I have NEVER been able to access the files on my WD Elements Portable

WD External Drives WD Portable Drives
1

Long story short, in 2015 I hired a computer consultant to save my files from a dying computer to an external drive. He did and handed me this model: WDBUZG0010BBK. I was super busy and did not try to retrieve data for a year. In the meantime, the consultant actually died. When I tried, I think I read somewhere that there was something that had to happen to access my files, but I was unable to figure it out. Here we are, 2021, and I need something on this drive. Here’s what I know:

  • The hard drive is connected to my Acer computer via USB port
  • The drive light is on and the drive hums
  • Although Windows 10 does not show me the drive in File Explorer, I can see it in Disk Manager
  • It’s listed as Disk 1 (my C drive is listed as Disk 0), 931.48 GB, not initialized, unallocated
  • In one location I read that initializing will not erase data so I tried that and received a “This Device Not Ready” error message. That may be for the best because another article said that initializing WOULD erase my data. Who to believe, who to believe?
  • I downloaded WD Drive Utilities but it does not see the drive.

And here I am. I don’t have a lot of hope because similar but different questions on here have gone unanswered since June, but I’m hoping fortune smiles down on me favorably.

Many thanks in advance.

Sandy

2

Initializing a Hard Drive does Erase All Data on the drive … whoever says it doesn’t is wrong.

If the data on the drive is very important for you to retrieve (which it sounds like it’s not, since you left it for year, and then years again after that) contact another Data Recovery Service and get a Quote as to how much $ it’ll cost.

3

It’s important to me or I wouldn’t be here asking how to get into it. Shouldn’t there be some way to get the data off this disk? Isn’t that what it is for? If I recover the partitions will the data come back?

5

You are super rude. You know nothing about my life or situation. This IS the back-up. Do you know the rules of this community? “Be kind to your fellow community members.” “Does your reply improve the conversation?” “Constructive criticism is welcome, but criticize IDEAS not people.”

You do none of those. I know I can go to a recovery place and pay. If I wanted to start there, I would have already been there. One comes to a helping community to get help, not to have some person with an anger problem blast you. If you have constructive advice, give it. If you don’t, step away from the keyboard.

7

:laughing: :joy: :rofl: :crazy_face: :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: Hope tomorrow is a better day for you.