WD Passport hard drive impossible to open

Question

Hello,
For the past two days, I haven't been able to open my hard drive. When I plug it in, I hear the connection sound, the light is on, and it spins, but it's not showing up in my drives.
I changed the cable, but there's no change; the problem persists. Sometimes it suggests formatting, but if possible, I would like to avoid that (my drive is full and contains all my professional folders!)
Thank you for your help!
(Otherwise, I'm on Windows 10)

Configuration: iPad / Safari Indeterminable

Sannin_WD · Accepted Answer

Hello Emidu07,

I admit that I have participated in a few threads that dealt with the same issue and even though I risk repeating the steps already mentioned elsewhere, I will do it for you :)

Indeed, if Windows is asking you to format the hard drive, it’s because there is an issue with the file system (format) of the hard drive and this makes communication between the OS and the hard drive impossible.

You did well by conducting cross tests and checking the connections! If you hear the hard drive spinning (if you feel the vibrations from the hard drive rotation) that would mean that the hard drive is powered. I would like to suggest a few checks to perform:

> take a look at Disk Management and check the info that the hard drive is reporting: posting a screenshot here would be great :)

> check Device Manager: it’s possible that the hard drive appears as “Unknown Device” or “Device not recognized” > right-click on this hard drive > click uninstall > disconnect the hard drive from the USB port > turn off/on the PC (not just a simple restart, but disconnecting the power supply from the PC, then reconnecting the power and starting the PC, or also removing the battery (if it's a laptop) for a minute and then restarting) > reconnect the hard drive afterwards. Are there any changes?

> still in Device Manager: right-click on the hard drive and check the device status - is there an error code?

> check "Devices and Printers": if the hard drive appears there, right-click on it and try “Troubleshoot”.

> diagnose the hard drive using the WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics tool: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=hnQBCA to check the device status

I’m keeping an eye on the topic, @Emidu07 :) Please give me some news :)

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Sannin_WD · Answer

Hello again, Emidu07 :)

To insert an image into your message, you might want to take a look here https://www.commentcamarche.net/infos/25913-ccm-inserer-une-image-dans-une-discussion/ :)

It's true that the most important thing would be to recover the data... I admit that the best way to recover data is to have backup copies on various media...

Have you considered trying to access the hard drive through alternative methods such as the suggestions in this article: https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-37640569-recuperer-des-donnees-sur-disque-dur-et-cle-usb or a Linux Live CD? It doesn't hurt to see what the result would be.

I also think about CHKDSK commands. If you want, you could see what that gives: Start > type cmd in the search box > Enter > chkdsk #: /F/R (where # should be replaced by the letter of the relevant drive). So, for example, if the external hard drive is assigned the letter I, the syntax to enter must be chkdsk I: /F/R.

@Emidu07, don’t forget that CHKDSK repair (/F) will try to recover data located in damaged areas (if there are bad sectors on the drive), and if it fails, it’s highly likely it will overwrite them. In this line of thought, there may be corrupted data on the drive.

Feel free to test the drive with Data Lifeguard Diagnostics (extended test and S.M.A.R.T. values check).

I’ll be around here :) Just give me a shout, please :)

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Emidu07 · Answer

Device Manager screenshot

Sannin_WD · Answer

Thank you for your reply, Emidu07, and for the time you took!

Have you received the results of the diagnosis? Are they promising? I would also like to know the results of CHKDSK... Would it be possible for you to share them with me, please?

As for backups... it's true that we quickly lose the habit! However, I admit that getting past the first hurdle of establishing a habit would be a step forward...

If you had the time to take a look at the suggestions I left you in my message < 3 > (regarding data recovery), feel free to discuss them here if you want :)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope you can come back here to share what happens next :) See you soon on the Forum!

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If you found the answer to your question, don't hesitate to click on Resolved to help other members with the same issue ;)

WD Passport hard drive impossible to open

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