Recommendations to Recover a Damaged External HD

[buckeyebri]

I accidentally dropped my WD external HD the other day and I can’t get it to connect anymore.

It still spins and the light flashes. It does make a funny beeping noise for a bit but quiets down. Windows will tell me it is setup and I can eject it ok. It just doesn’t show up as a recognizable drive anymore.

I don’t want to send it anywhere with some of the data that is on there. Suggestions?

 

[exhawg]

You could try taking it out of the enclosure and plugging it in directly to a desktop or get a SATA to USB adapter. If that doesn't work sending it in might be the only option, but expensive. Can we get a poll going so we can guess why you are worried about sending it in? Financial info, dick picks, homemade porn, snuff films?

Never only have one copy of something.

 

[buckeyebri]

Tax returns and other financial info would be the concerns in sending it in. I wasn’t sure if there was any software I could try since it appears to be spinning.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I had success with using an external case with the guts of the damaged one

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

FWIW there are very sophisticated operations that can recover data from damaged drives to severely damaged to destroyed.. with great success... but it can get REAL expensive

 

[scarletmike]

Just be very careful and pay close attention to what sounds it makes when it's on. If there's the slightest hint of an unusual grinding/clicking sound, kill the power ASAP because you likely have impacted heads and trying to get it to work will just make recovery more complex and thus expensive.

 

[WesleyGreene]

I accidentally dropped my WD external HD the other day and I can’t get it to connect anymore.

It still spins and the light flashes. It does make a funny beeping noise for a bit but quiets down. Windows will tell me it is setup and I can eject it ok. It just doesn’t show up as a recognizable drive anymore.

I don’t want to send it anywhere with some of the data that is on there. Suggestions?

they're worth attempting:

Check the connections: Make sure the USB cable connecting the external hard drive to your computer is securely plugged in on both ends. Try using a different USB port or cable to rule out any connection issues.

Test on a different computer: Connect the external hard drive to another computer to see if it's recognized there. This will help determine if the issue lies with your computer or the hard drive itself.

Update drivers: Ensure that your computer's drivers are up to date, especially the USB drivers. Outdated or incompatible drivers could prevent proper recognition of the external hard drive.

Device Manager: Open the Device Manager on your computer (you can search for it in the Windows search bar) and check if the external hard drive is listed under "Disk Drives" or "Universal Serial Bus controllers." If you see any yellow exclamation marks or error messages, right-click on the device and select "Update Driver" or "Uninstall." Then restart your computer and check if the drive is recognized.

Data recovery software: If the drive is still not recognized, you can try using data recovery software designed for situations like this. Some popular options include Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, or TestDisk. These tools can help scan the drive for recoverable files even if it's not recognized as a drive in Windows.

Professional data recovery service: If all else fails, and the data on the drive is crucial and irreplaceable, you may need to consider sending it to a professional data recovery service. They have specialized tools and expertise to recover data from damaged drives. Ensure you choose a reputable and trusted data recovery service to increase the chances of successful recovery.