External HDD Not Working - Computer Recognizes but wants to Initialize

I was using my computer and everything was fine and then BSOD.

I have had BSOD occasionally before (by that I mean the last one was on Nov. 12, 2014). Usually I just restart my computer, everything is fine and go about my business, well unfortunately not this time.

I have 2 WD external hard drives connected to the computer, and one decided to stop working. I believe it has connected before when a BSOD occurred and it was unaffected at that time.

I plug the drive into the computer. It does NOT show up under My Computer. It DOES show up in Device Manager and Disk Management. See the screenshot attached.

Drive C is an internal boot drive. Drive D is an older internal drive with files from before starting anew. Drive H is another WD external drive (unaffected by BSOD). The drive that isn't working was (N:) before I believe.

In Disk Management the drive comes up as "Disk 4" and in Device Manager it is "WD My Passport 0820 USB Device".

If I connect the drive to another computer, it will install the driver software and the same issue will occur. If I "uninstall" the drive, it will reinstall the driver software and still same issue.

The LED light is constantly on, but it does NOT feel like the drive is doing anything.

When I open "Disk Management" is prompts to "initialize" the drive. Another screenshot attached.

I haven't really been able to really figure out if "initializing" is data destructive or not... I think I've seen it both ways by reading different forums.

Reading several threads with similar issues lead me to install "MiniTool Partition Wizard", but the drive doesn't show up in that program. See screenshot number 3.

So... I'm pretty much at a loss. I've seen some Linux suggestions, but I basically have never used that so would prefer to try any Windows based solutions before going to that (but will go to Linux if that is the only/best option).

Any assistance is appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help.

EDIT: I've tried using various data recovery programs, and they don't see the drive. I'm not sure why my computer can see it (sort of) but most things can't...

Hi there.

I'm sorry to hear about the problem you have. Probably something went wrong because of the BSOD, so can you run a test on the drive using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics and post back the results? You can download the program from here:

Support Answers

Let me know how it went. :)

I'm sorry to say that, but since the DLG tool sees the drive as 0MB, then I recommend to contact our support and RMA the drive:

Support Answers

In case you have important data stored on it, you can try to retrieve it with some recovery software, but keep in mind that the more you use your drive and try to repair/get back the files there, the worse the damage may become. That's why I think it will be better to consult with a data recovery company:

Support Answers

As for the exact reasons why that happened, there's no way to say for sure, I think it is related to the BSOD which occurred. Also, please do not remove the drive from the enclosure since WD My Passport drives are hardware encrypted which means that even if the drive is removed from the enclosure and connected directly to a computer, it will be unreadable because the hardware encryption chip is missing. Furthermore, by doing so you will avoid your warranty as well.

Best of luck!

Yes, since your drive is hardware encrypted you cannot access your files if it's removed from the enclosure.

You cannot access the files if the drive is removed due to the hardware encryption, so that's why the best thing is to consult with a data recovery specialist:

Support Answers

I can't tell you how they could extract your information since WD is not dealing with data recovery.