I have a problem with my 3TB Seagate Backup+ Desktop external hard drive. It was working fine until about a week ago when it started to intermittently disconnect itself from my Windows 7 machine.
For reference purposes, this is the drive I have: http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/backup-plus-desk-v1/ I have been using it for part of my PLEX server.
Since the Seagate Desktop software has been troublesome for me in the past (a previous Seagate auto backup drive has locked me out with this software), I uninstalled it, which disabled the “size remaining” lights on the SATA/USB interface block. The power/activity light remains functional.
When it would disconnect, the power light would go out. The drive would sometimes remain visible in My Computer and Device Manager, and sometimes would not. The hard drive still spins normally, and there are no clicking or grinding sounds.
When the hard drive is visible, all of my files are also there. I can access them for short periods of time, but I cannot copy them from the drive. Data recovery software has been marginally successful in retrieving small files, but I have not paid for the programs yet to test larger files.
I removed the drive from the Seagate enclosure and attempted to hook it up through a powered SATA/USB adapter. This resulted in Windows detecting an unformatted ~300GB drive with an extra inaccessible ~300GB partition. This ~600-700 GB corresponds to the empty space remaining on the drive. Partition recovery programs could not detect the files in the filled space or the lost partition. The only way I have found to recognize the partition with the files is by using the Seagate SATA/USB block that came with the drive. The intermittent visibility problem repeats if I use a different machine.
I have repeated all of the steps with a Knoppix boot CD, however Knoppix does not recognize the drive at all. On rare occasion, when it does recognize the drive, it drops off very rapidly. I am not knowledgeable about Linux systems, so I don’t know where to proceed further down that road.
I attempted to hook the drive directly to my motherboard, however Windows hung on the loading screen and would not successfully boot.
I considered updating the firmware, however the Seagate drive detect software does not return my drive’s serial number when I query it. For the ST3000DM001 model, Seagate claims that the firmware is up to date. The Seagate drive detect points me to a Mac OS version of the drive for firmware update, however I do not know how to install Mac OS firmware on a Win 7 machine.
I have also considered replacing the PCB, but I have read that my symptoms line up more with the 7200 firmware bricking bug than an actual PCB failure.
I’m open to suggestions. I would like to recover as much of my 1.5 TB as possible, and I’m trying to avoid using a data recovery service until the last resort due to the price. Thanks for your time.
For reference purposes, this is the drive I have: http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/backup-plus-desk-v1/ I have been using it for part of my PLEX server.
Since the Seagate Desktop software has been troublesome for me in the past (a previous Seagate auto backup drive has locked me out with this software), I uninstalled it, which disabled the “size remaining” lights on the SATA/USB interface block. The power/activity light remains functional.
When it would disconnect, the power light would go out. The drive would sometimes remain visible in My Computer and Device Manager, and sometimes would not. The hard drive still spins normally, and there are no clicking or grinding sounds.
When the hard drive is visible, all of my files are also there. I can access them for short periods of time, but I cannot copy them from the drive. Data recovery software has been marginally successful in retrieving small files, but I have not paid for the programs yet to test larger files.
I removed the drive from the Seagate enclosure and attempted to hook it up through a powered SATA/USB adapter. This resulted in Windows detecting an unformatted ~300GB drive with an extra inaccessible ~300GB partition. This ~600-700 GB corresponds to the empty space remaining on the drive. Partition recovery programs could not detect the files in the filled space or the lost partition. The only way I have found to recognize the partition with the files is by using the Seagate SATA/USB block that came with the drive. The intermittent visibility problem repeats if I use a different machine.
I have repeated all of the steps with a Knoppix boot CD, however Knoppix does not recognize the drive at all. On rare occasion, when it does recognize the drive, it drops off very rapidly. I am not knowledgeable about Linux systems, so I don’t know where to proceed further down that road.
I attempted to hook the drive directly to my motherboard, however Windows hung on the loading screen and would not successfully boot.
I considered updating the firmware, however the Seagate drive detect software does not return my drive’s serial number when I query it. For the ST3000DM001 model, Seagate claims that the firmware is up to date. The Seagate drive detect points me to a Mac OS version of the drive for firmware update, however I do not know how to install Mac OS firmware on a Win 7 machine.
I have also considered replacing the PCB, but I have read that my symptoms line up more with the 7200 firmware bricking bug than an actual PCB failure.
I’m open to suggestions. I would like to recover as much of my 1.5 TB as possible, and I’m trying to avoid using a data recovery service until the last resort due to the price. Thanks for your time.
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