Blinking LaCie hard drive

pitchou1704 Posted messages 103 Status Membre -  
 MiV -
Hello,
I have a LaCie external hard drive
I'm on Windows XP
since yesterday when I turn on the hard drive the light blinks and it makes a strange noise toc toc
but the problem is that I have a lot of super important files on it, is there a solution to recover the files
please help me
thanks in advance to all of you
Configuration: Windows Vista Firefox 3.0.6

11 réponses

giovari
 
I know this problem well!!! It's the power supply.
LACIE power supplies are complete nonsense. Out of 3 Lacie d2 drives and one Porsche design, I’ve changed the power supplies at least once.

You just have to put your ear to the power block when it’s plugged in and listen... the symptom is an abnormal whistling... or a continuous noise. On the disk side... there’s a regular ticking sound as if the disk can't start. These symptoms come intermittently at first, and after a few stops/starts... it’s over, and it happens every time, making it impossible to mount the disk.

There you go...
5
pookie83
 
Hello, after a quick look at the forum, I see I'm not alone in the Lacie mishap! I indeed have the same issue with the front LED of the drive flashing and not getting anywhere! Is it really necessary to change the power supply or should I consider another solution right away (opening the casing..)? PS: it's obviously no longer under warranty. Thank you in advance for your response and happy end of the year 2009!
0
Papish13
 
Indeed, I had the same issue with a LaCie 500 Go Porsche external hard drive. I replaced the power supply, which when I listened closely to it, had a high-pitched whine like electrical arcing. I installed the hard drive in a SATA/IDE adapter and miraculously, my LaCie reappeared. Thanks again for the info; visit the LaCie site, they talk about power supplies there. Happy New Year to everyone.
0
MiV
 
That's great! I had 2 drives that I thought were dead, but since they were powered by the same power supply, your response helped me.
0
Anonymous user
 
Unfortunately not... The problem with Lacie drives! I had the same issue but unfortunately lost all my data; a friend had the same problem before but he managed to fix it by dismantling it. Just for your information, I've already tried but without success. But if you want to open it, take two sturdy knives and place them on the longest sides (in the two notches) and then open it. From there, I'm not sure...

Hope your problem gets resolved...
1
samijammali
 
one never opens a hard drive!!!!!
hard drives are opened in special conditions.... vacuum chamber... total absence of any dust particles.....
it's better to try your hard drive on another PC.

sami
0
Musicor Posted messages 16 Status Membre 1
 
He just wanted to take the record out of the case...
1
Mirage
 
Giovari,

the 80GB is bus-powered, no second USB connection

the 500GB has an external power supply

Good news, I removed the 500GB SATA hard drive and connected it to a desktop PC, the hard drive showed signs of life by starting up!!!!!!! However, the PC was not set up.

Not being the owner of this PC, I can't comment on accessing the data, but I am hopeful.
1
Giovari
 
mmm...

It's not logical at all...
Did you install the 500 GB as an internal disk in another PC?
And without access to the admin account, you couldn't bypass the NTFS protection?
Is that right???

Well, that's what I'm saying... you just need to change the power supply and you should be able to use your disk normally.
The 80 GB should be tested on another PC of a different brand.
It must be the USB port that doesn't provide enough power.
It happens... I also have a LaCie model F/A Porsche that is bus-powered but has a second plug.
And sometimes it doesn't manage to mount on certain PCs.
0
malopié Posted messages 3 Status Membre
 
(I am re-posting in this thread since the other discussion has a "resolved" status).
http://www.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich 8012652 disque dur lacie help

Hello,

I have something similar with my d2 Quadra since this morning.
But it’s not really the same classic problem of the “tac-tac” sound and the blinking blue light on the front.

To be honest, the hard drive doesn’t turn on at all, and it’s the green power light that’s blinking.
Since I don’t have any other device that uses this type of 4-pin power connector on the back of the hard drive, nor a second power supply, the tests to determine if the problem is with the power supply are limited.
However, in an unfortunate turn of events, when I plug in just the entire power kit (cable to wall outlet + power brick + cable to hard drive), the power brick light is steady, as it should be.
But as soon as I plug the 4-pin connector into the hard drive, the power light becomes very weak, with a hesitant blinking, and of course, the hard drive is not powered at all, giving the impression that there’s some sort of short circuit.

If someone has had this kind of problem, I’m curious to know their final verdict.

Strange twist of fate, as I just acquired a PCI controller card with two power ports (https://www.lacie.com/fr/fr/
I will try using this cable (https://www.lacie.com/fr/fr/
Fingers crossed...
0
pitchou1704 Posted messages 103 Status Membre 6
 
Well, as soon as I plug the power back in, I have the same issue as you
but I don't know what to do because I can't even access my hard drive to recover my data, plus it was my son's videos, I'm disgusted.
0
Mirage
 
Hello,

I'm encountering the same problem with 2 Lacie hard drives:

- 80 GB: connected only via USB; the same "tick-tock" symptoms, I managed to restart it by moving it around and fiddling with the USB cable on the drive. Currently, it’s still running.

- 500 GB: "tick-tock" and nothing more. Now I’m in a bind, 500 GB holds a lot of data.

From reading your exchange, it could be a power supply issue... but like with my 80 GB, no power supply, same symptoms, leaving only the hard drive’s hardware interface and the drive itself. I’m considering opening the 500 GB and connecting it to a desktop PC to recover my data...

Good reasoning?
0
Giovari
 
Mirage, it's the same problem, same reasons but different equipment. Let me explain:

Self-powered devices sometimes have trouble starting because the power supplied is insufficient.
The reasons:

1) Old PC and/or defective USB
2) Drive connected to an unpowered or weak USB hub that already has other peripherals. Again, the power is insufficient
3) Sometimes certain Lacie drives have an additional power connector with an adapter cable that plugs into a second USB port.

There you go ...
0
Mirage
 
I was able to simply connect the HDD to a PC power supply and hear it start up, no more "clicking".
Your comment worries me; is there an NTFS protection? I'll look into that at the next stage, but not for another month...
0
giovari
 
plug it all in. stick the power supply of your LaCie to your ear and listen.
Most of the time when the power supply malfunctions there is a continuous whining.
If that's the case... it's clear! Order another power supply from the LaCie website.
You'll see, they have them all and it's super efficient... it really seems like they're making a fortune off their crappy power supplies that come from Taiwan.

Their power supplies are a scandal.

I hope this helps you!

bye
0
pookie83
 
Thank you for the quick response! I reconnected the power supply and turned it on. When listening, we hear a scraping noise and it seems to really struggle to start up (constant scraping)... the LED keeps flashing... I'm not against changing the power supply (and continuing to power the LaCie drives... sniff! however, is there another site where I can buy it??) but I want to make sure it's worth it... I wouldn't want to end up with two dead power supplies! (okay, okay, nothing is ever certain, but still...)
Thank you in advance and happy New Year's Eve!
0
kalagani Posted messages 12 Status Membre
 
Thank you, same issue: power supply that flashes when the QUADRA is connected
and now no humming but a ticking sound when my ear is close to the power supply!
0
kalagani
 
In the end, the same symptoms
but a different failure diagnosis: it's the internal board of the enclosure that is faulty
because the hard drive extracted from the enclosure and connected to my PC works.
And previously, I had tried the enclosure and its disk with another power supply that flashed as soon as it was connected to the enclosure, just like the first one...
However, I don't know where to find an interface board, LaCie doesn't sell it separately!
0
thomas56890 Posted messages 1 Registration date   Status Membre
 
J'ai le même problème qu'avec certains fils USB, donc essaie avec un autre fil.
0
Giovari
 
I'm sure of my move :-) I've changed 3 out of 4 LaCie disks
But check what I told you :-) Put the power supply against your ear ... if it "squeals" it's rubbish!!!
If it makes no noise at all then ... doubt!
Another way ... go to a store and do a test ... if they're nice and good merchants they'll help you.
Talk to you later, keep me updated. It's for my stats ;-)
0
zoopzee
 
Hello Giovali

I have the same problem but with a ticking sound added; let me explain:
- When I turn on the LaCie Porsche Design drive, the front LED flashes red/green and is accompanied by a continuous ticking sound. The drive does not spin at all and my PC does not recognize anything.
I managed to open the aluminum case of the LaCie, but then what should I do and what should I change to recover at least my data (320GB)?

Thank you for your help.
0
giovari > zoopzee
 
Have you ever tried changing the power supply? Or is it a self-powered disk?
0
zoopzee > giovari
 
In fact, I ended up buying a new external enclosure to regain access to my drive. Now it works.
0
lylozee > zoopzee
 
Hello Zoopzee,
I opened my hard drive because it was blinking. While fiddling with the power connection, it started working again!!!
I celebrated victory a bit too soon and didn’t take the time to make backups. And this morning, once again, tick-tock it's blinking... I fiddled with it again but this time there was a little spark.. Please doctor, what did I fry??? Right next to the power supply, small colored wires in a small white connector linked to a bigger white one??? I hear it is powered on but the LED doesn't light up anymore :(. What should I do?? Thanks in advance.
0
Giovari
 
As for the USB cable story... it must be a self-powered drive... right? I had the same problem.
Sometimes either the cable... or the USB port does not provide enough power to the drive.
0
lylozee
 
Hello, I reached out to Zoopzzee but can you also shed some light on what I probably missed?????
Thank you for your help.
0
giovari > lylozee
 
In my opinion, it's hopeless. We need to send the disk back to the factory to see if they can do something by replacing the interface card. Because I think that's what you burnt out.
Send a photo of the disk to giovari/hotmail.com

I'll check if the interface is attached to the disk or not.

Bye
0
B-S-T09 Posted messages 1 Status Membre
 
I have exactly the same problem.. were you able to solve it? If so, could you help me? If not, at least were you able to recover what it contained? Thank you for helping me, that would be very kind..
0