My Asus laptop recognized the Western Digital My Book external hard drive previously, but suddenly it can't read it. When I c
- Thread starter pkmirish
- Start date
Boogieman_WD
Judicious
- Jul 31, 2014
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Hey there, pkmirish.
Sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your drive. Did you have any problems with it before this happened: e.g. random disconnecting from the computer, freezes, low transfer speed, unusual sounds/noises etc? Is there any indication that the drive is powered-up when you connect it (do you hear it spin-up or feel it vibrate)? Do you need to recover any data from the drive?
First I'd recommend that you try the HDD with a different USB cable (not longer than 12") and also try it with a different computer to see if the same thing happens. Have you checked if the HDD is recognized in Disk Management? If it is - try assigning it a new letter, here's how to do that: How to change the drive letter assignment in Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2000.
If you don't need any data recovered, I'd recommend that you download DLG (Data Lifeguard Diagnostics) and test the external drive with it. Here's how to do it:
How to test a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows. Run both tests - Quick and Extended.
Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD
Sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your drive. Did you have any problems with it before this happened: e.g. random disconnecting from the computer, freezes, low transfer speed, unusual sounds/noises etc? Is there any indication that the drive is powered-up when you connect it (do you hear it spin-up or feel it vibrate)? Do you need to recover any data from the drive?
First I'd recommend that you try the HDD with a different USB cable (not longer than 12") and also try it with a different computer to see if the same thing happens. Have you checked if the HDD is recognized in Disk Management? If it is - try assigning it a new letter, here's how to do that: How to change the drive letter assignment in Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2000.
If you don't need any data recovered, I'd recommend that you download DLG (Data Lifeguard Diagnostics) and test the external drive with it. Here's how to do it:
How to test a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows. Run both tests - Quick and Extended.
Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD
Hi Boogieman,
I didn't have any issues with the hard drive before this happened. I seem to recall that the computer said that I had a power failure. I called Western Digital and they sent me a new power cord. It turns out that either cord seems to power the drive up, so I don't think that was the problem. There is data on the drive that I would like to recover.
My sister was here for a visit last weekend, and her Apple computer was able to read the drive with no problem.
I tried doing as you suggested and going to Disk Management, but the Disk Management window will not populate if the hard drive is connected to the USB port. I just see the little spinning blue circle, but Disk Management never populates. If I unplug the cable, Disk Management will show my operating system drive (C
only. It is calling that drive Disk 0. If I plug the USB in at that point, I just get the spinning blue circle. When I go to unplug the USB cable again at that point, the drive will briefly show Disk 1 (E which is the hard drive, but as quickly as it appears on the list, it disappears. Also, when I right click on Disk 0 just to see what that would look like if Disk 1 appeared, I don't get an option to change the drive letter. The only options that appear are "convert to dynamic disk," "properties," or "help."
I sent my computer back to ASUS a while ago because it was freezing up, going to a blue screen, and running horribly slowly--as far as I know, it was nothing to do with the external hard drive. Shortly after I got the laptop back (completely reset to factory settings with all files and programs erased), I noticed that the battery wouldn't lock completely (one side pops out at times). I am now wondering if the computer was damaged in some way when I sent it back or damaged during shipping. That was a while ago, though, and the computer is no longer under warranty. Now I am wondering if the USB port is damaged. The computer cost me around $500, which may not sound like much, but to me, it is a lot of money. I feel like I haven't had it very long, and already, it is giving me a lot of trouble. I can't really afford the rates people are charging for repairs, so, if it is the USB port, I will probably have to live with no external hard drive/no USB port until I get a new computer, which will have to be a couple of years off. What do you think the symptoms I am describing suggest?
I won't try the DLG option yet, as I would like to get access to a computer and get my info off of the hard drive before I do that.
Thanks for your help. Please let me know what you think of what I am describing.
I didn't have any issues with the hard drive before this happened. I seem to recall that the computer said that I had a power failure. I called Western Digital and they sent me a new power cord. It turns out that either cord seems to power the drive up, so I don't think that was the problem. There is data on the drive that I would like to recover.
My sister was here for a visit last weekend, and her Apple computer was able to read the drive with no problem.
I tried doing as you suggested and going to Disk Management, but the Disk Management window will not populate if the hard drive is connected to the USB port. I just see the little spinning blue circle, but Disk Management never populates. If I unplug the cable, Disk Management will show my operating system drive (C
only. It is calling that drive Disk 0. If I plug the USB in at that point, I just get the spinning blue circle. When I go to unplug the USB cable again at that point, the drive will briefly show Disk 1 (E which is the hard drive, but as quickly as it appears on the list, it disappears. Also, when I right click on Disk 0 just to see what that would look like if Disk 1 appeared, I don't get an option to change the drive letter. The only options that appear are "convert to dynamic disk," "properties," or "help."I sent my computer back to ASUS a while ago because it was freezing up, going to a blue screen, and running horribly slowly--as far as I know, it was nothing to do with the external hard drive. Shortly after I got the laptop back (completely reset to factory settings with all files and programs erased), I noticed that the battery wouldn't lock completely (one side pops out at times). I am now wondering if the computer was damaged in some way when I sent it back or damaged during shipping. That was a while ago, though, and the computer is no longer under warranty. Now I am wondering if the USB port is damaged. The computer cost me around $500, which may not sound like much, but to me, it is a lot of money. I feel like I haven't had it very long, and already, it is giving me a lot of trouble. I can't really afford the rates people are charging for repairs, so, if it is the USB port, I will probably have to live with no external hard drive/no USB port until I get a new computer, which will have to be a couple of years off. What do you think the symptoms I am describing suggest?
I won't try the DLG option yet, as I would like to get access to a computer and get my info off of the hard drive before I do that.
Thanks for your help. Please let me know what you think of what I am describing.
Boogieman_WD
Judicious
- Jul 31, 2014
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Well, I'm not sure that this is USB port related. You could try all of them just in case the one you've been using is faulty and if possible - try another external drive (if you can borrow one from a friend or someone else) to see if the laptop has issues recognizing it. Have you had any other problems with different USB devices e.g. mouse, keyboard, speakers etc?
Just FYI - the reason I mentioned that you shouldn't do a diagnostic scan before you backup your data, is because if the drive has physical damage - chances are that the more it is being used - the faster it's going to fail. In cases like this the only time the HDD should be used is to recover data. This is standard with HDD troubleshooting and you should not be alarmed yet, especially if the drive is working properly with other computers.
About data recovery - try accessing the HDD via Linux Live CD/USB (this is basically a freeware, bootable, portable version of Linux) to see if it's properly recognized and if you can get to your files this way. You could also try with a data recovery program - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1644496/lost-data-recovery.html.
As for the battery issue - as you said, the guys at the service shop might not have put the laptop together properly or there was some sort of a shipping problem, but I don't think that this has anything to do with your issue. Unfortunately there's no way for me to know for sure what causes the problem, but if this was a while ago, I guess it has nothing to do with the current situation, because you'd have experienced those issues back then.
Go ahead and try out the Linux option to see what happens. Hopefully this helps you backup your data.
Just FYI - the reason I mentioned that you shouldn't do a diagnostic scan before you backup your data, is because if the drive has physical damage - chances are that the more it is being used - the faster it's going to fail. In cases like this the only time the HDD should be used is to recover data. This is standard with HDD troubleshooting and you should not be alarmed yet, especially if the drive is working properly with other computers.
About data recovery - try accessing the HDD via Linux Live CD/USB (this is basically a freeware, bootable, portable version of Linux) to see if it's properly recognized and if you can get to your files this way. You could also try with a data recovery program - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1644496/lost-data-recovery.html.
As for the battery issue - as you said, the guys at the service shop might not have put the laptop together properly or there was some sort of a shipping problem, but I don't think that this has anything to do with your issue. Unfortunately there's no way for me to know for sure what causes the problem, but if this was a while ago, I guess it has nothing to do with the current situation, because you'd have experienced those issues back then.
Go ahead and try out the Linux option to see what happens. Hopefully this helps you backup your data.
Hello again,
When I go to Linux Live USB creator, there are so many downloads to choose from, and I have no idea what I am supposed to download. I also don't understand how a virtual usb would even work. I am not very experienced with technical issues. Can you tell me what Linux I should download and how I would use it after I download it?
I can't say whether there would be any issues with other usb devices, because I don't have any devices that plug into the usb port.
I did try "Recuva" to see if I could access any of the data on the hard drive, but the program said it could not open drive E. I am currently using the program to scan the entire computer to see if any of the files can be recovered from it.
Thanks so much for all of your help. It is pretty frustrating to try to solve these sorts of problems as an inexperienced person when it comes to anything computer-related. I always feel like I am stumbling around in the dark.
When I go to Linux Live USB creator, there are so many downloads to choose from, and I have no idea what I am supposed to download. I also don't understand how a virtual usb would even work. I am not very experienced with technical issues. Can you tell me what Linux I should download and how I would use it after I download it?
I can't say whether there would be any issues with other usb devices, because I don't have any devices that plug into the usb port.
I did try "Recuva" to see if I could access any of the data on the hard drive, but the program said it could not open drive E. I am currently using the program to scan the entire computer to see if any of the files can be recovered from it.
Thanks so much for all of your help. It is pretty frustrating to try to solve these sorts of problems as an inexperienced person when it comes to anything computer-related. I always feel like I am stumbling around in the dark.
Boogieman_WD
Judicious
- Jul 31, 2014
- 6,050
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I know how you feel, we've all been there at some point (no matter if it's PC related or otherwise). Don't worry you'll learn one step at a time.
Here's the download link: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop choose whichever version you like (or just go with 14.04.2). After that take a look at this link: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows. It has info on the the additional tool which would help you create the bootable USB stick and pictures on how to do that. After you're done with the USB flash drive. Go to your BIOS and change the boot order of your devices so that the USB is first. Then connect the USB stick and restart the computer. When prompted to boot from it, just press any key and you should boot to Linux.
After that just take a look if the My Book drive is recognized along with the other drive/s and if it is - transfer the data to one of your internal HDDs.
Unfortunately, depending on the issue, even if you do everything right, there's no guarantees that the drive would be recognized. This is just something you could try and hopefully - prove useful to you.
Good luck! Don't worry and don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.
Here's the download link: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop choose whichever version you like (or just go with 14.04.2). After that take a look at this link: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows. It has info on the the additional tool which would help you create the bootable USB stick and pictures on how to do that. After you're done with the USB flash drive. Go to your BIOS and change the boot order of your devices so that the USB is first. Then connect the USB stick and restart the computer. When prompted to boot from it, just press any key and you should boot to Linux.
After that just take a look if the My Book drive is recognized along with the other drive/s and if it is - transfer the data to one of your internal HDDs.
Unfortunately, depending on the issue, even if you do everything right, there's no guarantees that the drive would be recognized. This is just something you could try and hopefully - prove useful to you.
Good luck! Don't worry and don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.
I downloaded ubuntu 14.04.2 and created a usb stick. When I was creating the stick, I noticed that the open window said that there were "10 errors" but I did get a window saying that the usb stick was successfully created. I went to BIOS to change the boot order. I couldn't get the computer to run ubuntu. I kept getting an error message saying that there was an invalid or corrupt kernel entry. I'm not sure where to go from here.
I downloaded ubuntu 14.04.2 and created a usb stick. When I was creating the stick, I noticed that the open window said that there were "10 errors" but I did get a window saying that the usb stick was successfully created. I went to BIOS to change the boot order. I couldn't get the computer to run ubuntu. I kept getting an error message saying that there was an invalid or corrupt kernel entry. I'm not sure where to go from here.
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