I have sent this same email to WD Support, but thought I’d post it here as well:
I have a 500 gb My Passport portable USB harddrive. Until yesterday, it was working fine without any major issues. Yesterday when I plugged it in on a public computer, using a different USB cable that is about 24" in length, it started making clicking noises and was not immediatly recognized by the machine. I unplugged it, and did a bit of research. I understand that using a cable longer than 18" may not provide enough power to the drive to function properly. When I got home, I plugged it in with the cable it came with. It did not make any clicking noises, however it was extremely slow. I backed up some of my important files onto my desktop, and then unplugged it again. I still have alot of important work that has not been backed up in a long time on my passport, and I can not afford to lose it. I don’t want to damage the drive further, so I am being very cautious. What is the best way to, most importantly, recover my important documents (approximately 1 gb of work), and secondly, determine if the drive is still in working condition?
