Proprietary non-standard USB interface on My Passport

Hi

I have been using many types of USB drives for many years. If ever I got a problem reading the drive, I could pop out the drive from the case and use a USB-SATA plug kit to connect it to my PC to diagnose/backup/recover.

However, when I had a problem on a new My Passport I was shocked and dismayed to see it had a proprietary non-standard interface so I could not connect it to my recovery kit. I have come across some non-standard connections before (e.g. Dell) but they usually use a removable adapter - this one seems soldered/permanent on the My Passport so I am stuck.

Please advise.

Thanks

tomhass

Micro USB is the new standard for this type of units

smart phones, cameras and other devices use the same connector

These drives usually have hardware encryption, so even if you convert it to sata somehow ie “hardwire”, your data would still be encrypted. What seems to be the issue with the drive?

spins? clicks? buzzing? silent?

Its not the dead end with them, but recovery procedures are more time consuming with the extra steps involved now in the process with that interface. 

Wizer that’s wrong - I know what a micro-usb port is on the 200+ smartphones I support - this connector on the drive is non-standards based - it is larger than a micro-usb and has a metal indent/prop in the middle for which you need a special cable - that hacks me off in so many ways !   :frowning:

The point I am making is that previously USB external drive were made to international standards:-

  1. Inside the disk is SATA2 usually with either a micro-sata or SATA2 connection - you can connect it easily to any standards-based PC in the world

  2. The USB connections were via SATA->USB adapters inside the caddy and the cables were either USB Micro or Mini standard - most businesses and probably most homes either have spares lying around or at least available from PC World/Radio Shack.

But now WD has put this completely stupid proprietary connector on so cables misplacement/loss and connection to data recovery kit or PCs is very troublesome…arggghhhh!

Please go back to the standards is all I am asking.

What the OP means is that the Passport HDD that is contained in the enclosure cannot be taken out and connected to another PC or SATA enclosure because it has been hard modified with a micro USB connection and circuit board which cannot be removed off the drive. So basically if like mine the USB connection malfunctions, you’re stuffed as you cannot use the drive with any other device and all data on it is lost…

This is just a blatant fleece from WD. Most other companies like Dell and Iomega employ a SATA adapter interface which, (once you have removed the HDD from the enclosure),  you can simply unplug from the drive and connect to another source should the circuit board software develop issues.

As it stands, if you can’t get a replacement via the warranty your up the creek, but your up the creek any way as you won’t get your data off it if you can’t get it to connect via Micro USB which if the circuit board becomes compromised, you won’t.

Very, very shoddy imho.