The disk does not show up at all in the Disk Management, nothing to initialize, format or assign a letter to. It does show up on WD Dashboard, but with incomplete data.
Capacity and Temperature both say Failed to Load. The Performance says N/A and all the numbers are 0. It says that drive health is normal. I have tried this with 3 different SATA ports and 2 different power plugs and in 2 different USB ports via a powered adapter. I also tried it with a laptop and the powered adapter, but without the Western Digital Dashboard software. It didn’t show up with any of these attempts. For some reason when it’s installed via the powered adapter in a USB port it takes 5 minutes for the computer to boot. I previously had a different 6TB WD Black HDD installed via the adapter and usb ports with no issues at all. Is this drive dead? It is brand new direct from WD.
Hi @gato410 ,
Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:
I spent at least an hour and a half with chat yesterday with someone who very obviously didn’t even really know what the basic characteristics of a 3.5 inch platter drive were. After going back and forth with their “troubleshooting” and explaining in detail the more thorough troubleshooting I had already done and sharing multiple screenshots, they declared the drive DOA. They then told me I had to PAY FOR SHIPPING BACK A DEAD HDD, and they would ship out a replacement in 3-7 days. I politely expressed my strong dissatisfaction with the idea of having to pay for shipping on a drive that arrived dead. The support person then said that this one time they would give me a prepaid packing label when they send conformation of the RMA. They said they had accelerated the process and I would get the email shortly. 23 hours later and I have heard nothing from them. When I pull up my account on the WD website and click “returns” it says “No Return Requests Found”. So far my experience has been pretty crappy. I would also point out that this drive was shipped in a small box with only the flimsy plastic end caps suspending it in place, not foam or air cushioning at all. This sort of packaging is unsuitable for shipping and only good for onsite storage. The package could have been dropped once and caused the failure. I have a hard time believing the money saved on substandard packing material is worth having to eat the cost on a 250 dollar hard drive. I have two more drives arriving on Monday and I hope they are packed better. they are being shipped from a different location so perhaps the team there does this better. Anyway, I am now wondering if this process was even started, and whether or not I should just start the return process myself on the website.
You’ve already gone through quite a bit of troubleshooting and have had a frustrating experience with WD support. Based on the symptoms you’ve described, it does seem likely that the drive is defective, especially considering it doesn’t show up in Disk Management and has incomplete data in the WD Dashboard.
At this point, if you’re unsure about the status of the return process, it might be worth contacting WD support again to follow up. You can inquire about the status of your RMA and request the prepaid packing label as previously promised. If you still encounter difficulties or delays, you could consider starting the return process yourself through the website, especially if you’re concerned about further delays.
Regarding the packaging issue, it’s important to provide feedback to WD about the inadequate packaging of the drive. You should also document everything in this process like the packaging you received, the return request generated, and the response to that.
In summary, I would say to follow up with WD support to confirm the status of your RMA and request the prepaid packing label. If necessary, you can also consider initiating the return process yourself through the website. And don’t forget to provide feedback about the packaging issue to help improve future shipments.
You are underage person with a huge tongue and opinion about anything.
Ask help from your parents, them to deal with the world of grownup.
I got a WD gold shipped from USA to EU at such carton box, and nothing when wrong.
I purchased two My Books which were shipped from the USA to Australia in exactly the same box. Both were OK.
That said, Seagate used to ship their drives in foam packed boxes, but now this practice seems to have been discontinued. It would be interesting to read WD’s official requirement for the packaging of returned drives.
Edit:
https://www.westerndigital.com/en-au/support/store/packaging-instructions
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For single internal hard disk drives, place the drive in an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) bag or similar material to prevent ESD. External hard disk drives do not require an ESD bag. What is ESD?
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Wrap the product with 2 inches of bubble wrap or non-movable foam cushioning (Please do not use foam peanuts or shells, packaging pellets, air-bags or newspaper)
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Place the product in a sturdy, good condition corrugated box. Ensure that the product does not shift around.
The irony of such a petty and uncalled for comment is obviously lost on you. They miss you over on Xbox Live.
Hilarious level comments, will not help any consumer so him to have a faster RMA process.
WD and similar business they need several days for internal coordination.
If it when proven that you killed the drive, you will pay in full for the replacement.
Dude YOU started this with the petty insults, keep your sad trolling to yourself. This drive has since been designated as DOA by WD. And seriously, get a life, others here actually had a meaningful contribution to make, whereas you felt the need to fling unwarranted insults at a total stranger. Be better.
Well they skipped the bubble wrap when they sent it to me. The sort of packing they used is the kind one uses for onsite storage, not the kind designed for the rigors of cross country shipping. I’m sure it works fine much of the time, but they obviously know that bubble wrap is needed to protect against potential damage.
Dear child, in this planet they are us, for 30 long years be WD customers.
And your tiny self.
HDD packaging solutions this is work of specialist, product packaging professional engineers.
Second advice, in this forum you are not as much anonymous as you might thought.
Professional engineers will examine the theoretical DOA and they will decide your fate.
You are a tiresome troll. I just received my prepaid shipping label to return it. No one thinks they are anonymous here, we all sign in with our email, silly. The packaging is a pathetic cost saving measure that does not even meet the standards they set for the customer to use to return items. Funny how the condition of the dead drive is consistent with a drive that has been subjected to impact, ie: recognized by Dashboard but no analytics available. Simping for a corporation that is struggling to recover from a gigantic data breach is not a good look. You might also try using Google translate, your English is not as good as you think it is. Unless you are actually an AI bot, in that case you’re doing pretty well.
I have initiated a full return and have received a prepaid shipping label.
Slightly off topic, you folks really need to implement a block user function on this forum. This Kiriakos-GR fella is very annoying. Not that it matters anymore, I will not be back here as I am done with Western Digital after this experience. Have a nice day.
If the test on WD Dashboard says that drive is okay and in good health, try reformatting the drive
It’s possible that the drive may indeed be faulty. Here are a few additional things you can try:
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Different Computer: Test the drive on a different computer to see if it’s recognized. If it’s still not recognized on another system, it’s more likely that the drive itself is faulty.
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Different Operating System: If possible, try connecting the drive to a computer running a different operating system (e.g., Linux or macOS) to see if it’s detected. This can help determine if the issue is specific to your current operating system.
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Check Cables and Connections: Ensure that the SATA and power cables are securely connected to both the drive and the motherboard/power supply. Faulty cables or loose connections can sometimes cause detection issues.
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Update Drivers and Firmware: Make sure your motherboard’s SATA drivers and firmware are up to date. Similarly, check if there are any firmware updates available for the WD Black HDD. if you need new driver download it from Crackaction.
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Contact WD Support: Since the drive is brand new and still under warranty, it’s best to direct reach out to Western Digital’s customer support for assistance.
Given that the drive is showing incomplete data and causing boot delays when connected via the powered adapter, it’s likely that there’s a hardware issue with the drive itself. Contacting WD support for a warranty replacement would be the next best step in resolving the issue.
