Hard drive initialization question

Cybrow, if you are still unsure if the suggestion you have already gotten (good ones) aren't going to work, then here is a good way to retrieve those files. Using a Linux Distro (Ubuntu is a good choice) create a start up disk then using the USB device you have created run Linux to download the information off of the drive. Good luck either way, helping someone else can be a trying matter, especially a friend. :)

DocBrown,

Yeah, that's the kind of unit I was using but mine didn't come with a power adapter for 2.5 drives with the brick. I'm sure you're right about the extra power. When I found the external enclosure I noticed the dual USB plug for extra power. Sure nice to have that done.

Lee,

I think that would be good way to approach the problem and in fact I booted up with my Knoppix disk and tried. That was before I found the external enclosure with the dual USB power cable so it couldn't access the drive. In fact I used that approach to clean up my dual boot -Windows 7 / Win XP so that I could get rid of the system status on the Wind XP drive and get everything on the Windows 7 disk alone. Great tools.

Night Hawk,

Right on all accounts. I virus scanned the drive successfully and watched a video file off the drive so all is copacetic in Repairland.

Again thanks to everyone. Great forum.

Okay everyone, I know this post is almost a year old, but I'm having similar issues. I'll try to be brief yet concise. I have a somewhat older MyBook 500GB external HD that was working fine when I first upgraded to Win7. One day it gave me an error along the lines of "device not configured properly" or something, so it wasn't installing properly when windows booted. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it and now windows installs it 'properly' and recognizes it in disk manager, but it's not showing up in Windows Explorer as a hard drive. So I believe this puts me at a simliar situation as was originally posted in this thread. I downloaded the most recent version of "recover my files" and it recognizes the drive but says "No Readable Media", so the tech support told me to initialize. I'm kinda scared, because I was a moron and trusted my external HD as my 'backup' and hadn't had an opportunity to back that up. It seriously has my entire library of photos from me and my wifes entire relationship, including our engagement and wedding photos. I'm hoping to NOT have to go through a data retrieval service, so I'm asking all the smart people on the internet. Thanks for any help you can provide. I was/am interested in the Linux 'downloading' of the files, but am unfamiliar with linux for the most part.

Cheers,
Carl

I had a similar issue trying to access Windows XP data on an IDE drive on Windows 7 via a USB to IDE/SATA cable I have. I was getting the "You must initialize" message. I unplugged the drive for fear of losing data, as others have mentioned, and checked the jumper settings. It was set to Cable Select, so for hahas I figured I would try Slave. Once I switched it and plugged it in, no more initialization message and I can view the files.

Just thought I would post this in case it helps someone else in the future!

sbarstow nailed it right on the head! Switched my external hd jumper that I plugged into my Win 7 box with the cheap adapter to Cable Select and it no longer asked to Initialize the disc and showed right up under COMPUTER as a drive letter. Could see all my files.
bravo!

sbarstow said:

I had a similar issue trying to access Windows XP data on an IDE drive on Windows 7 via a USB to IDE/SATA cable I have. I was getting the "You must initialize" message. I unplugged the drive for fear of losing data, as others have mentioned, and checked the jumper settings. It was set to Cable Select, so for hahas I figured I would try Slave. Once I switched it and plugged it in, no more initialization message and I can view the files.

Just thought I would post this in case it helps someone else in the future!

Had this problem with a usb drive that would work some times, but would on occasions not show up.

Put a jumper on and bam working just fine since.

Try this before you wipe all your data...

Seagate 1 TB, was working, remove data, formated it windows 7, using eSATA/USB COMBO EXTERNAL ENCLOSURE MECCER - HD316SSC, REFUSES TO BE initialize it give the data error cyclic redundamcy check. If I plug it in on SATA port it ask for a password, I donot have it. Please can anyone help.

Without going into why, how and what, I would suggest that you try this. ( Since you do not have any data on your HDD it becomes all the more easy to try out anything :))

Download and install HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool from http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

Put your HDD inside the external case, power it up and plug it into your Windows 7 computer using the USB connection

Select your external drive run the tool to low-level format it.

It may take quite sometime zero-filling each and every sector of your external drive. Be patient and do not interrupt it halfway through.

This will reinitialise your external HDD to factory condition after which you can format it the way you like using Windows 7 Disk Management or any other formatting utility.

I hope this works.:)