A month after buying the product: My Book Essential 2TB, [edited] , it stopped working. No computer was able to recognize it (except that a USB was plugged and that it). Couldn’t initialize the drive through the Manager. After a bit of googling I gave up and bought another more reliable product, not of your company, that “amazingly” a year after works. Now - a year after I bought your product I’m trying to see if I can bring it back to life, and seeing I still got warranty - so it might stop taking dust - and check if some of the data I backed on this drive can be restored.
Googling again I found some of the following results from your own forums:
http://community.wdc.com/t5/External-Drives-for-Mac/My-Book-Essential-Not-Working/td-p/258208
The last link I think got the solution and I believe its the same problem I (and many many disappointed users of your product) experiencing.
The general solution is described here:
http://www.allthingsdentistry.com/2011/09/repair-western-digital-external-hard.html
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sENpoL88Zw
Of course I’m not 100% sure that the solution to my problem - but from all accounts - that seems the one most probable (replacing the controller card).
I haven’t tried this solution myself for the following main reasons:
One - I don’t feel that it’s my responsibility to fix a problem in equipment that malfunction by the same problem that happens to thousands (if not more) of users of the same product.
Two - I don’t think that as respectable company (as you present yourself to be) would actually expect “find the solution yourself” behavior acceptable.
Three - I’m not trained electrical \ computer engineer that I want to take risk losing my last chance to save my data - and a bit less hopeful (and now less caring after spending money to buy other more reliable data storage devices) - ever recover the equipment itself.
Four - Why should I spend more money fixing your product when the problem seems to be a repeatable flawed design (the controller card)?
Five - And sadly the biggest reason - as long as I’m not trying to fix it by myself - I can hopefully use my last remaining 1 year warranty (from 2 I got for the equipment) to give you a chance to try and solve me my problem AND recover the data I got on it (according to the solution I found the data probably undamaged).
As I mentioned - I tried to initialize the drive - and couldn’t - always get the message “drive is not ready”. Also I tried to connect the adapter directly to power outlet - didn’t work. Got new power adapter - didn’t work.
According to the solution I found - its suggesting replacing the controller card. This means the data inside the external hard disk in intact and not damaged. I don’t think I need to accept just replacing the drive when you as easily can help me recover my data.
One last thing - I reported this to your support team in your “email” application form - and of course no answer. Not only that there is no answer - you don’t even even reply in any way… Nice.
Respectfully (but grudgingly),
Oran
