Huge problem -- WD external HDD causing nightmares!

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Hi everyone, please, a little help?

I have a very important WD My Passport 1TB external hard drive. I lent it to a friend the other day and when he gave it back it was suddenly a total nightmare --- when it's plugged in (USB 2/3, tried both), it's recognized but it's "invisible" at first:

(Look at the bottom right hand corner --- it knows it's there!)
uiYQqNXQXpDdOcFGk4f96w0CcwQ5QDh2fDKOQcNHLP8


Then after refreshing 'My Computer', it turns into this mess: (Mind you, this 'refresh takes about 5 minutes to complete! :( ) It's not recognized as a hard drive at all!
zD6h__DTSwqJoCTMkl9dmBFnDjDCdyqdusMPmndkCOk


Now I'm faced with numerous, NUMEROUS problems whenever it's plugged in:
- Infinite shutdown
- Drastic performance reduction
- Slow bootup
- "My Computer" acting all weird -- magnifying glass icons show up everywhere doing that searchy thing while it takes forever to even load up
- Can't chkdsk because it's not recognized as a hard drive
- Can't open it; causes explorer.exe to crash and burn
- Getting the "no driver installed, error 28" a couple times when checking @ devices/trying to update drivers via Win7
- Getting stuck at "Connecting to virtual disk service" whenever trying out disk management
- Can't run certain programs such as Recuva or Malware Bytes after a while --- I have to force a hard shutdown and then turn it on again
- Cleaned registry w/ Boostspeed and CCleaner to no avail, HDD still mucks up

I am on my knees and at my wit's end. Any and all help is appreciated, thank you.
Aw, and before I forget, I tested the HDD on 2 computers w/ these specs:
(Dxdiag took forever to load too! :( It had problems checking the drivers, apparently.)

PC: (Used speccy, pls tell me if this is wrong.)
Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.00GHz
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 666MHz
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Z97-A (SOCKET 1150)
DELL U2713HM (2560x1440@59Hz)
3072MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
(Storage, Optical drive, & audio never check out but if I remember right...)
Samsung 840 Evo? SSD
Corsair Force LS? 60GB SSD
Seagate 3TB? HDD

Laptop: Lenovo Z400, non touch
Intel Core i7 3632QM @2.20 GHz
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
4.00 GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz
LENOVO INVALID (U3E1)
Generic PnP Monitor (1366x768@60Hz)
Intel Graphics 4000 (lenovo)
2047MB Nvidia GeForce GT740M (Lenovo)
(Storage won't check out, sorry, idk)
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU70N ATA Device
Razer Surround Audio Controller

Remember, these horrible things only happen when the hard drive is plugged in. A startup without it will result in a seemingly normal session. I need my files, though, so yeaaaaah. Thanks, guys.
 
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SuperSoph_WD
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I'm currently on my way to do so, but I'm looking for other solutions since I"m very skeptic about this working. Thank you for the quick response though. :)
 
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Saga Lout

Saga Lout

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Mar 31, 2010
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It was a bit of a lame suggestion but the disk has gone rogue and it may just work back where the damage took place. It could also be a Windows problem so your next step would be to download a Linux operating system and burn it to a CD. That can run from the CD without impacting on your Windows system and it may just be able to give you access to the files.

My opreference is PCLinuxOS from the dotcom site of the same name and you can burn it (not copy) to the disk using ImgBurn which is also Opensource free software.

Start the system running before offering the WD Passport up.

You might even find the disk repair tools at the WD website could do some good but it's unlikely if it isn't being recognised by the WIndows LDM/VDM. I add that remark before WDSoph comes along and says it for me. :D
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Welcome to the community, niqichu!

I'm very sorry to see you struggle with the WD My Passport. :( I'm not sure what your friend did exactly, but it seems like there might be some internal damage on the drive. You should definitely try booting into Linux and see if you can access your files long enough to back them up and I'd try using Data LifeGuard to test the drive but by the looks of it, I doubt that you will be able to with all the freezing of your systems, just as @Saga Lout mentioned! :D However, I still want to know if you've tried using a different USB cable as well?

I'd suggest you to back up your data before lending any storage device to anyone in the future. Unfortunately, you see, it can lead to a lot of headaches! :(
Can you, please, check the warranty of your WD My Passport here: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=qS1AVD
If it's still covered, you should contact our customer support and send your RMA request.

WD Support contacts: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=xvq1Yw

Hope I was helpful. Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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Saga Lout

Saga Lout

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Nice to see your RADAR is as good as ever, Sophie. I totally forgot the replacement USB lead tip - hopefully that will do the trick. My own ageing 160Gb WD passport is still going strong in spite of having the best part of a hundred customers' stuff stored on it over the years so with any luck, we can nail this one.
 
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@Saga Lout Aaaah, thank you for the Linux tip! I've never used it, but ey, first time for everything. Experiencing Linux will probably be the one good thing that'll come out of all of this. :D I'll definitely try that out after I finally try this on said friend's computer. I"m still on my way there. (Or you know, half of me also hopes I won't have to lol)

@SuperSoph_WD Thank you, your reply certainly made me feel welcome indeed. Once I read the words 'internal damage' my heart sunk. Saga Lout's "gone rogue" put it a little softer, but I guess a small part of me felt this was the problem too. Still, no harm in checking with the computer-culprit. Anyways, I did what you asked and apparently, I still have limited warranty! I will definitely contact them. Sincere thanks! You guys gave me a bit of hope.

I'll update on what happens. Thanks again!
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Glad to hear that, @niqichu!
In this case, you should check this article from our WD KB as well. It will explain the whole RMA procedure and everything you need to know about it before and after you send the request to our customer support: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=uPCVLG

Definitely keep us posted! :)
Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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Hi again, guys.

Since my HDD is under limited warranty, will WD recover the stuff for me and put it in the new hard drive when (or if) they replace the unit? If not, is there any way for me to recover my lost data?

Also, I found out that my said friend copied files while the drive was physically, literally upside down! I'm no expert but... well, that's not good.

I've tried a couple more recovery methods but to no avail:
1. TestDisk on Win7 -- won't get past the first "please wait" message.
2. SystemRescue, Linux -- gets stuck when the faulty hard drive is tried with the 'ntfs-3g.... /mnt /windows' line
3. TestDisk on Linux SystemRescue Live CD -- ran through buttery smooth. No problems.
4. TestDisk on Win7 (again, after Linux "fix") -- still stuck on the 1st "please wait" message

At this point I'm seriously conisdering the freezer method.
Any suggestions for further data recovery methods that are less drastic?


 
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Saga Lout

Saga Lout

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By all means try anything you think may work but if the freezer was going to do any good, you would hear and/or feel the abnormal spinning pattern that the cooling and re-warming contraction and expansion might solve.

As TestDisk is opensource software, give the Linux version a shot. If you open a terminal windows and type
apt-get install testdisk
and press Enter If it's on the CD it might work.
 
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I already did and the strange thing is that there, it "worked." So, I tried the file explorer (midnight commander?) right after and it still wouldn't open my drive. But then before all this I ran the command where it listed all my drives and it successfully saw my drive, listed it as /dev/sda1 and even knew it was a 1tb my passport. The computer knows, but it just won't "do."

 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hi again, niqichu!

I'd strongly recommend you NOT to freeze the drive, this method would void the warranty of the WD My Passport and not to mention the fact that it might not work either. You shouldn't also take the drive out of the enclosure because it will void the warranty as well and you won't be able to access your data because the WD My Passport series incorporate a hardware encryption.
If the files on the HDD are so important to you, I'd recommend you to get in touch with a professional data recovery company. They would be your best chance at retrieving your files. You can check the Western Digital's Data Recovery partners worldwide here: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=ARpvv0
After the data recovery is hopefully successful, you should send the WD My Passport for RMA.

I wouldn't temper with it further, though. :( However, I'd recommend you to keep backups in the future and avoid such headaches.

SuperSoph_WD
 
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Unfortunately none of the above methods for data recovery worked (worry not Soph, I didn't stick it in the freezer or do anything drastic) so I am forced to give in and just replace the unit. I appreciate all the help though, I learned a lot. Thanks and have a nice day. :)
 
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