Cannot Access My External Hard Drive

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ComputerWhiz305

ComputerWhiz305

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Jun 25, 2014
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I have a 2TB Seagate external hard drive and suddenly I cannot access it. It displays as an external device and I am able to see the files, but whenever I try to transfer something from it or to it, Windows explorer freezes. All SMART scans show that the hard drive condition is "good" and there were no issues until recently.

I was going to scan it was Seatools, but for some reason it doesn't show up on Seatools, which has always been the case. Does anyone know what could be causing the issue?
 
Solution
D_Know_WD
Hi there ComputerWhiz305,

It is really strange that the drive is recognized by My Computer but not by the maker's tool.

I would suggest you to try the drive on another computer with a different USB cable, so you can see if this is connection related.

If the issue persists, you can see if the drive would be recognized and accessible under Ubuntu. In case it is, you need to back up the data stored on it ASAP.
You will just need a CD or a flash drive so you can boot Ubuntu: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/267999-32-recover-data-mode

Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD :)
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D_Know_WD

D_Know_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hi there ComputerWhiz305,

It is really strange that the drive is recognized by My Computer but not by the maker's tool.

I would suggest you to try the drive on another computer with a different USB cable, so you can see if this is connection related.

If the issue persists, you can see if the drive would be recognized and accessible under Ubuntu. In case it is, you need to back up the data stored on it ASAP.
You will just need a CD or a flash drive so you can boot Ubuntu: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/267999-32-recover-data-mode

Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD :)
 
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Solution
ComputerWhiz305

ComputerWhiz305

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Jun 25, 2014
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Ok, so after a few reboots, I was able to get the drive to show up in the Seatools program. The scan says that it is functioning properly. There are no issues loading the drive. When I plug it in, Windows explorer opens and shows the contents of the drive.

However, if I try to click any folders/files in this window (right click, double click, or even single click) the Windows explorer process will freeze. I have an Ubuntu laptop available to me, so I will try this tomorrow.

Could this be a Windows 10 specific issue?
 
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D

DR_Luke

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Dec 1, 2016
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As a data recovery professional, I see these drives several times a day. It is most likely an issue with the firmware (media cache) and possibly a weak head. If the data is of any value to you, you should seek the assistance of a professional data recovery lab who should be able to recover the data for under $500 (assuming that it doesn't need a head change).

If you know that a data recovery pro is out of the question and you don't mind risking losing it all, you might want to start with getting a full sector-by-sector image of the drive with a program that can handle bad sectors. The best software to use when you don't have the luxury of special data recovery equipment is ddrescue or a new program called hdd super clone. I've never used the newer program, which is touted to be better than ddrescue, so that choice is yours. These are very powerful Linux programs, be very careful not to image the wrong way.
 
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