Non-RAID drive now appears as RAID

[davec727]

I have a 640GB storage drive that I was attempting to use to transfer all my data from my old PC to new. I plugged it into a SATA connection on the ASUS Z97-A motherboard of my new PC. I wasn't able to get the drive to be recognized, so I tried to put it back into the old computer. The BIOS now recognizes it as "SATA-2, Hard Disk 0MB [RAID HDD]" and it won't mount as a drive in the OS.

Is there any way to get this disk to be recognized as a non-RAID volume again? I have disk recovery software from Seagate but it won't even touch it because it's being presented as a 0MB disk. I really don't want to lose this data.

 

[fzabkar]

It sounds like the drive may have internal problems. I would examine the drive's serial terminal log with a TTL adapter. What is its model number?

 

[davec727]

It sounds like the drive may have internal problems. I would examine the drive's serial terminal log with a TTL adapter. What is its model number?

Model WD6400AAKS (WD Caviar Blue 640GB). It was working just fine in my old PC a couple days ago, but it is a very old drive (circa 2008)and I suppose it's possible that it failed suddenly.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the community, davec727!

I'm very sorry to hear about WD Caviar Blue drive! Unfortunately, it might have truly failed. But let's test it and see what we'll get from the S.M.A.R.T. status and the overall health condition. You should use WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostics tool on the computer that actually recognizes the drive. Make sure you pass the quick and the extended test from the utility. Here's a link to it: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=CZkGRl
Another thing you should try is using a different SATA cable for the drive on your new mobo, see if that will get it detected properly.
However, I strongly recommend keeping a backup of your data on at least 2 different locations, to avoid this kind of unpleasant situations.

Keep me posted! Hope this helps you!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[davec727]

I tried both the quick and extended tests, and both failed because of a SMART Exception. Seems like they're not able to talk to the drive at all.

I have discovered that one backup location is not enough, as my GoFlex Home drive also failed this week. Very unpleasant.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I'm very sorry to hear about this, davec727!
It seems like your WD Caviar Blue has failed too. I'm afraid it's also out of warranty, so there's no way to RMA it.
It's very unpleasant that your backup drive has died as well.
I hope you find a way to retrieve your files.

Let me know if you have other questions!
Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[davec727]

I'm very sorry to hear about this, davec727!
It seems like your WD Caviar Blue has failed too. I'm afraid it's also out of warranty, so there's no way to RMA it.
It's very unpleasant that your backup drive has died as well.
I hope you find a way to retrieve your files.

Let me know if you have other questions!
Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

I shipped it off to a data recovery company and they think the PCB is just bad. They're charging $250 to fix it, which seems like a lot, but at this point I'll just be happy to have my data back.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I shipped it off to a data recovery company and they think the PCB is just bad. They're charging $250 to fix it, which seems like a lot, but at this point I'll just be happy to have my data back.

Well, honesty, I think you should even consider yourself lucky, because it might have cost a lot more.
I recommend to always keep at least 2 backups of your data on separate locations in the future.
This is the best way to avoid the expenses and the headaches.

I'm glad you've sorted this one out. Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[fzabkar]

@davec727, your initial reference to Seagate confused me, but if you had stated at the outset that your drive was a WD, I would advised you to check the following:

Oxidisation on Western Digital PCBs:
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=649&p=1789

It's a very common problem that often turns up at WD's forum. I'm sure all WD moderators are well aware of it.

In addition, some drives have this problem, but I'm not sure whether yours is in the same category:

WD Tornado:
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=255&p=699

BTW, $250 for a PCB swap is excessive. There are places that will do the same job for US$50.