Change power adapters on WD external HDD it works randomly

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Mikedo

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Dec 13, 2014
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Hi all,
I have a WD external HDD which is not recognized by my desktop PC and the light keeps flashing rapidly. Try several attempts, it works randomly !
Please help ......

Here is what I 've done :
- Plug power adapter directly into the wall
- Change the power adapter
- Change the USB cable
- Change PC (with a laptop)

After each change and all changes at once, nothing works.

Then, all of a sudden, it works fine (shows on PCs, access files ... )
(Note: new USB cable + new power adapter + either desktop or laptop)
Check Disk management : Healthy.

Leave it with PC on for a couple of days.
Turn off PC. Next day, before turn PC on, notice the external HDD light flashing the same again (?), then after PC on, it is not recognized !
Normally, when PC off, external HDD off too, correct ?

Unplug it. A couple of days later, plug in and it works fine again.
(Note: new cable + this time change back to old power adapter ! )

It seems working randomly without any noticeable reason of failure !
I wonder if the HDD itself apparently getting weak ? ( 5 yr old )
I leave PC on in room temperature and only turn monitor off after each use.

Any help would be always appreciated since I 'm not a computer savvy.
Thank you so much and I can 't wait to hear from y'all :bounce:

Another question: Is it better to buy a PC with a large internal HDD ( 1TB ) then set partitions (20/80) .....or ......with an average size internal HDD and an external HDD ?
Thanks again and have a great day everyone !

 
Solution
Phillip Corcoran
External hard drives have a small PCB inside the enclosure, it's called a "bridge chip" and it handles the interface conversion from SATA to USB. It is most likely that bridge chip which has failed, not the drive itself, it's a common problem with external hard drives of all makes.

Now, you can try cracking open the enclosure to mount the drive in a third-party enclosure but then another problem may arise. The interface on these drives is often a non-standard proprietary one which doesn't match a standard SATA connector.
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Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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M

Mikedo

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Dec 13, 2014
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Thanks for your help,
Unfortunately, now my WD My Book Home Edition failed again.
And the light stays blinking ......
Because it is not shown on screen ( drives, disk management, ....), I have no way to test it.

I 'd like to find the cause of its "sudden death" !
 
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Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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External hard drives have a small PCB inside the enclosure, it's called a "bridge chip" and it handles the interface conversion from SATA to USB. It is most likely that bridge chip which has failed, not the drive itself, it's a common problem with external hard drives of all makes.

Now, you can try cracking open the enclosure to mount the drive in a third-party enclosure but then another problem may arise. The interface on these drives is often a non-standard proprietary one which doesn't match a standard SATA connector.
 
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Solution
D_Know_WD

D_Know_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hi there Mikedo,

Either there is something wrong with the enclosure or the HDD itself. I would also advise you try what Phillip Corcoran suggested. Keep in mind that if you have data on the drive, you most probably will not be able to retrieve the data due to the hardware encryption of the drive.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD
 
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M

Mikedo

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Hi D,
Thanks for your advice, but I need to keep my data.
Is there any way to recover data before attempt to fix the drive ? I ' ve heard that you can remove the drive out of its enclosure, also remove the small board then somehow connect that drive directly to desktop (motherboard ?) to recover data ... (correct me if I 'm wrong). If that is the case, please someone give me a step by step how-to.

Hi Phillip,
I ' ve posted a reply to you but don 't know why it not in !
Anyway, my question was about the small PCB : how can I "match" with the third-party enclosure (I have to buy) ?
Or can I buy that small PCB ( "bridge chip" ) alone to replace ?
Thanks.

 
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DataMedic

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Hi Mikedo,

You can replace the USB bridge, and can likely find one on Ebay. Just match the number printed on the board that starts with 4061- with the same one.

Also make sure to pay attention to the REV. A later revision may work to replace an older one, but not vice versa. E.G. REV B board can replace REV A but REV A can't replace REV B generally.
 
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D_Know_WD

D_Know_WD

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If the USB bridge is causing the issue, you can try what DataMedic suggested. If you just remove the drive out of its enclosure and connect it internally, you will not be able to retrieve any data.
In case you decide to go swap bridge boards(you can't know whether this will work out for sure), keep in mind that you need to get exactly the same donor drive.

D_Know_WD
 
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M

Mikedo

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Hi DataMedic, thank you for your very helpful info. I 'll keep in mind that.
I didn't know there are different types of "bridge chip".

Hi D_Know_WD, I thought I might retrieve data by connecting ONLY the drive internally ( without that small PCB ) as I search around and also watch on YouTube showing that you must remove PCB !
Correct me if I was wrong, thanks.
 
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D_Know_WD

D_Know_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Yes, in order to connect the drive to a SATA port, you should remove the PCB. Though, in your case, the chip most probably encrypted the data that is on the drive(this means that the data could be only accessed when the drive is in the enclosure). This is why, DataMedic suggested to change the USB bridge.
In case you don't need the data, I guess you can remove the chip and just connect it via SATA, format the drive and use it as an internal or in a third party enclosure.

D_Know_WD
 
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M

Mikedo

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Dec 13, 2014
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Hi everyone,
Sorry for being late ! In the last over 10 days I 'd been struggled with my car (sigh) ... so far, it's not done yet even though it's still drivable !
Back to the external HDD, I 'd like to thank to everyone for your great tips, they are very helpful. I will try to fix it sometime later, hopefully can retrieve all the important data !
@ D, I think you're right, I should change the same USB bridge as DataMedic suggested.( Amazon better than Ebay ?)
Anyway, thank you Phillip, Data, D so much for your wonderful efforts and wishing you all the best.
All of your answers are the BEST ! (How can I mark them, Mr.Tom ?)

Happy New Year everyone, well, Happy Every Year, better ?:)

 
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DataMedic

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That drive is almost certainly encrypted, so if you connect it internally you're more likely to mess up the data if you do something foolish like initialize or format the drive.
 
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