I have several external USB HDDs that I use for backups, music, etc. Most of the time they stay off, and I only plug them in and turn them on when I need to get something off of them.
Today I had a 250GB Fantom Titanium drive hooked up, and I wanted to switch to a 500GB LaCie Mini HD & Hub. Each drive has its own power cord, and I usually use the correct ones when I switch them. Well... today I was lazy, and it looks like I paid the price for it. I used the Fantom's power cord with the LaCie, and turned it on. The drive began spinning like usual, until it reached a certain speed, then it made a loud click and stopped. It spins back up, clicks, and repeats for a couple minutes and then stops. It may have been my imagination, but I caught a whiff of that burning electronics smell, and then it was gone. I switched to the correct power cord, and the same problem persists. I opened up another external case, and hooked up the LaCie's drive to it, hoping I only fried the power supply in the case. The same clicking noise occurs, and eventually the drive stops trying, and the clicking stops.
I'm all out of ideas at this point. I'm just hoping some of the data on that hard drive is recoverable...
Was it just a coincidence that the drive stopped working today, or is it possible that I messed something up inside by using the incorrect cord?
