WD My Passport Ultra

[6on2]

I have been using my ext. HD for a few days on my mac...but today when I plugged in my ext. HD it appears on the desktop for 3 seconds then is disappears. The light on it is still on but not blinking. I have tried changing the USB cable but its still the same. what should i do? i have heaps in the drive that i cant afford to lose

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, 6on2!

I'm sorry to see you struggle with your WD My Passport Ultra! 🙁 Have you been using the external drive on Mac OS only or did you previously use it on Windows OS computers as well? I'd suggest you to check the Disk Utility on your Mac and give me more details about the WD My Passport's file system. I'd also suggest to click on Repair Disk and see if that will make the drive accessible again.
If you've got a Windows computer nearby, I'd also try plugging the drive there and see how it appears in the Windows' Disk Management. While at it, you can also try testing its health and SMART status using Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Windows. Make sure you run the QUICK and EXTENDED test from the utility here: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=DGRqew

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes though!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[6on2]

Hi SuperSoph_WD,

Thanks for your reply.
I have done the 2 test on a Windows computer, it actually works perfectly fine. it has passed both quick and extended test. (so to be safe I have transferred everything to another ext. hd for now).
I have tried plugging the hd back to my mac, it shows on my desktop for approx. 5 secs, then it'll disappear again. cant access it even through disk utilities. and also the light doesn't blink.
if I am not wrong, I have formatted this drive to ExFAT format. but it seems its only working on a windows but not a Mac.
are there ways to reformat this drive on windows? (sorry I am a mac user, so not really familiar with windows.)

appreciate your help

cheers

Hey there, 6on2!

I'm sorry to see you struggle with your WD My Passport Ultra! 🙁 Have you been using the external drive on Mac OS only or did you previously use it on Windows OS computers as well? I'd suggest you to check the Disk Utility on your Mac and give me more details about the WD My Passport's file system. I'd also suggest to click on Repair Disk and see if that will make the drive accessible again.
If you've got a Windows computer nearby, I'd also try plugging the drive there and see how it appears in the Windows' Disk Management. While at it, you can also try testing its health and SMART status using Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Windows. Make sure you run the QUICK and EXTENDED test from the utility here: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=DGRqew

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes though!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hi again, 6on2!

I'm sorry to hear about this, it seems like there is some sort of connectivity malfunctioning. There is a way to re-format the drive on Windows through Disk Management. Here's a link from our KB that can guide you through the process of partitioning & formatting in Windows: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=9kGFfe
However, if that doesn't help, I'd recommend you to contact our technical support and let them know about your issues with the WD My Passport. If the external is still under warranty, you could send an RMA request and get a replacement.
How to RMA your product: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=zBa2cs
WD Support contacts: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=lJ3Gqm

Hope these links help you! Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD