Turned out to be a bad cable. Mine is connected now. FYI
“If it came uplugged it’s probably corrupt”? How on Earth do you jump to that conclusion? Mine turned out to be a bad cable. Switched it out and everything’s fine. Your suggestion that I start a new thread with my OS isn’t likely, as I don’t see where to start a new thread here. I looked around, but I don’t see it. You’re the second guy I’ve seen race to the “it’s corrupt” or “it’s damaged” conclusion, without ever suggesting someone check their cable. Maybe start with “Check your cable” before you send them out to buy new gear and give up on their existing data. I’ve got an entire CD of new material, 18 songs and a couple years of work, on my HD. I’ve also got it backed up to another 1.5TB hard drive. I certainly am not going to just take someone’s word for it that “It’s corrupt, go pay $600 to recover your data.” Sorry, but the advice on this thread is a little bizarre IMO.
Usually, when a person pulls a cable (cause it just doesn’t come out on its own), it’s after they’ve just copied data to their drive. Not always, but many times. Consequently, when a drive cable gets pulled, and then the drive no longer shows up on the computer, that is usually an indication of data corruption. In your case, your cable suddenly became bad.
If you took time to read this thread instead of just jumping on and ranting you would have noticed it was about a dropped drive.
Joe
I’m not buying the excuses. It has to be a conflict issue between Smartware (why did WD ever put that program on thier hard drives is beyond me) and newer versions of Windows. I have 5 different external drives, including 2 from WD. The only drive I have ever had problems with is the one that came prepackaged with Smart ware. Sandsik did the same thing years ago with their flash drives by preinstalling a program called “U3”, and that is the reason I will never but another Sandisk flash drive. Same here with WD. I have never dropped my hard drive or exposed it to any harsh environment, and I know how hard drive behave when they fail. My WD drive hasn’t failed - it is some sort of code conflict period. This cookie cutter explanation that “it isn’t us, your hard drive has failed” isn’t working for me.
Hello ruddar… i have the exact same problem too… i accidentaly dropped it once and since then its not working anymore… after you opened your hardrive, did you lost any data?
My WD 1600ME-O1 with serial number [edited] is no more recognized by any PC with XP or Win 7.
NO MORE WD in my life AGAIN !
Thank you WD for NOT helping me solve this problem. Out of warranty direct to garbage can .Good CONSUMER product.
No problem with serial number .The device is in the garbage can. I buy an 2,5 new rack from Gembird.:smileyvery-happy:The Hdd is still my old WD. Now everything is ok.Good stuff (hdd)in lousy bag (WD rack)
Hello
I have just experienced a similar problem! i dropped my hard drive and the flashing light still works and the first few times i plugged it in it said it couldnt recognize the device and now it says nothing at all 
Is there any chance to recover this with out professional help ?
Thanks!
Isn’t the HDD hardware enscrited? How did you get it working in a no identical case?? I have a connection problem with mine, the led light, lights up but there is no usb connection nor is there any sound/ disk activity from the HDD
@rudder i replied to your post did you get it? i said how did you get your HDD working in a non identical case isn’t the HDD hardware enscripted? because my HDD unit is and has a connection problem which could be one of many problems but im guessing the HDD is still intact and want to do what you did but with a identical case or of equivalent.
sweetcandysmile wrote:
Isn’t the HDD hardware enscrited? How did you get it working in a no identical case?? I have a connection problem with mine, the led light, lights up but there is no usb connection nor is there any sound/ disk activity from the HDD
if you dropped your drive and there is no sounds nor disk activity from HDD, then heads most likely jumped from parking onto the platters or didnt have enough time to reach parking if it was spinning when dropped; this is very common problem for laptop any drives, not just western digital. Heads on platters with no power kinda resembles the foot on brake pedal while car is in drive position… It wont move. If you put your ear to the drive while connected and it makes pulsing sound, like it attempts to spin - that’s the problem right there. Sticky heads
if drive makes no sounds then power delivery to the motor is breaking somewhere. Weather its your cable, or PCB on the drive itself.
To trouble shoot drive that doesnt spin:
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Put your ear to the drive and listen to it.
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Buzzing or pulsing - stuck heads
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No buzzing or pulsing - cable or PCB
it’s definitely number 3 because i have never dropped it, i accidently put my laptop power cable into it for like a few seconds and then it stop working basically, but im sure my data is still intact and the HDD can be transfered to an identical case but not sure how to do that because there are two circuit boards if im right one of them is the USB/Power connecter and the other is attached to the HDD its self if that makes sense?
yes, there are 2 controllers that you will see. on is just an adapter from SATA to USB and another is attached to your drive.
I would pull the drive out, and connect it to any other enclosure just to see if it spins.
having your laptop power cord could have caused failure in 3 places.
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usb controller - drive wont spin in burnt enclosure but will in any other enclosure, or if conneted to another power supply direct to sata.
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hard drive PCB - drive wont spin at all in any enclosure or even when connected to power supply direct to SATA.
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hard drive pre-amp - drive wont spin at all in any enclosure or even when connected to power supply direct to SATA, but will also start to click when PCB is either repaired or replaced.
problem is that your USB adapter is what decrypts the data on the drive, so even if the drive is healthy that USB adapter needs to be fixed.
Hope someone can help. I have a 1T WD external drive on which I backed up all my files and in particular photograghs before leaving to live and work out in the Persian Gulf.
I had successfully accessed teh drive using my laptop on one day only to find the following day, the power unit had failed.
I replaced the power unit from an official source paying the premium and the HD powers up, spins and the blue light showing activity at the data plug is evident however the laptop and my pc at work dont recognise the existence of the HD.
I have tried alternate cables but to no effect.
No known maltreatment of the HD and as it survived the transport in my camera bag on the aircraft from the UK, and worked, assume there was no effect there.
Any ideas what to do next?
Regards
Graeme
Same here my passport was working a few hours ago and since I used it on another pc since then it’s not even showing up on mine when I check the external device it’s there but it does not show up in my computer any one can help???
Can someone help me, i am also in the same boat.
I have a WD 2tb sata hard drive that is no longer recognised in any computer i plug it in to, i have also tried numerous amount of external casings to no avail. PLEASE HELP i have all my pictures of my kids since they were born and would really like to retrieve them… and before someone says it, i know school boy error for not backing up my back up! lol
MGSpencer wrote:
Hope someone can help. I have a 1T WD external drive on which I backed up all my files and in particular photograghs before leaving to live and work out in the Persian Gulf.
I had successfully accessed teh drive using my laptop on one day only to find the following day, the power unit had failed.
I replaced the power unit from an official source paying the premium and the HD powers up, spins and the blue light showing activity at the data plug is evident however the laptop and my pc at work dont recognise the existence of the HD.
I have tried alternate cables but to no effect.
No known maltreatment of the HD and as it survived the transport in my camera bag on the aircraft from the UK, and worked, assume there was no effect there.
Any ideas what to do next?
Regards
Graeme
you could have fried the bridge board when power supply failed.
Shan94 wrote:
Same here my passport was working a few hours ago and since I used it on another pc since then it’s not even showing up on mine when I check the external device it’s there but it does not show up in my computer any one can help???
drive could be corrupt. recovery software like R-studio could help, but if data is very important consult with data recovery company first.
Berniebrennan wrote:
Can someone help me, i am also in the same boat.
I have a WD 2tb sata hard drive that is no longer recognised in any computer i plug it in to, i have also tried numerous amount of external casings to no avail. PLEASE HELP i have all my pictures of my kids since they were born and would really like to retrieve them… and before someone says it, i know school boy error for not backing up my back up! lol
pm sent Bernie
