attached drive.
If the 1T. Platter drive failed right at the time that the laptop failed, it seems like a coincidence-SSDs are more sensitive to power surges, etc.
Yes-I'm an idiot for not backing up the 1T backup drive...I'm going to lose 4 years of Doctoral degree research and my dissertation...

Have you tried different usb ports on the pc?

Got a neighbor or friend that you can test this setup on their machine?

 

[DSzymborski]

Wait, you didn't have *any* backup of this? Even an old one? Better to reconstruct six months of research rather than four years.

Frankly, given how important this data was, you ought to only have a highly competent lab looking at it, not messing around with it at all. Four years of research gone? Better to be out the cost of a new PC than out four years of work.

 

[AbdulMuhammed]

Wait, you didn't have *any* backup of this? Even an old one? Better to reconstruct six months of research rather than four years.

Frankly, given how important this data was, you ought to only have a highly competent lab looking at it, not messing around with it at all. Four years of research gone? Better to be out the cost of a new PC than out four years of work.

Well, let me clarify: I successfully defended my dissertation, graduated, and passed the medical boards, so the lost "school" info while a huge pain, won't effect my career. The worst of that part is that I lost about 30 ebooks that were medical textbooks. They were invaluable. I can always download a copy of my dissertation from the university.

Yeah, I admit it was incredibly stupid not to back up my back up hard drive. I kept things like PC games, Itunes, Movies, TV series, etc. there b/c the main SSD drive was quite small.

I'm still not 100% convinced that the Platter drive is a brick-it spins up and the SATA light flashes occasionally showing that it is at least attempting to contact my new laptop. I wish I had another small platter SATA drive to see if it is recognized. As I mentioned, a 20 year old IDE platter drive with 44 pin interface works great when attached externally. I'm SO pissed that ASUS decided to not include an internal backup drive bay- I have the ribbon cable to my drive and could try installing it internally...I may return this new laptop. they soldered the RAM in so no upgrading from 8G to 16G, The graphics card is integrated so no upgrading it, No secondary drive bay...I used to love ASUS but this one sucks.

 

[AbdulMuhammed]

Have you tried different usb ports on the pc?

Got a neighbor or friend that you can test this setup on their machine?

Yes, tried the only other USB port and no luck. I have disk management open, and it doesn't list the drive. unplugging and replugging in the usp cable attached to the Sabrent block results in a quick couple of flashes of the SATA light on the block. When I plug the 44 pin IDE drive in, it give the windows sound indicating new hardware, then flashes a few times. When I access files on that drive the SATA light stays on while it is accessed, then goes off. As I mentioned the primary SSD from my old PC is fine, easily accessed using an SSD enclosure and a USB cable. Weird that the dead laptop took the secondary platter drive but left the more fragile SSD primary drive...I'm still thinking something will work.

 

[rgd1101]

what is the exact Sabrent kit ?
it is not a backup if it is the only copy

 

[Bob.B]

Yes, tried the only other USB port and no luck. I have disk management open, and it doesn't list the drive. unplugging and replugging in the usp cable attached to the Sabrent block results in a quick couple of flashes of the SATA light on the block. When I plug the 44 pin IDE drive in, it give the windows sound indicating new hardware, then flashes a few times. When I access files on that drive the SATA light stays on while it is accessed, then goes off. As I mentioned the primary SSD from my old PC is fine, easily accessed using an SSD enclosure and a USB cable. Weird that the dead laptop took the secondary platter drive but left the more fragile SSD primary drive...I'm still thinking something will work.

If the data on the hdd is REALLY important you could shop around for data recovery houses......serious bucks.

 

[AbdulMuhammed]

what is the exact Sabrent kit ?
it is not a backup if it is the only copy

Sabrent USB 2.0 to SATA/IDE hard drive adapter.
It is technically a secondary drive there was no O.S. on it. ... the data on it wasn't backed up elsewhere- obviously a stupid decision.

 

[AbdulMuhammed]

If the data on the hdd is REALLY important you could shop around for data recovery houses......serious bucks.

Yeah, I've seen what they charge. I could go out and buy all of the movies, music, games, and ebooks for less money than they charge to restore (or not) the data. I would be out a lot of $$$ and time, but less than a recovery would cost.

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah, I've seen what they charge. I could go out and buy all of the movies, music, games, and ebooks for less money than they charge to restore (or not) the data. I would be out a lot of $$$ and time, but less than a recovery would cost.

Please take this episode as a wakeup to start a good backup plan for the future.
Starting today.

We've all lost data. Smart people don't let it happen twice.

 

[rgd1101]

does the SABRENT have a power supply? or just the usb power?