My wd elements fell down :'(

[Ana_22]

Hi there! I have a wd elements desktop with 3tb. It fell to the ground from about knee height and since it's a little heavy, the fall made quite a scary sound. The problem is, the first time I connected it it was recognized and I was copying and pasting a movie from the disk to the laptop, when the process was around 50% it stoped and the drive was no longer readable. Now when I try to connect it, it starts running as usual but with unusal beeps or clicks and after about 5 seconds it stops running, but keeps the light on. Also, by cliking the power button it won't turn the drive on again neither turn off the light. I have no clue about what I can do. Someone please help me

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Ana_22.

This is a truly unfortunate accident. 🙁

It's really worrisome that the drive was working at the time this happened, this makes the situation even worse. Judging by everything you've told me and the HDD's behaviour, it quite possible for the drive to have sustained physical damage and if this is the case, there's really not much you can do.
If you do need your data, I'd advise you to try and recover the most important files on small chunks (so that you're able to transfer it in those 5 minute widows, while the drive is working). You could also give it a try with a different computer as well, to see if there's any difference.
And last, but not least - the most reliable data recovery option would be a professional solution: WD Data Recovery Partners.

Hope that helps. Please keep me updated and good luck!
Boogieman_WD

 

[Ana_22]

Actually the drive was off when it fell down and also, it only works for 5SECONDS and not minutes, it's not even enought time for it to be recognized.

 

[GameFreak01048]

Hard drives....well anything electronic hitting the ground is most likely going to break something inside the device, I really hope that the drive is less than a year old because if it is then it means you can claim on the warranty most likely.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Actually the drive was off when it fell down and also, it only works for 5SECONDS and not minutes, it's not even enought time for it to be recognized.

I must have misread it, for which I apologize.

However, @GameFreak is quite right about the damage an electronic device can sustain. Unfortunately, in this case it's also a mechanical device and a lot of its parts might have been damaged in this accident
As for the warranty, the WD Elements has the following warranty periods:
1 year Americas
2 years Europe
3 years APAC/Japan
You can refer to it's specs sheet for more info: WD Elements Spec Sheet (PDF)
Unfortunately I can't guarantee that it will be replaced because of the circumstances under which the drive has been damaged. I'd recommend that you get in touch with the vendor you got it from or our customer support: WD Support Portal.