Worried about 3,000 files

[angelv04]

I dropped my 1 TB external Seagate hard drive 15 inches from the side of my desk to the top of the computer (the part where you insert dvds, dcs and turn the computer on). This happened while I had the device plugged up. I noticed it wasn't showing up on my computer so I unplugged it and plugged it up again in the usb part of my computer. A faint clear light came up on the bottom and it acted like it was going to start up (I could hear it ry to run for about 2 seconds) but it didn't. I was not actively saving or using the Seagate when it dropped but I still had it plugged up. Does the fact that it was plugged up (even thought I wasn't actively using it)lessen my chances of data recovery? If there are a lot of hits on my files and they are damaged is there any way to repair them?



Thank you so much,


Valerie

 

[photonboy]

I guess you mean "plugged in"?

That can make a difference if the hard drive head isn't parked (like a record player) thus causing some damage you wouldn't normally have if it was parked. Parking protects the read/write head as well as the platter from some damage.

*Having said that, if you can't access a USB hard drive after something like this my advice is to take the hard drive out of the case (break if necessary) as it may be the case and not the main drive unit that is broken.

Then attach the HDD directly to your computer. You can troubleshoot further if you find out whether you can access it or not.

 

[angelv04]

Yes Photonboy, I do mean plugged in.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey Valerie. That sounds very unfortunate. Can you hear any type of unusual sounds/noises when you connect the drive? Here's some info on that: http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/568/. photonboy is right that only the enclosure might have failed, but I wouldn't recommend taking the drive out, because this would probably void your warranty (assuming that the drive is under warranty). If you can't see it anywhere (Device Manager, Disk Management, BIOS etc.) you could try hooking it up to another computer, just in case. If it has failed and your data is important to you, the most secure and reliable way to recover them is a data recovery company.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[photonboy]

Hey Valerie. That sounds very unfortunate. Can you hear any type of unusual sounds/noises when you connect the drive? Here's some info on that: http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/568/. photonboy is right that only the enclosure might have failed, but I wouldn't recommend taking the drive out, because this would probably void your warranty (assuming that the drive is under warranty). If you can't see it anywhere (Device Manager, Disk Management, BIOS etc.) you could try hooking it up to another computer, just in case. If it has failed and your data is important to you, the most secure and reliable way to recover them is a data recovery company.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

It would void the Warranty but since it stopped working after he dropped it, it's a pretty good bet something's broken. That something is either the enclosure or the main hard drive unit.

If it's under Warranty he could RMA but he'd never get his data back. If the hard drive still functions his only choice to get his data back is to open the case which likely means breaking it.

Data Recovery is an expensive option but we should clarify it's only needed if plugging in the main drive unit directly with SATA cables doesn't work thus meaning the hard drive unit itself is defective so a recovery place would need to crack the unit open and extract the physical platters with the data on it to mount in a recovery unit.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

It would void the Warranty but since it stopped working after he dropped it, it's a pretty good bet something's broken. That something is either the enclosure or the main hard drive unit.

If it's under Warranty he could RMA but he'd never get his data back. If the hard drive still functions his only choice to get his data back is to open the case which likely means breaking it.

Data Recovery is an expensive option but we should clarify it's only needed if plugging in the main drive unit directly with SATA cables doesn't work thus meaning the hard drive unit itself is defective so a recovery place would need to crack the unit open and extract the physical platters with the data on it to mount in a recovery unit.

I understand that perfectly, but I just wanted to give angelv04 a fair warning about that, although the warranty probably wouldn't cover damage due to dropping. If the data is important and needs to be recovered no matter what, you are totally right. Those are the only options.