MyBook not mounting

Portable Drives My Passport
1

I have an old WD MyBook which is faulty.

For years the drive has been noisy (rumbles when writing), and has more recently disconnected itself when writing.

Not having used it for many months, a couple of days of go I installed a Mac OS on it, since when it no longer mounts (recognised by System Profiler, but not Disk Utility) when connected to a Mac.

When first plugged-in, the drive spins and whines and the heads click onto it and then away (10-second video at https://youtu.be/_Du0BNZsrtQ).

I suspect the drive is the problem, but I don’t know how to be sure.

If it’s the drive, I’m wondering about a suitable replacement… although the price comparison of bare drive to a new unit makes it perhaps not worth doing.

But if it’s the electronics, and the drive isn’t the issue, I’d like to know.

2

While you are using a Mac, the Windows-specific application WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics can indeed check the overall health status for the unit. However, based on the video I am not aware if this unit can continue to operate properly since the platters have been exposed to air and dust.

3

@Trancer… thanks.

I appreciate your point of ‘continue to operate properly’… and I suspect it’s dead anyway, which is why I was ok to dismantle it (figuring the mechanical disc is more likely to be defective than the electronics.

And, with the relatively small price difference between a replacement hd and a new unit, as it’s an older usb spec it’s probably sensible to discard the whole unit.