WD 500 does not work 1

[USER380]

Hi all ,

i ve this western digital 500 external hdd , all of sudden it does not wanna be read and it have all my work data on it !

i m using windows 7 , and it was reading it normally

now whenever i connect it , the led lights up but nothing happens !

so please advice for what should i check or how to make it work again

also i dont think it was dropped or something but just in case if it was a hardware damage what should i do and how to get my data from it

Thanks

 

[goombawaho]

It could be the enclosure not working or the hard drive has departed this earth. Can you hear the hard drive spin up with your ear next to it when you power on the external drive??

Link
First, download and install Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows. Install it on the PC and see if it can see and check the external hard drive. If it doesn't give a good answer as to the status of the drive, you may have to remove the hard drive from the enclosure and test it attached to the computer as a slave drive.

If it says "failed", you can try to repair it using the tool.

If that doesn't work, seek data recovery if data is important enough to you. See this other thread for my recommendation on recovery (near bottom)

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1710174

By the way and not to be snotty, but this is why you have a backup of all your hard drives - to CD, DVD, memory stick, 2nd external hard drive, or online backup. SOMETHING!!!

 

[USER380]

it does not make any sound , and it cannot be read by life guard ... only the led is on

i need these data very bad , if its completely dead can it be fixed ?? hardware wise ?

 

[goombawaho]

You need to figure out whether it's simply the external enclosure that's not working (could be power or USB connection) BEFORE you send it out. If you're not capable of removing the drive from the case and connecting it as a slave, call a tech or capable relative/friend. But don't do anything crazy if you can't figure out how to get it out. Like don't pry the drive with a screwdriver!!!

"i need these data very bad" Then you will need to send it out for data recovery. It will be expensive.

"if its completely dead can it be fixed??" No guarantees, but you won't know until you send it in. They will transplant new parts (motor, control board) into your hard drive or move the platters from your hard drive to another hard drive to try to read the data. If you get NO data back, they will not charge you.

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What happens if you recover data that I don't want or the recovered data is corrupted beyond usability?

We do not require an up-front payment. You will be able to view a list of your recovered files using Gillware's proprietary File Viewer application. It will allow you to easily search a tree structure of your recovered data so you can be sure your most critical files were recovered. Using the application, you can see exactly what files you will get back BEFORE deciding to purchase the data. If there are critical files that you must recover, instruct your data recovery technician to thoroughly test those files before paying.

 

[USER380]

Thanks alot for that info ..