I can't get my computer to detect my WD Drive

I recently purchased a WD Elements Desktop 1TB Drive with the intention of using it with my desktop Windows 7 PC. The trouble is that the drive isn’t recognized by my PC at all.

When I go into ‘Device Manager’, the drive doesn’t actually show up. I have tried plugging the drive into my other Windows 7 PC (laptop) and it is recognized perfectly. Additionally, I’ve tried plugging in a My Passport Drive into the desktop PC and it is recognized.

Any suggestions or advice? Thanks a lot.

Hi, did you tried checking on the disk management window?

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1284/session/L3RpbWUvMTM0OTkwMjU5NC9zaWQvS1J4MXlvOGw%3D

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I’ve tried doing that but the trouble is it doesn’t show up on there, only disk C appears.

Does the drive spin? If yes, does it make any additional sounds like slight clicking or what not?

  • if clicks then heads are bad, and either need to be cleaned or replaced (not a DIY, look for data recovery company)

if it spins up and runs with no additional sounds

then it could be bad USB cable or drive has firmware or encryption problems, also not really a DIY type of thing.

If the disk is not spinning upon being plugged in - then power is not getting to the motor ( there are few reasons for that) usually require soldering/ slight adaptation via firmware manipulation tools.

If the disk is not mounting and not visible in disk management, then there isn’t much to do other then send it for recovery to places that have resourced to fix these types of issues.

Thanks,  HDDRS.  The drive spins and runs with no clicking sounds.

However it is detected fine on other PC’s (laptop), just not on my desktop computer, so presume it’s not a USB cable / firmware issue?

oh, I somehow misread the part where it gets recognized on the PC. you only have one USB port on the laptop?

maybe not enough power, but usually drive wont spin at all. are the drivers all up?

There are many ports on the laptop, however the drive I use plugs into the main power source, so I don’t suppose power is the big issue. What is the best way to double check that all the drivers are up?

in your device manager simpy navigate to USB devices, right click and update driver

Sorry for the delayed reply. I’ve tried updating the drivers, but the WD Drive still isn’t recognized. Do you of any other options?

Thanks again.

There are tools that can work with these drives without mounting them, but they are not for end users (cost is too high). USB technology is still relatively a new thing for some data recovery companies and currently there only 1 product that can perform efficient imaging of these devices. You need to find a data recovery provider who is up to date with that technology. Knowing how to swap heads or swap chips on PCB isn’t enough for this kind of work. If the company is not equipped with most recent imaging device that supports USB interface, drive would require USB to SATA conversion, so it can be communicated with. Imaging and further decrypting of data may required if your drive is hardware encrypted by WD. For lots of recovery companies it is still a gray area when it comes down to USB drives, but we’ve been doing it since these USB interfaced drives came out. You may inquire about these services via PM. I don’t want to sound like a spammy poster who offers this service to anyone in need, but I can help to prevent data loss for someone, so be it.