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Toshiba external hard drive issue

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nocram18 Posted messages 531 Status Member -  
nocram18 Posted messages 531 Status Member -
Hello,

Here is my problem, I have a 1TB Toshiba external hard drive (model: v63700-C) and all of a sudden when I connect it to Windows (I am on OS: Windows 7 (64 Bits)), my hard drive prompts me to format the drive (here it’s H:).

Given that my hard drive is filled with downloaded movies (I know it’s not very legal ^^), I would like to recover everything.

I know the cause of this problem: - It’s because I have removed the device without ejecting it properly via Windows that the hard drive has stopped functioning. (This is not my fault; it’s because I keep lending it to people who don’t know how to do it, and yes, too bad for me, but there must be a solution ^^).

So since I know a bit about computers, I have done a lot of research and tried many solutions, but none have worked without formatting.

I have already seen many topics of the same kind on this site, but I still wanted to post the subject again in case someone finds an answer or a solution.

The solutions I have tested are: - booting into Linux (I have my computer in dual boot: Windows 7/Ubuntu 12....)
- trying from cmd the command chkdsk /F H: (without interesting results), it tells me at the end that 131,146 index entries have been processed. Then it gives me, in English: an unspecified error occurred <696e647863686b2e 15dd>. Here is the end of the solution.

I am looking for several solutions, and I have already downloaded several file recovery or formatting software.

So I am asking for help on this forum that has helped me a lot in the past with certain previous searches.

I apologize for the spelling mistakes; I have screenshots available for more precision, and I can give you my email address privately.

Thank you, have a good evening. ^^ :). You are my only solution.

6 answers

  1.
    antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    Hello.

    "I know what the cause of this problem is: - It's due to repeatedly removing the device without ejecting it beforehand through Windows that the hard drive stops functioning."

    You understood everything.

    External hard drives, USB keys, SD cards, . . . not recognized.
    This problem is recurrent.
    I see it every day on CCM.
    It seems that this malfunction arises from "pulling out the connection forcibly".
    And unfortunately, there is no "miracle" solution.

    See this.
    This article concerns USB keys, but it's the same for other removable media.

    Bad habits
    Some users, out of ignorance, do not properly disconnect their key from the computer to which it is connected.
    This presents two main risks.

    The first is related to the sudden power cut on the USB port, which can affect the electronic components that make up the key and damage them.

    The second relates to the operating system of computers whose standard configuration generally tends to save USB transfers.
    It manages the write operations in the workstation's memory on the key and only performs the actual transfer based on certain criteria: sufficient size, proper disconnection of the key, task scheduling, use of DMA,...
    Thus, between the "logical" write to the key and the actual physical write (after USB transfer), there exists a period of desynchronization.

    The consequence is that a key that is yanked out abruptly will not be correctly synchronized.
    It may happen that files on the key are locked and remain so, or show inconsistencies in their content.

    The incident is often apparent during the next connection of the key, hence too late.

    To prevent these issues, simply use the proper disconnection commands for USB media.

    An icon in the taskbar of Windows XP or on the desktop of some Linux distributions makes this operation quick and ergonomic.
    Linux command line enthusiasts will use the sync and umount commands, for example.

    Excerpt from: http://www.dgdr.cnrs.fr/fsd/securite-systemes/revues-pdf/Si11.pdf

    Good evening.
    1
    1. loreno29 Posted messages 18 Status Member
       
      Hello,
      I've had the same problem since yesterday... I've always disconnected my external hard drive properly until last night when I couldn't do it (programs in use...). However, in the task manager, NOTHING!
      Anyway, I ended up unplugging it, thinking that "for once it would be fine...".
      No luck!! I just plugged it back in to check if it's recognized and I see an icon in the taskbar :) but when I open "my PC", nothing appears :(
      None of my partitions show up!
      I went to "devices" via the control panel, my external hard drive shows up but under "devices" in "unknown" with a yellow triangle!! In the troubleshooting, it finds a problem and tells me that Windows can't load the driver because a previous version is in memory..!
      Should I delete my driver (I'm hesitant to try without advice) to reinstall it? Hoping this action will be enough!

      Thank you.
      0