external hard drive problem

[subseastu]

I've got a WD 500gb passport that uses a password to access it. The other day after entering the password it came up with an error message. I went to the western digital website to down load the drivers etc as I thought this maybe the problem. After doing this the drive is no longer even recognised!! I've tried different computers and usb leads but get nothing. When I pull it in my laptop it makes a noise to say that something is connected but thats it.

Any ideas anyone? This is an important drive as it contains all my pics and important info ie bank login details.

[KeithD]

I hope you have backups as we're forever telling people on here to save everything at least twice, especially when it comes to pics. Plenty for free storage places around.

These external drives fail more often if you're moving it around quite a bit. Regardless of age/usage they can fail at anytime. If you can't get it recognised in Windows try DOS, but even if you can get on it the only option may probably be to reformat it. Try CHKDSK D: /F or what ever drive letter it is.

[KeithD]

Also install EASEUS Partition Master and see if that can pick it up. Also try http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/collid,1295-order,1/files.html

[grahamw48]

If all else fails (I feel your pain if it's your pictures on there :doh), there are specialists who may be able to recover the data.

Be careful not to wipe it before handing to an expert.

Also store pics at an online storage site, or more than one.

[subseastu]

Thanks for the info chaps. Unfortunately I was too lazy to make back up copy but needless to say i'll now be buying two of every external drive I buy for just this reason. I'm away working at the mo but i've managed to contact a local computer repair shop near to me, so hopefully they'll be able to salvage something.

[grahamw48]

Good luck.

Hope those pics are clean. :D

[imagine]

i tend to rely on my external hard drive too, and knowing it could fail, i keep intending to copy to a second option , but lazy i keep thinking il do it later but later never comes, reading your bad news might just give me a kick start , ,, sorry to hear of your problem, hope you can retrieve your data.

how reliable are usb sticks and memory cards for this purpose, they do hold a lot of data these days and are easy to store or carry around

[grahamw48]

Oh yes, forgot about the USB sticks, and come to think of it I've backed up stuff (including pics) on to those, because also they're ideal if you're travelling...like to the Phils, and don't want to cart your laptop there. :)

I believe they're perfectly reliable, but go for good quality of course.

[sars_notd_virus]

Thanks for the info chaps. Unfortunately I was too lazy to make back up copy but needless to say i'll now be buying two of every external drive I buy for just this reason. I'm away working at the mo but i've managed to contact a local computer repair shop near to me, so hopefully they'll be able to salvage something.

Good luck, dont worry some files can still be recovered even if u think you've wiped them all.

[subseastu]

Thanks everyone, I'm in the process of deleting some programmes I';ve installed because i think they may have interfered with the password security program on the hard drive. I'll then try to re-load all the WD drives etc and see if that works. If not I'll be taking a screw driver to it and see if anything has come lose

[grahamw48]

I fixed my 'dead' Xbox last week by replacing the white thermal pads you can see here on the main board with penny coins. :D

This is part way through operations:

Now you can see where they get the name from. :)
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http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8913/shifttimesandpicsofme01.jpg