I have a 4TB My Passport drive, manufactured inAugust 2019, which I have taken to a data recovery service.
The recovery service has told me that it is unable to read the data because the firmware is unable to read the native encryption key.
I took it to the recovery service after I stopped being able to read the data.
Prior to this, it could only be read after pushing in the USB connector manually.
It seems that there is an issue with the USB connector.
What can I do to recover my data?
Assuming that this is indeed the case, can this key be re-installed, knowing the serial number of the drive?
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:
The best way to tackle this issue is to contact WD Support. They may have specific procedures or tools that can at least help you with firmware-related issues. If you think that the issue is of port then you can try different USB ports on your system and a few other systems also.
In case of crucial data recovery, it’s best to try a professional data recovery service that has a past of recovering data successfully, so you should try another professional data recovery service. It may be expensive but if the priority is data recovery then you can try another service, which is professional in the recovery field.
Regarding reinstalling the encryption key, it’s very difficult for you to do this on your own without any specialized tool or knowledge as the encryption key is typically stored securely within the drive’s firmware, and accessing or modifying it requires specific expert knowledge or equipment. So as said in the start, your best bet is to work with Western Digital support or a professional data recovery service that specializes in dealing with encrypted drives.
In any case, it’s important to proceed cautiously to avoid further damage to the drive or potential loss of data. Make sure to back up any important data in the future to prevent similar issues.
