G-Drive Mobile/Broken USB connector

G-Technology G-DRIVE
1

I have a G-Drive Mobile USB 3.0 drive with a broken connector; it spins up, but will not mount,
and the connector built into the case feels loose and connects only intermittently.

There’s data on the drive, though I don’t know what, since I can’t mount it.

If I send it back to G-Raid for repair, can the data be copied and returned to me?

Thanks.

David

2

David,

We would not be able to transfer the data or repair the drive. The warranty is a 1:1 replacement. If the data is what you need our suggestion is to open the enclosure and take the drive out and swap it to a working enclosure.

Something like: this

3

I understand. Thanks!

David

4

how do i go about getting my g-drive fixed. little nephew jammed the connector into the drive itself. now its all loose in there and doesn’t connect

5

There is no repair, under warranty we replace the entire unit. As the previous response I gave a link to an enclosure you can swap the drive to in order to continue using it as an external drive.

6

@Rydia: I’ve got the same problem (the 3.0 USB input on a GDRIVE mobile USB 3.0 broke and fell inside the casing).

I have opened the external case in order to inspect the connection where a SATA cable would go in, but I am unsure on how to dismount the USB circuit board, does it snap off by tearing pressure? Or do I need to unscrew something? I prefer not to fidget too much with it without being sure of what I’m doing, the data inside is valuable.

Could you please guide me into dismounting it the USB board so I can plug a SATA to USB cable and recover my data?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Hugo

7

You can just pull it apart from the drive, it is not secured other than slotted together. It pulls right off the back and then the drive can be placed in another enclosure or use a SATA to USB cable.

8

How do I open the G-Drive mobile? I don’t see any screws. thanks

9

You would pry it apart with something like a small flat head screwdriver to get the pieces apart. There are no screws it is snapped together.

10

Hi Rydia, thanks for detailed responses on this issue!
Have same problem as others above with broken connector inside casing. I’ve since opened and separated from motherboard. I just tried to connect the drive directly to a drive slot in a PC but it didn’t show up in the list. Is there a driver needed to connect with PC vs Mac? Thanks in advance!
AG

11

The drive is formatted for a Mac so Windows cannot read Mac formatted drives. If you need to use it on that computer you can install software on the Windows system that allow the usage of Mac drives such as Paragon’s HFS+ for Windows.

12

I have the new G Drive Mobile I bought a few months ago with a non-responsive usb board, and it doesn’t have a SATA connection. The piece you’re referring to that should pop out doesn’t exist. It’s all one board screwed directly into the hard drive itself. Not sure if you can see it well in the image. Is there a work-around for this?

IMG_7347
IMG_73474032×3024 2.05 MB

13

The original post was about a older version of the Mobile. This post was from 2017. The newer models of the unit have drives without SATA boards and have a direct USB connection which isn’t possible to work around. Only a data recovery company can proceed.

14

I have an older 1TB drive that works intermittently. As with others in this thread, I believe the issue is a loose connector. However, I wonder if there is an adapter/cable that I can purchase to go from the Thunderbolt port to one of the USB-C ports on my new Macbook Pro? Any help, aside from purchasing a new casing with the same port, would be greatly appreciated.

As you can probably see in the background, I have already replaced this drive, but would like to salvage it if possible.

IMG_0116
IMG_01163024×4032 1.94 MB

15

Apple makes a Thunderbolt 3(Type-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter: HERE

However because the unit is bus powered there is a chance it won’t be able to provide the needed power to the device.

16

If the adapter were attached to a powered docking station, would that make a difference?

17

Hello,

I have the 1 TB External HDD - Mobile Portable - USB 3.0 and the port has come loose and fallen inside. Can I open it up and repair it or take it out?

18

Hello -

I am having the same issue as Moll13: I have a 1 TB GDrive Mobile USB 3.0. The port has fallen inside the drive so I can’t connect it to my computer. Can this be fixed?

19

It cannot be fixed. Under warranty we can replace the drive.

20

Has anyone used the new enclosure from Amazon that Rydia mentioned and does it work with your drive? Same issue happened to me and want to know if it is possible to recover without taking to a data recovery place