[SOLVED] EXTERNAL IDE HDD HELP!

**d_animality** · 11-22-2011, 05:42 AM

Please HELP.. i really cannot think straight now... i have an external hdd which is using power volatge and is 320GB.. its 3.5 inch external hd.. bought it long time ago... so far it does not have any problem with me but i dont know what happen today...

while i was browsing inside it... it shuts off unexpectedly... the lights blinking on/off and finally the pc said something about "cannot write inside it" etc2...

what is wrong here? i tried turn it off and on... the lights keep blinking everytime i connect the USB to my PC... please help... i really hope nothing is loss inside... i dont care if the thing damage... but as long as i can get back my files ill be happy... can somebody tell me that the file inside will be fine...

finally... when i tried to connect it again for the last time before i give up... the hardisk appear named "local disk" and when i click inside nothing is there... and after a while it lost again... i encounter this once before but the next time i connect it back to normal again but for this time i was freaking out and plan not to give it another go.. i really hope my files are still inside..

i planned to get a new case tomorrow for my hdd and really hope this can solve my problem..

EDIT: I really want to try connecting it to my PC but i dont know how

**d_animality** · 11-22-2011, 06:28 AM

I have read about data recovery.. are they effective just in case if all my files are lost (please dont) ... what is the best data recovery out there?

**Networks** · 11-22-2011, 01:26 PM

You need to eliminate / isolate where the problem is. Have you removed the drive from the external enclosure ? What is the make and model of the drive ? If you put your ear up to the drive does it stay spinning up or do you hear any clicking noises and the drive spin back down ? If its sata can you connect it to a sata port on a desktop pc and access the files ? Recuva and R-Studio both do a good job at recovering lost data if that is the case here

**d_animality** · 11-22-2011, 01:32 PM

no i havent removed it because its IDE and my computer doesnt have socket for it anymore.. model is WD.. it sounds clicking and the lights blinking.. its like "tick" "tick" ...

i got my fren who can attach it to his pc will try to work with it.. which of both u mention best do the job? i dont mind if its a paid software cause my data is worth more than anything

**Networks** · 11-22-2011, 03:27 PM

Recuva is good its free R-Studio is paid and does a good job as well. I use both sometimes I get different results. When you get the drive in your friends PC and If the drive is clicking then its not a DIY recovery you will have to send to a pro The WD's are known for this failure which can be heads and or a board issue.

**d_animality** · 11-23-2011, 03:50 AM

i will send the hardisk tomorrow to my friend to connect it to his PC.. oh dear i really hope the ticking is only comes from the failure of enclosure cause i read about this from the web as well because we dont have The WD's pro in this country... how sad :(

**d_animality** · 11-25-2011, 06:19 AM

hi... well luckily the HDD is not broken but the enclosure is so manage to get almost all my backup except one folder because it says i have more than 100PB which is impossible while its only 320GB... i cannot copy it since it says not enough space... what am i suppose to do here? im pretty sure it should not be more than that :S

**Networks** · 11-25-2011, 06:45 AM

Run chkdsk on the drive

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 06:07 AM

so if i run chkdsk... which on shluld i tick ... is it "Automatically fix file system error" or "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sector" or both?

**Networks** · 11-28-2011, 06:36 AM

You want to select both options

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 08:24 AM

Okay im using my bro laptop to the disk check since it runs win 7.. However it stays on 27916 files processed for too long..can i cancel it and do chkdsk one by one?

**Networks** · 11-28-2011, 09:12 AM

Yes try to fix file system first then see if you can access folder

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 10:22 AM

oh i can already access the folder.. the only problem is ... there is this folder which im definitely sure the size should be lee than 40GB but computer detects it have 100+GB... so how can i fix those? it states the wrong size and it uses the capacity of the hardisk

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 10:24 AM

oh btw is it safe to cancel it?

**Networks** · 11-28-2011, 10:34 AM

I recall you posting you can get into it but If I recall you were not able to copy files out of the folder ? Something is messed up at the File Table level thus reporting the wrong size for the folder. Is it stuck on the same spot ? if not and its moving let it go when drives are going bad like yours they tend to run slow as heck at times. This is just a shot at getting the folder repaired at least you have all the other data copied off the drive.

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 10:38 AM

oh sorry... i already managed to copy all the files... sorry didnt update that part... there is one folder sized up to Petabytes which is impossible.. then i check every single folder and find the culprit.. after that i manage to backup everything... since its less than 1TB (me bckup hdd is 1tb) ... after copying all folders i realise many other fodlers also showing wrong sizes... so u said i should leave it until everything done? is it really taking so long? and btw.. can i do other things while the check disk is run? the check disk is for my external hdd..

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 11:11 AM

can i play online games while it chkdsk background?

**Networks** · 11-28-2011, 11:30 AM

Yes but it will slow down the pc a bit while its running. I thought you borrowed a laptop specifically to run these tests.

**d_animality** · 11-28-2011, 03:03 PM

LoL yes i borrowed laptop but we still use it to play online games .. Ok its completed now without errors is that means my hdd will be fine now?

**Networks** · 11-28-2011, 04:07 PM

What size do the folders report now ? Correct ?