Seagate External HDD problem.

[ARdynamics]

I've been using an 8tb External HDD for backing up Games, Videos, Projects, ECT. other important files. And I left it sitting on a shelf for about a month until I need led to transfer some stuff from my internal SSD to the External HDD, but when I connected it to the PC the drive didn't show up, I checked disk management and nothing there, it only seems to show up in device manager. On Linux it doesn't show up at all l, same with OSX. And If I have legacy USB enabled in BIOS on any computer and try to boot the computer whilst the External HDD is connected, the boot process with hault until the External HDD is disconnected. I'm not sure what to do from here. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me or lead me in the right direction because the files on the HDD are important and I can't afford to lose them. Thank you.

Also I don't have a warranty on the HDD anymore.

 

[DR_Luke]

I'd start by trying a few of the following:

1. try connecting it to another mac (assuming that it is mac formatted)
2. try changing the cables
3. try removing the drive from the enclosure and connecting directly to your system or via another USB bridge (the file system may still not be accessible if the USB bridge is doing a manual conversion of the sector/block size)

If the data on your drive is of value and importance to you, as you stated, you may want to just skip the steps, avoiding making things works, and seek professional data recovery assistance.

 

[ARdynamics]

I'd start by trying a few of the following:

1. try connecting it to another mac (assuming that it is mac formatted)
2. try changing the cables
3. try removing the drive from the enclosure and connecting directly to your system or via another USB bridge (the file system may still not be accessible if the USB bridge is doing a manual conversion of the sector/block size)

If the data on your drive is of value and importance to you, as you stated, you may want to just skip the steps, avoiding making things works, and seek professional data recovery assistance.

I took it out of the encloser and connected it to my PC via sata. But it still doesn't show up. It just sounds like the drive is trying to find data because I can hear the arm moving but it sounds like the same movements. It doesn't show up on GParted either. If there is anything I can try to do to the drive internals, I'm willing to give it a shot.

 

[DR_Luke]

Yeah, there is unlikely anything further you can do without expensive data recovery equipment designed to communicate with the drive's hidden service tracks. A data recovery lab with the right tools and knowledge may be able to recover the data for well under $500, assuming that the heads are stable enough to keep using. Otherwise, you may be looking at a price around $1000 to recover your data. But as for DIY on this drive, based on what you are describing, there is really nothing you can do. The odds are, the more you power the drive on, the more damage you are causing.

A few labs with reasonable prices and very skilled data recovery technicians I recommend:

Recovery Force
Data Medics
Data Savers
PC Image
Data Busters

Just do not open the cover of the drive...it will only make things worse and the cost of recovery more expensive.

 

[ARdynamics]

Yeah, there is unlikely anything further you can do without expensive data recovery equipment designed to communicate with the drive's hidden service tracks. A data recovery lab with the right tools and knowledge may be able to recover the data for well under $500, assuming that the heads are stable enough to keep using. Otherwise, you may be looking at a price around $1000 to recover your data. But as for DIY on this drive, based on what you are describing, there is really nothing you can do. The odds are, the more you power the drive on, the more damage you are causing.

A few labs with reasonable prices and very skilled data recovery technicians I recommend:

Recovery Force
Data Medics
Data Savers
PC Image
Data Busters

Just do not open the cover of the drive...it will only make things worse and the cost of recovery more expensive.

Would this be a reliable drive? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178997 NAS drives have never failed me before.

 

[seagate_surfer]

...because the files on the HDD are important and I can't afford to lose them.

Would this be a reliable drive? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178997 NAS drives have never failed me before.

Hi ARdynamics,
we would like to contribute to this thread and both of your questions:

(1) Data Recovery:
If the data on your old drive needs to be recovered, we would suggest to try some of of the free recovery programs mentioned earlier. In case that doesn't work or the drive does not respond at all any more, you could give our In-Lab Recovery Service a shot. We will analyse your drive free of charge in regards to which data can be recovered. If we are not able to recover your data, this service will not cost you a penny. You are only paying for this service if we are able to recover your data!

(2) Your IronWolf Link:
It is not entirely clear in which usage scenario you are going to use your new drive. It is important to pick the right drive for the right purpose: there are roughly three main types of hard drives: Desktop & Gaming (current Seagate lineup: BarraCuda), NAS (current Seagate lineup: IronWolf), and Surveillance (current Seagate lineup: SkyHawk). They all connect in the same way, but were engineered with different uses in mind. For example, IronWolf drives are rated for 24x7 use and optimized for NAS enclosures and extra vibration protection, so they have a lot of firmware optimizations and extras that make them costly for a typical desktop user or gamer.

The linked IronWolf is a great drive but please analyze your projected usage behavior as stated above before buying!
Thanks for trusting in and considering a new Seagate drive!

 

[DR_Luke]

The IronWolf is supposed to be a better class of Seagate drive, but I honestly think it is too early to tell how good they really are.

 

[ARdynamics]

I went ahead and got the IronWolf and I am very impressed with the 10TB drive. Multiple R/W speeds are very good as the reason I went for a NAS drive was because I have my files for my Plex server on it and access my games from the drive at the same time. I would recommend this drive to anyone who needs a reliable, high capacity drive. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178997&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=8167372&SID=j58ngt58if000a1700053