Solved WD my passport not initializing

[Rashmanadon]

Hey guys,

I know there's about a thousand of these threads around, but none of the solutions seem to be working.

The drive doesn't show up in my computer, but when I go to the disk manager tool, it's there, recognized as WD my passport, 500gb and says it needs to be initialized.

I click "initialize" and it tries to do something, then comes up with "The operation could not be performed due to an I/o error" or words to that effect.

I've run the WD diagnostics, and it says the capacity is 0gb and it doesn't pass the test. I've tried writing all 0's to it to reformat it using the WD tool, and again it says "The firmware on your device drive does not support the changing of block size of your WD external hard drive"

So I tried the Firmware updater, and that says "Update firmware to V 1.019"
Click yes

and it says "Update failed on specified drive. Please click "exit" then close all other open applications and then run the WD firmware updater again"

But - no other applications are open when doing it?!

So basically - it doesn't show up in my computer, I can't assign it a letter, I can't initialize the disk, and I can't partition it that I'm aware of.

Any other suggestions besides return it?

Running Windows 7 Home premium 64 bit

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello Rashmandon mate as you seemed to have tried all else personally I would try the tutorial from whs - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/113967-ssd-alignment.html I know it says SSD but I do this for all the drives I put in or on my machines not that I have had the problem you have but what have you got to lose except your sanity

Having said that please don't go ahead if you think it isn't right the choice is yours I am only saying what I would try.

 

[braddersz]

Can you format it? Try plugging it in another machine with a different OS.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Can you format it? Try plugging it in another machine with a different OS.

That is just what that tutorial is about Brad

 

[braddersz]

Can you format it? Try plugging it in another machine with a different OS.

That is just what that tutorial is about Brad

MY bad. Thanks for pointing that out. I've not managed to have a read through it yet.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Can you format it? Try plugging it in another machine with a different OS.

That is just what that tutorial is about Brad

MY bad. Thanks for pointing that out. I've not managed to have a read through it yet.

No probs Brad it is quite essential for SSD's but i just use it for everything.

Now for you and Rashamnaodon my favourite tutorial is http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11728-optimize-windows-7-a.html?filter[2]=Performance Maintenance - if you don't mind losing some of the "bling" it will speed the system up and optimise it.

Rashamanodon please let us know how you go

 

[Rashmanadon]

Thanks for the reply, running through the SSD formatting method, it has the same I/o error message as before :S

 

[Rashmanadon]

Attached a ss of the error

 

[braddersz]

Have you got another device with the same Drive Letter assigned as the WD.

 

[Rashmanadon]

the HDD doesn't have a letter assigned to it, just Disk 1 (both in disk manager, and disk list) but they both show up as 0gb, even though if I remove the external hard drive, there's no disk 1 =/

 

[Rashmanadon]

it takes a while to be recoginzed and makes a sorta ticking or clicking sound whilst it's getting recognized... maybe it is faulty and I need an RMA?

 

[braddersz]

it takes a while to be recoginzed and makes a sorta ticking or clicking sound whilst it's getting recognized... maybe it is faulty and I need an RMA?

Use WD tools to check the disc for errors.

 

[Rashmanadon]

which WD tool? I've got DriverUpdate, Firmware Update and quick formatter...

Driver update says fine, Firmware says I/o error and quick formatter says firmware won't allow disk change..

I plugged it in to an xp machine and it shows up as Mass storage device when you connect it, but doesn't show up under disk management... not even as an uninitialized device

 

[Rashmanadon]

Not sure if this ss helps either. Shows the device listed as uninitialized on win7 disk management, and the properties found under Devices and Printers section. It doesn't have any volume apparently and is unpopulated?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Um Rashmanodon Mate try Partition Wizard and see if the drive come up in that - if it does run a surface test on it.
If that works then we can do a disk wipe and reformat etc etc

Best Free Partition Manager Freeware and free partition magic for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition. < extremely handy tool for heaps of things.

There is another option yet but try this one and ley us know.

But I am beginning to think you have a controller problem on that drive

 

[Rashmanadon]

My computer keeps freezing every time i try to open up the program, just says the program has stopped responding, tried it on the other machine and got teh same thing?

 

[kampta]

Hi

I a having the same problem with my 1 TB Western Digital My Passport. It doesn't get detected with my Windows 7, 64 bit or Ubuntu 12.04. Here is how it shows on Computer Management


If I try to initialize it,

this window keeps popping


I tried Western Digital Data LifeGuard Diagnostics. It does show up but with 0B capacity.


I also tried Windows Disk Partition withe same result as Rashmanadon. I don't have much important data it. Is there any way to format and recover it?

 

[Rashmanadon]

yay someone else having same problem haha... I'll give it til the end of this wkend to see if anything I can do fixes it otherwise I'm returning it monday on warranty, just a pain in the butt having to spend money shipping a warranty issued product

 

[jumanji]

Just curious to know whether both of you are using the original cables that came with your drives since I remember to have read somewhere that WD Passports use a sort of proprietory cables with an extra power wire.

 

[Rashmanadon]

yeah original cables, no other cable i've seen has the connection like the original one