rru

Hi, I'm having some problems with my SEAGATE External USB drive, 160GB (really only around 150 though). I searched past topics and I can't find anything exactly like my problem. I'll try to keep it short and simple but try to describe everything.
My computer is a 1999 model Gateway updated to XP home (about 2-3 years ago). I bought the drive around 2 years ago, plugged it in and dragged data I needed onto it. It worked fine and I had no problems. A while after that I borrowed a computer, an HP desktop with XP pro. No problems for a while but eventually I logged on one day and the drive appeared as unformatted, and asked me if I would like to format it now. I got scared and searched Google for hours and eventually called SEAGATE themselves and they did nothing but told me to buy their data recovery program, which didn't even work for me. I tried differed USB hubs, tried it on several other computers, replugged in all of the cords and had no luck at all. If I clicked on the icon in My Computer, My Computer would freeze and have to restart explorer, and when I go to Computer Management and check the drives, it appears with it Healthy, also of which I can't access through. I continued to turn it on each day as if nothing were wrong, and one of those days, out of nowhere my drive loaded up perfectly fine. I opened it and all of my files were there unharmed. This has happened over and over, eventually going back to it's normal state. I'm now back at my original Gateway, have been for the past 4 months or so. It's now doing the same thing and once again taking a while to go back to normal. I did a lot more research and I think my problem is I might have some bad sectors. As I said, I can't right or left click on the icon in My Computer to check my sectors, so I tried to do it through Run. It might be a completely different topic but I can't type in Run at all (after open), and therefore cannot check my sectors at all.
What I really need today is to know what's really wrong with my drive and if there is a way to fix it. If not, I'd like some recommendations on good data recovery programs. I've tried tons of those programs and I'm having trouble finding one that actually works for me. I only need at most 10GB of those files, the rest I can retrieve (though it's going to be a huge pain, I'm willing to go through it if it's the only way). What I'm thinking is, if my problem is unrecoverable I will just recover those few important files and reformat it, then check for bad sectors and repair them. I really hate asking for help but I am just so exhausted. If anybody knows a way to help me out I would be eternally grateful, and thanks for taking the time to read my post.
-rru

Deleted090308

Hi, welcome to TSF.

Sounds like a bad interface in the drive's enclosure.
Have you tried mounting the drive as a slave inside the computer (if possible)?

rru

Thanks

I actually had only heard of slaving drives before. I've been searching these past few days and now can probably do it- but when I took the drive apart, I can't find the way to get the last piece off without breaking it (the power on/off and the plugs part). Do you really think it would make a difference if I slaved it? I'll keep attempting to get that piece off anyway.
Also, by a bad interface what exactly do you mean? Like, if I bought a new enclosure would it solve anything?
Also thanks for replying, and sorry about posting in the wrong category.

Deleted090308

Quite often there is a problem with the connections between the USB plug and the actual hard drive.
Try reseating those connections first. If that doesn't help I think you should slave the drive to make sure it's working before you buy another enclosure.

rru

I thought that's what you meant. I was searching about reseating when I decided to check the drive once more. I checked if there were any updates for it that I might be missing when the computer stopped lagging a bit, so I checked it through My Computer and it was accessible, except I had one major problem- all of my files aren't there this time. The status that appears in DiskInternals Partition recovery says calls it 'NT_Mapped_File G' and at the bottom says 'Read error: the drive cannot find the sector requested' (if that helps any at all). I turned off the drive through Safe Hardware Removal and then turned it back on, and now when trying to access it through My Computer it says 'The parameter is incorrect'. Did i just screw myself and erase all of my files to be completely unrecoverable? lol

Deleted090308

What does Disk Management say about the drive?

rru

I guess I can't edit after a period. Anyway, it's no longer saying the parameter is incorrect

Deleted090308

Do you have access to your files now?

rru

I restarted and that's when it no longer said the parameter message. Disk Management says Healthy, has nothing where the file system should say (because nothing is on it?), 150GB capacity and 150GB free space. I ran a few recovery programs last night and I tested it on C:, and worked fine but when tried it on my hard drive (G), it basically said there was nothing to recover.

If you can't think of anything to help me recover the files can you try to tell me what I should do before I start using the drive again? I can just not put anything of value on it this time.

Deleted090308

Unless you have formatted the drive several times there should be some files that can be retrieved.

Have a look at this: http://www.techsupportforum.com/hard...-computer.html