Windows 7 - 1TB WD USB hard drive failure - is in Device Manager, not initialized

Hi.

I was normally using my computer, when I suddenly noticed one of my hard drives disappeared from My Computer. Checked the Device Manager, I get the following. Trying to initialize it throws up this error:


Seems to spin just fine. Trying different USB ports failed, switching cables as well.

Already tried a few programs. GetDataBack for NTFS throws up error 1117. R-Studio also fails, as does DMDE and MTY. My friend even borrowed me Microsoft DaRT (part of MDOP), but when I boot into it, it doesn't recognize the HDD at all, no matter how hard I try. Only my Windows 7 installation does.

Anything I can do in this situation? I had a lot of important data on it, and it's not completely dead yet. Maybe I can still save it somehow, without haivng to pay one of those data recovery thieves...

have you tried wd data lifeguard tools?

since I don't know which drive you have I can't post a direct link to it for your drive but here is a link to all of them.
WD Support / Downloads / Select Product

I have this one:
WD Support / Downloads / Legacy External / My Book Home Edition

I downloaded WD Lifeguard and ran a quick test. It ran for 5 seconds before throwing up this error and immediately stopping the test.



I've just started an extended test, and they say it can take up to a couple of hours. I'll go to sleep now and report back overnight with results.

yeah it appears to be failing on you. hope it still has a warranty. at least drives are pretty inexpensive now. heck the other day a computer store by my house (micro center) is selling 1.5T hard drives for $69.
a few years ago you couldn't touch a 300g hard drive for $60.

Well sure, but I want my data back. Here's the extended scan's results:

Your only hope is professional data recovery at this point...better to unplug the disk and stop using it altogether. Any further attempts at testing and/or recovering your data are likely to make things worse. Sorry to have to be so blunt...I've had this happen to me once and speak from experience

Photoman,

Try TestDisk. I make no promises. Let us know the results.

True is that when you are not testing the disk, then physically disconnect the disk so that the disk doesn't spin when not needed.

TestDisk - CGSecurity

It works for about 10-15 minutes, then says there were errors and stops.

Just curious to know what happens at every stage when you run Test Disk.

Please have a look at the guide I had put out here .

In the second window does your WD HDD show up with the correct capacity?

If you get as far as the fifth Window, what does the fifth Window show?

Try to complete the process and give your stage by stage comment.

Now if you had gotten upto the fifth Window, you can select Backup. This should facilitate backing up whatever data is there on your HDD. Try and let us know what happens.

When it showed up an error message at some stage (at which stage ?) did you wait for a sufficient time? Did Test Disk say it cannot proceed further or you closed it even before Test Disk gave up?

You may appreciate none here could have tested Test Disk under actual troubled conditions and your feedback on it may help us.

Hope you will be able to recover the data on your HDD, even if it cannot be fixed.

thought of this thread when I seen this,

Free Data Recovery Software to free recover deleted files and recover formatted or corrupt hard drives - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition.