When I plug my western digital external drive into the usb ports on the right side of my computer I can feel the external drive power up but the computer will not detect it. this has been going on for a while - on the left side only the front would see the western digital external drive - and now it continues to pop on I see it pop off I don't.. and this intermittent on off continues non stop and is too fast for me to open the external drive -- Any Ideas?
USB Ports I have 2 front left and 1 in front and 1 in back on the right
- Thread starter lisaamys
- Start date
Solution
It is possible that there is something wrong with the ports. If this is the case, you will need to use only the ones that work.
Regarding the drive's lifespan, I would say that a drive that is constantly reading/writing should fail sooner than one that is just not being used. Though, as HDDs are made of many mechanical components, they will eventually fail. So, you should keep your most important data on at least two places.
You can keep an eye on its health status with testing it from time to time with the DLG tool.
Cheers,
D_Know_WD
Regarding the drive's lifespan, I would say that a drive that is constantly reading/writing should fail sooner than one that is just not being used. Though, as HDDs are made of many mechanical components, they will eventually fail. So, you should keep your most important data on at least two places.
You can keep an eye on its health status with testing it from time to time with the DLG tool.
Cheers,
D_Know_WD
D_Know_WD
Judicious
- Jul 30, 2014
- 6,633
- 3
- 35,960
Hi there lisaamys,
Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
In my view, there are two possibilities:
1st one: There is something wrong with the drive. Is the drive recognized by Disk Management and Device Manager? You can start with something simple as just changing the USB cable. In case the issue persists, you can try the drive on another system(in case the drive is recognized just fine over there you need to back up the data stored on it until you sort this out). This way you which of the two(system or drive) is causing the troubles.
2nd one: There is something wrong with the USB ports. Are they USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? It may be a good idea to start with reinstalling your USB 2.0/3.0 drivers. You can find them on your MOBO's website. Another thing you can try is to connect the drive to the ports on the back of the computer case.
If your drive is recognized by Disk Management, you can try testing it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=4KWUAa
Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD
Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
In my view, there are two possibilities:
1st one: There is something wrong with the drive. Is the drive recognized by Disk Management and Device Manager? You can start with something simple as just changing the USB cable. In case the issue persists, you can try the drive on another system(in case the drive is recognized just fine over there you need to back up the data stored on it until you sort this out). This way you which of the two(system or drive) is causing the troubles.
2nd one: There is something wrong with the USB ports. Are they USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? It may be a good idea to start with reinstalling your USB 2.0/3.0 drivers. You can find them on your MOBO's website. Another thing you can try is to connect the drive to the ports on the back of the computer case.
If your drive is recognized by Disk Management, you can try testing it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=4KWUAa
Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD
D_Know_WD :
Hi there lisaamys,
Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
In my view, there are two possibilities:
1st one: There is something wrong with the drive. Is the drive recognized by Disk Management and Device Manager? You can start with something simple as just changing the USB cable. In case the issue persists, you can try the drive on another system(in case the drive is recognized just fine over there you need to back up the data stored on it until you sort this out). This way you which of the two(system or drive) is causing the troubles.
2nd one: There is something wrong with the USB ports. Are they USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? It may be a good idea to start with reinstalling your USB 2.0/3.0 drivers. You can find them on your MOBO's website. Another thing you can try is to connect the drive to the ports on the back of the computer case.
If your drive is recognized by Disk Management, you can try testing it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=4KWUAa
Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD
Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
In my view, there are two possibilities:
1st one: There is something wrong with the drive. Is the drive recognized by Disk Management and Device Manager? You can start with something simple as just changing the USB cable. In case the issue persists, you can try the drive on another system(in case the drive is recognized just fine over there you need to back up the data stored on it until you sort this out). This way you which of the two(system or drive) is causing the troubles.
2nd one: There is something wrong with the USB ports. Are they USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? It may be a good idea to start with reinstalling your USB 2.0/3.0 drivers. You can find them on your MOBO's website. Another thing you can try is to connect the drive to the ports on the back of the computer case.
If your drive is recognized by Disk Management, you can try testing it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=4KWUAa
Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD
The problem is intermittent - and it seems to be working at the moment. the WD external drive was purchased a few years ago but was never used and is brand new in that sense -- do these drive have an age default - even if never used? Also, the drive is recognized on other computers. the device manager is the same thing it pops on and off intermittently. As for the only port that will recognize the device - the front left, the actual usb plug seems a bit loose. I will try your solutions and post back .. Thank you!
D_Know_WD
Judicious
- Jul 30, 2014
- 6,633
- 3
- 35,960
It is possible that there is something wrong with the ports. If this is the case, you will need to use only the ones that work.
Regarding the drive's lifespan, I would say that a drive that is constantly reading/writing should fail sooner than one that is just not being used. Though, as HDDs are made of many mechanical components, they will eventually fail. So, you should keep your most important data on at least two places.
You can keep an eye on its health status with testing it from time to time with the DLG tool.
Cheers,
D_Know_WD
Regarding the drive's lifespan, I would say that a drive that is constantly reading/writing should fail sooner than one that is just not being used. Though, as HDDs are made of many mechanical components, they will eventually fail. So, you should keep your most important data on at least two places.
You can keep an eye on its health status with testing it from time to time with the DLG tool.
Cheers,
D_Know_WD
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram