WD External Drive No Longer Accessible

rwmac · 10-13-2009, 04:52 PM

As requested, I have started a new thread. I have a problem similar to others. My computer no longer sees my WD My Book Premium 500GB USB drive. This occured after rebooting my computer, I have tried disconnecting it from the computer and reconnecting. The drive would not start when I unplugged the power and reconnected it it unless the USB connection was also removed. Once powered up connecting the drive to the computer via the USB calbe did nothing. The computer does not see it at all. It was working fine before the reboot. Subsequent rebooting has had no effect. I have had problems like this before, but was always able to recover it by powering down the drive and then re-powering it.

Suggestions to run the western digital diagnostics on the drive to verify this is not a physical problem didn't work since the diagnostics can't find the drive either.

One last thing I tried was to unplug the power to the drive and leave it off over night. I plugged the power back in in the morning and started the drive by pressing on the large button the front. As it spun up, my computer finally recognised and connected to it. The files all seem to be intact and the WD diagnostics gave it a PASS. It may be that the drive needs to be off for awhile to reset. The previous day I tried leaving it unpowered for only a minute or two, which apparently was not sufficient.

If someone were to compile all these incidents with these drives, we might have a compendium of trouble shooting suggestions.

**raptor_pa** · 10-13-2009, 05:34 PM

I would make certain to backup your data while it is running, the symptoms could well be heat related, which is not unusual for external drives.

IT-Tech · 10-13-2009, 08:29 PM

Hi and I wish you luck with this drive.

I have worked on a number of WD external drives. The most common failures that I have discovered in their respective order are:

1) Failed power supply
2) Failed controller card
3) Failed hard drive

The last time I checked these drives have a 1 year warranty on them. Be sure to check the WD website for the current warranty period on these drives.

Check the status of your warranty. If the drive is in warranty, contact Western Digital.

If you proceed with disassembly of the unit and your unit is in warranty, you will void the warranty!

If the drive is out of warranty and you are somewhat tech savvy, you can remove the actual drive out of the “box” and hook it up directly to your system and test it. If the drive passes testing and some serious usage while directly connected, you can always purchase an external case for the drive.

So, if you choose to remove the drive you will have to be able to do the following:

Disassemble the external drive – which is really easy. Here are some instructions for that process:

http://rebootdaily.blogspot.com/2007...l-my-book.html

You will need a PC that has a free SATA port on it and the ability to connect the cables to the drive properly.

You will also need a SATA data cable and a SATA power cable.

I think most people can handle all of the above.

By all means, do what RAPTOR_PA said and get the data off of the drive as soon as possible.

Since I was tired of disassembling my test PC, I decided to purchase one of these for troubleshooting drives and recovering data:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...C=1346&ID=1895

I would not recommend running your drive in this 24/7 though.

If you need an external case these are my favorite ones and they have a full 3-year warranty to back them:

http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NzA0MjIx

Thanks and have a great night!

uRbAnlP · 10-14-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IT-Tech

Hi and I wish you luck with this drive.

I have worked on a number of WD external drives. The most common failures that I have discovered in their respective order are:

1) Failed power supply
2) Failed controller card
3) Failed hard drive

The last time I checked these drives have a 1 year warranty on them. Be sure to check the WD website for the current warranty period on these drives.

Check the status of your warranty. If the drive is in warranty, contact Western Digital.

If you proceed with disassembly of the unit and your unit is in warranty, you will void the warranty!

If the drive is out of warranty and you are somewhat tech savvy, you can remove the actual drive out of the “box” and hook it up directly to your system and test it. If the drive passes testing and some serious usage while directly connected, you can always purchase an external case for the drive.

So, if you choose to remove the drive you will have to be able to do the following:

Disassemble the external drive – which is really easy. Here are some instructions for that process:

http://rebootdaily.blogspot.com/2007...l-my-book.html

You will need a PC that has a free SATA port on it and the ability to connect the cables to the drive properly.

You will also need a SATA data cable and a SATA power cable.

I think most people can handle all of the above.

By all means, do what RAPTOR_PA said and get the data off of the drive as soon as possible.

Since I was tired of disassembling my test PC, I decided to purchase one of these for troubleshooting drives and recovering data:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...C=1346&ID=1895

I would not recommend running your drive in this 24/7 though.

If you need an external case these are my favorite ones and they have a full 3-year warranty to back them:

http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NzA0MjIx

Thanks and have a great night!

Same problem with My Book 500 External. I removed my Hard Drive from the case and hooked it up to my computer. Everything in BIOS is fine, the drive is recognized (Takes a while though) but when Windows starts and the drive is being installed it just fails.

Drive spins, no physical damage, no weird noises, it just won't install the drive and therefore I can't access it.

**raptor_pa** · 10-14-2009, 05:21 PM

@urbanip, please start a new thread for your problem so we can provide individual assistance. Does the drive show up in Disk management or device manager.

10-13-2009, 04:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
rwmac Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2 OS: xp	WD External Drive No Longer Accessible As requested, I have started a new thread. I have a problem similar to others. My computer no longer sees my WD My Book Premium 500GB USB drive. This occured after rebooting my computer, I have tried disconnecting it from the computer and reconnecting. The drive would not start when I unplugged the power and reconnected it it unless the USB connection was also removed. Once powered up connecting the drive to the computer via the USB calbe did nothing. The computer does not see it at all. It was working fine before the reboot. Subsequent rebooting has had no effect. I have had problems like this before, but was always able to recover it by powering down the drive and then re-powering it. Suggestions to run the western digital diagnostics on the drive to verify this is not a physical problem didn't work since the diagnostics can't find the drive either. One last thing I tried was to unplug the power to the drive and leave it off over night. I plugged the power back in in the morning and started the drive by pressing on the large button the front. As it spun up, my computer finally recognised and connected to it. The files all seem to be intact and the WD diagnostics gave it a PASS. It may be that the drive needs to be off for awhile to reset. The previous day I tried leaving it unpowered for only a minute or two, which apparently was not sufficient. If someone were to compile all these incidents with these drives, we might have a compendium of trouble shooting suggestions.

10-13-2009, 05:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,921 OS: XP	Re: WD External Drive No Longer Accessible I would make certain to backup your data while it is running, the symptoms could well be heat related, which is not unusual for external drives. __________________

10-13-2009, 08:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
IT-Tech Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 287 OS: All Microsoft Operating Systems My System	Re: WD External Drive No Longer Accessible Hi and I wish you luck with this drive. I have worked on a number of WD external drives. The most common failures that I have discovered in their respective order are: 1) Failed power supply 2) Failed controller card 3) Failed hard drive The last time I checked these drives have a 1 year warranty on them. Be sure to check the WD website for the current warranty period on these drives. Check the status of your warranty. If the drive is in warranty, contact Western Digital. If you proceed with disassembly of the unit and your unit is in warranty, you will void the warranty! If the drive is out of warranty and you are somewhat tech savvy, you can remove the actual drive out of the “box” and hook it up directly to your system and test it. If the drive passes testing and some serious usage while directly connected, you can always purchase an external case for the drive. So, if you choose to remove the drive you will have to be able to do the following: Disassemble the external drive – which is really easy. Here are some instructions for that process: http://rebootdaily.blogspot.com/2007...l-my-book.html You will need a PC that has a free SATA port on it and the ability to connect the cables to the drive properly. You will also need a SATA data cable and a SATA power cable. I think most people can handle all of the above. By all means, do what RAPTOR_PA said and get the data off of the drive as soon as possible. Since I was tired of disassembling my test PC, I decided to purchase one of these for troubleshooting drives and recovering data: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...C=1346&ID=1895 I would not recommend running your drive in this 24/7 though. If you need an external case these are my favorite ones and they have a full 3-year warranty to back them: http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NzA0MjIx Thanks and have a great night!

10-14-2009, 05:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,921 OS: XP	Re: WD External Drive No Longer Accessible @urbanip, please start a new thread for your problem so we can provide individual assistance. Does the drive show up in Disk management or device manager. __________________