WD elements external hdd fatal device hardware error

[avinay]

My WD elements enternal hdd shows up on my pc but only the icon and doesn't show the capacity. When I try to enter it says fatal device hardware error. In disk management it used to show up as raw but now doesn't show in the list but the volume is shown underneath but I cannot format because of fatal device hardware error. I cannot remove the sata bridge as it is built into the hdd and I do not think a pcb swap will fix it. Any help please.

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there avinay,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
Unfortunately, there's a chance that the drive has some mechanical flaw. I doubt that you will be able to access it with software tools.

If you have important data stored on the drive, you will need to look for some professional help. You can check WD's Data Recovery Partners out: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=L48Pw7

It will not hurt to attach the drive with another cable to a different computer.

Let me know in case you have some more questions,
D_Know_WD