External Hard Drive failure. "Bad disk" after power failure

Hi,

Ubuntu wasn't able to detect the hard drive when connected. So unfortunately that did not work.

I went ahead and downloaded HD Tune Pro and ran the test. I've attached the result to this response. Let me know what I should do next. Thanks!

Anshad Edavana said:

Hi

"Too many bad sectors" message by "WD lifeguard Diagnostics" is definitely a bad news . Since the disk is detected as "Not initialized" by "Disk Management", i assume the MBR and partition table are destroyed or in unreadable state so the Ubuntu method is less likely to be succeeded. However there is nothing wrong in trying Linux as it saved my ass several times in similar situations. By the way you don't need to install Linux. You can simply boot Ubuntu as a live disc without installing it to hard drive.

Try Ubuntu before you install it | Ubuntu

If Linux can't identify neither partition table nor a valid file system, i would suggest the below steps.

1. Reboot in to Windows and download trial version of "HDTune Pro" from http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtunepro_550_trial.exe

2. Connect your external HDD and open "HDtune Pro". Then select the disk in question from the drop down menu ( upper left corner ) and navigate to the "Error Scan" tab. Press the "Start" button and wait patiently until the scan completes.




One the scan is finished, take a screenshot and upload it with next reply.

Take a screen capture (print your screen) - Windows Help

If your external drive is self powered (I.E: connected to it's own power) it's possible to remove the drive from the enclosure it's in and connect it directly to your computer without it's power controller. I have saved the data from a few external hard drives like that. Worth a shot if nothing else works

Shimshom said:

If your external drive is self powered (I.E: connected to it's own power) it's possible to remove the drive from the enclosure it's in and connect it directly to your computer without it's power controller. I have saved the data from a few external hard drives like that. Worth a shot if nothing else works

Thanks. After all is said and done I may have to give that a shot. The data is important.

Hi

Sorry for the late reply. The scan result doesn't looks good and indicates severe surface damage. Usually this kind of issues are beyond DIY and require service of a data recovery professional. I would also suggest trying to connect the HDD to a direct SATA port to isolate a possibly faulty USB-SATA ridge. But i am afraid that might not be possible with a "WD Elements" drive. WD has the bad habit of integrating USB-SATA bridge to the disk's PCB rather than using a separate logic board.

An example :

If you open the enclosure and find a similar disk like the above one, the case will be beyond DIY.

Thanks. Is there anything else I can do before opening it up?

Also at this stage is the drive usable? Would initializing it do anything?

Curious if anyone has any other steps I should take.

Would initializing it do anything?

Initializing will try to write a new MBR and an empty partition table which will further complicate the situation. With care, you can easily open the enclosure without damaging it. Then please report whether the disk has standard SATA connector or integrated USB connector.

Hi. Sorta good news I guess. My HD is not like the one above. It has a detachable board that covers the connector. So it appears I can connect this to my computer and try to get access to it? I've posted a picture for reference. Please let me know how to proceed.

Thanks again.

Have a look here
Disassembling the WD Elements 1.5TB External Hard Drive - YouTube

Hi. As you can see above I have it outside of the case. Just need to know if there is a way to get access via installing inside the computer.

Shimshom said:

Have a look here
Disassembling the WD Elements 1.5TB External Hard Drive - YouTube