500GB not opening, even though Smartware pops-up

WD External Drives WD Portable Drives
1

Suddenly, on of my 2 passports no longer works. (500GB, I’m using Windows Vista).

When I plug it in, the Smartware install screen will pop-up. As usual, I close it. Then the actual content screen should pop up, with my folder full of content in it. But this no longer happens.

The LED then flickers, and will continue to flickr for as long as I keep the drive attached, but nothing happens. The disk containing my content doesn’t open. I cannot access it.

When I want go to check my disks (“my computer”) it takes ages before the “my computer” folder finally opens. There I read:

-CD Station (D: ) WD Smartware  (0 bytes of 644mb)

-Local drive (J: )  … [nothing]

When I check the WD Quickview I read: My Passport Essential USB HDD [J:] : Used = 0, Locked = No, Temperature = OK.

I have an exactly the same second WD passport, with exactly the same cable, bought exactly the same day, and this one works. But the other one, strangely enough gives nothing. I don’t know what’s wrong.

I recently installed and then removed an piece of software that creates virtual drives, called Daemon Tools. It interfered often with my drives, generating Blue Screens of Death when I gently touch the drives. After disinstalling it, one Passport works, the other doesn’t.

Any help out there? Thanks.

2

i have the same problem, i tyr update the firmware and software, but the error still hapen

3

And so here we are, with disks full of data. Ready to be thrown into the garbage bin?

It’s a shame that so many people seem to have a problem with WD disks, and nobody answers them.

What to do?

4

Community members will always answer your questions when they have ‘spare’ time and the question is legible.

As I can understand you have a corrupted disk. Corruption could be either logical or physical. Your drive electronics are okay. To verify your disk drive condition you can use WD DLG diagnostic software. Sometimes it may help you to repair your drive but sometimes it won’t. But you can get a diagnostic report on normal or quick test. WD recommends you to replace your drive if either of tests fail.

Secondly you can use HDD Regenerator 2011 to recover bad sectors on your disk platter. The trial software will run on both scan and in repair modes but only repair one bad sector. Paid version will recover whole drive. You can Google for unpaid full version. When you do, don’t install the app, just copy and over write application exe file in trial version installed folder. This app will not destroy your data.

Third is Testdisk, which is a freeware. This will also help you to recover your disk drive’s bad sectors but you have to be very careful on option selections. (Command prompt App.) So be patient and make right selections.

Physically damaged drives cannot be recovered in this way.

Finally, if either Regenerator or Testdisk unable to see your drive, you may have to seek support from Data Recovery professionals. This will cost you US$ 800 to 2000 depending on difficulty and amount of data recovered. They shouldn’t charge you, if they cannot recover any data.

If all fails you may have to forget about data recovery and contact WD support for replacement if it is under warranty.

5

Never try to update firmware when a drive is having a problem. This might destroy your drive beyond recovery.

6

your problem looks exactly like mine. My old WD also took ages to access, and turned out to have too many bad sectors, have it sent back to WD for RMA. Data is cooked, though!

7

Ok, the WD DLG diagnostic test shows me the following results:

http://tinypic.com/r/2cnhw1s/7

So everything seems to be alright there.

However, the quicktest fails. It says:


“Quick test did not complete on drive 2!”

Status code = 07 (Failed read test element) , Failure checkpoint = 97 (Unknown test)

SMART selftest did not complete on drive 2!"

Whatever that means.

And that’s it then.

I will try the other suggestions.

8

Mabkay wrote:WD recommends you to replace your drive if either of tests fail.

Oh sure, I love to throw my money away at companies. I love giving handouts. They make a ■■■■ product, which I love to buy again, of course!

 

If this problem can’t be solved in a simple way, I will of course never again buy WD, tell 100 friends to dump that brand too, and switch to the competition. My right, I think.