My Book DUO in RAID 1 not recognized anymore

WD External Drives External Drives for PC
1

Hello

I saw than other people reported similar issues with slight differences.
I have a My Book DUO setup in RAID 1. It worked well for years.

It is not recognized on my PC anymore . No known issue, like surge, etc.

Symptoms :

  • led, Amber blinking
  • the drive utility says it cannot access data anymore.
    WD
    WD562×722 21.5 KB
  • Windows says the disk needs to be initialized.

What I did :

  • change USB cable & port (nothing changed)
  • upon suggestion of WD Tech Support run a few data recovery software (did not work, can’t access data)

I read this :

I tried to put my 2 disks in another (My Book Duo) enclosure that is perfectly working. Same issue, same symptoms.

Obviously there are data on the 2 mirrored disks that I do not want to loose. Is there a (safe) way to retrieve them (before sending the disks to a data recovery company) ?
Some people suggest to intialize the disk AND use a data recovery software.

Thanks in advance !

2

Connect them to a SATA port in your computer and show us the SMART data.

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/

4

Thank you fzabkar - but Before I do it, I should add that there is hardware encryption on the drives (something that is built-in with MyBook duo enclosures and apparently cannot be turned off).
With this piece of information, do you think it is worth it ?
(sorry for the candid question, I’m far from being an expert)

5

You need to start by determining the health of the drives.

1 Like
6

Hello

This is DISK 1 :

disk1
disk11920×1321 275 KB

This is DISK 2 :

DISK2
DISK21920×1321 278 KB

7

Disk #1 has started to degrade, but I can’t see anything that would prevent the RAID from continuing to function.

Can you show us a view of the Partitions tab for each drive in DMDE?

https://dmde.com/

8

Thank you - do you want me to scan the disk prior ? Or only show the partition tab (without scanning) ?

9

Just show the Partitions tab. A full scan is unnecessary.

10

Here it is for DISK 1 :

DMDE_DISK1
DMDE_DISK12858×1516 81.9 KB

Here it is for DISK 2 :

DMDE_DISK2
DMDE_DISK22858×1500 82.5 KB

11

The absence of partitions would confirm that the data are encrypted. :frowning:

I don’t know what else to try. Maybe you could try running a degraded array by only installing one drive, but be sure to reinstall it in its original position.

12

Thanks for your help : it worked ! I put only Disk 2 (the healthy one) in the enclosure.

  • blinking led Amber
  • disk recognized, files accessible
13

It seems like you’re dealing with a challenging situation regarding your My Book DUO setup. The amber blinking LED and the inability to access data indicate potential issues with the RAID 1 setup or the drives themselves. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially recover your data:

  1. Check RAID Configuration:
  • Ensure that the RAID configuration is set up correctly. If possible, consult the RAID configuration utility to verify the status of the array.
  1. Test Each Drive Individually:
  • Remove one drive from the enclosure and connect it to your PC directly using a compatible SATA-to-USB adapter or enclosure.
  • Check if the drive is recognized. If not, there might be an issue with the drive itself.
  1. Repeat with the Second Drive:
  • Remove the other drive from the My Book DUO and test it individually using the same method.
  1. RAID Data Recovery Software:
  • If the individual drives are recognized, you can try using data recovery software on each drive separately to retrieve your data. Initialize the drives only if you are unable to access them without initialization.
  1. Advance RAID Data Recovery Services:
  • If the above steps don’t yield results, and you are not comfortable handling the recovery process yourself, consider consulting professional data recovery services. They have specialized tools and expertise to recover data from damaged drives.
  1. Contact WD Support:
  • Reach out to Western Digital support again, providing them with detailed information about the issue. They might have specific steps or tools that can assist in recovering data from your My Book DUO.
  1. Avoid Initializing the Drives:
  • Initializing the drives may result in data loss, especially if the RAID configuration is not correctly recognized. Avoid initializing the drives until you have exhausted all other recovery options.

Remember that data recovery can be a delicate process, and it’s crucial to proceed with caution to avoid further data loss. If in doubt, seeking professional assistance may be the safest option. Additionally, always make sure to have backups of important data to prevent such issues in the future.