WD My Passport USB 3.0 - not accessible. Parameter is incorrect.

[rees26]

HP Pavillion 15 Notebook
Windows 10

WD My Passport USB 3.0

Hi,

I cannot access my external drive (WD My Passport). As I was using photoshop,
editing a file from the external drive, when photoshop lagged, the drive didn't show up
in my laptop. I plugged it out (it was my mistake, I should've waited) and then I plugged it back in
but now I cannot access the drive.

It says, "F: / is not accessible."
The volume does not contain a recognized file system.
Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded
and that the volume isnot corrupted.

Also, "F: \ is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect."

WheneverI tried to click safely remove,it doesn't do anything. Lags again.
And also the label of the external drive changed to - My Passport 0740..It says, "Eject My Passport 0740 - Local Disk (F: )". I had my name as its
label before.

I tried plugging it in another laptop but it's still the same problem. It shows up as, "Local Disk (F: )". Whenever I click
it, the windows explorer lags.

I have many important files inside that drive, and I really need them for work.

Questions:

1. Does the method cmd chkdsk work? If so, how do I do it? I'm not sure if I should do something first before I perform the method. I'm afraid I might lose some data.

2. I have tried using a recovery tool (yodot recovery) but they only scan it, in which case I did see the folders in my drive, but unfortunately I need to pay to recover the files.

Pleas help me.. Your help is very much appreciated! Thank you..



Please, could someone help me find a solution to this problem.. Your help will be much appreciated!

 

[thejackal85]

This sounds like something happened with your external drive's primary volume. This happens to all external hard drive's over time, unfortunately.

To answer your questions:

1. The chkdsk command might do some good here, but it might only half do the job. To run this, click Start and search for "command prompt", right click that and run as administrator. So when the cmd prompt box is open, type in chkdsk /f F: (assuming your computer still recognizes the external drive as the "F" drive. Either way, use the correct letter it sees it as there).

2. If you ran this utility and it's still able to see the files, this is a real good sign, it means the external drive (physically) is in good shape and can be used again after this. I have used the below program in the past that has worked real well for me. If it's needed, I would buy this (if it's no longer completely free) and keep it.
http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/free-data-recovery-software.htm

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the community, rees26!

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with the WD My Passport external HDD! It seems like you might be dealing with a corrupted file system. I'd recommend you to check how the external appears in Disk Management before proceeding with the troubleshooting.
Chkdsk as @thejackal mentioned could some good, but it really depends on the amount of damage on the HDD. If there are bad sectors, check disk could block those sectors, hence the damaged data on them as well.

I'd advise you to use our brand-specific diagnostic tool to determine the health and SMART status of the WD My Passport. Running the QUICK and EXTENDED tests from the Data LifeGuard for Windows should help you with that.

I'd also suggest you to try connecting the HDD to another computer and see if you'd be able to access it from there.

Keep us posted with the troubleshooting & SMART results.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Ashvij]

I am facing the same problem too.. my External HD is working on other computers but not on my computer.. I get the same message.. Running chkdsk and it says each and every file record segment is unreadable. what do i do? Is there a way to atleast format the device?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I am facing the same problem too.. my External HD is working on other computers but not on my computer.. I get the same message.. Running chkdsk and it says each and every file record segment is unreadable. what do i do? Is there a way to atleast format the device?

Welcome to the TH community, Ashvij!

If the WD My Passport is properly recognized on other computers, then the issue is most probably coming from your system. I'd suspect an outdated USB hub controller driver for your motherboard/computer. You should manually update those from the manufacturer's official website or the Drivers Pack CD that came with your mobo/PC where you should be able to find all the available drivers & utilities for your model.
Another thing that might help you recognize the WD external is reinstalling it as a device from Device Manager.

It could also be a permission issue, so you should make sure you take ownership of the drive in Windows.

Good luck! Hope this helps!
SuperSoph_WD