Hi!
My WD external drive stopped working, it’s also slow down the computer when it’s connected and do weird noises.. I can see the name of the drive but can’t open any item because it’s just get stuck.. is there any chance to extract those files?
I also have wd backup but couldn’t restore any data from there so maybe it didn’t really did any backup
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Hi @Adi1,
Please refer to the article How To Tell If The Noise or Sound An Internal Drive Makes is Normal:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16309
Please test the health of your drive using the Western Digital Drive utility:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13880
There could be various reasons for a drive to become unresponsive or undetected. It can be a hardware issue or some software issue. The external drive may be detected by the system if you connect it to another PC, but it doesn’t respond.
Below are a few possible reasons for this issue:
- Corrupt or unstable USB driver
- OS is missing important updates
- USB controllers may have become unstable or corrupt
- Corrupt USB drive or partition
However, you can still fix the issue and extract the files from the USB drive by attempting the below methods:
- Reboot your system - Shut down your system, remove the power cord wait for some time & then connect the power cord & boot your system.
- Try different PC or Laptop
- Re-install USB drivers
- Unplug all connected USB devices
- Fix USB root hub
You can also check out the below blog to know the solution for the issue:
https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/how-to-fix-not-responding-hard-drive/
Hope this will help.
Quick fix WD external hard drive not showing up/unrecognized/responding error
- Click Start > Type: devmgmt.msc in the Search box and hit Enter.
- Open Device Manager > Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Right-click on the USB Root Hub > Select Properties.
- Go to Power Management and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
After this, reboot PC and reconnect WD external hard drive to your PC, then you’ll be able to use the drive again.
If this quick fix doesn’t work, relax and just follow below-offered methods
Here you have two methods to follow and fix WD external hard drive not recognized or undetectable error in Windows 10/8/7:
Method 1. Reboot PC into Safe Mode to make WD external hard drive recognizable
- Go to Setting > Update & security.
- Tab on Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart now.
- PC will automatically boot into another Startup Settings screen.
- Press F4 to initiate PC reboot into Safe Mode.
- Then check whether the WD external hard disk can be detected or not.
Method 2. Change drive letter to make unrecognized WD external hard drive detectable
The other way is to change the drive letter with Disk Management tool so to make unrecognized or undetectable WD external hard drive to show up in PC:
- Right-click on This PC/My Computer > Select Manage.
- Go Disk Management > Find your external hard drive and right click it by choosing Change Drive Letter and Path…
- Assign the drive with a new letter that doesn’t exist in your PC and mark the Partition as Active.
- Click OK.
- Restart PC and your External hard drive will show up and work again.
Hope this helps .
Based on what you said, these are clear signs of physical damage to the hard drive. 
If your disk has physical damage, stop using it right away and contact a professional data recovery company. They can open the drive in a cleanroom and recover data directly from the platters. Trying to fix it yourself can often make things worse. Free data recovery tools might help, but they won’t work well if the hardware is damaged.
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- Click Start > Type: devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
- Open Device Manager > Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Right-click USB Root Hub > Click Properties > Power Management.
- Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
Repeat this process to turn on all USB Root Hubs in the list and reboot the PC. Then, see if the WD external hard drive shows up on your PC.
If you prefer the WD hard drive recovery service, you can turn to this guide.
WD drive may be failing. Try accessing it on a different computer or using a different cable. If it’s still slow or making noises, avoid using it too much to prevent further damage. You can try data recovery software like Recuva or Disk Drill, but if the drive is physically failing, a professional data recovery service may be the best option. Also, check your WD Backup settings to see if any backups were actually created.
You may do as follows:
-
Click on Start > type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
-
Click View in the Device Manager > Select Show hidden devices.
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Expand all notes by clicking on the + (plus) symbol.
-
If there are any greyed-out entries, right-click them and select Uninstall.
-
Reboot your PC.strong text
If your WD drive stopped working, start by checking Disk Management. You can access this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting “Disk Management.” If the drive is listed there but doesn’t have a drive letter assigned, right-click on it and choose “Add Drive Letter.” Should the drive be marked as “Unallocated,” you may need to format it; however, please note that formatting will erase all data on the drive. Next, open Device Manager (again, by right-clicking the Start button and choosing “Device Manager”) and expand the categories “Disk Drives” or “USB Controllers.” If your drive appears here, right-click on it, select “Uninstall,” and then restart your computer to see if the drive reappears. Consider trying a different USB cable or port, as faulty connections are a common cause of such issues. If you notice any clicking sounds or unusual spinning noises coming from the drive, it’s probable that there’s a hardware problem, so seeking professional assistance might be necessary. Additionally, download WD Drive Utilities from Western Digital’s official website to assess the health status of your drive.
Simply reinsert the USB connector firmly into the port to see if it resolves the issue if it has come loose.
Try again with a fresh cable if the old one is damaged or broken. It’s worthwhile to replace the cable in case there’s an issue within, even if there’s no visible damage.
