My Passport Ultra 2tb backup drive is having issues. Process goes like this:
1 - Connect cable to USB;
2 - Drive light comes on and drive engine begins turning. No abnormal sounds;
3 - Autolauncher looks to begin in windows 10;
4 - There is a single 'snick' or 'eek' noise (not a grinding noise or the sound of crunching) and the drive engine sounds like it immediately drops speed, as though power saving;
5 - Windows throws up a quick message asking for a CD to be inserted (?) and then says it can't connect to corrupt drive;
6 - Desktop continuously 'refreshes' including taskbar icons;
7 - USB Safe Removal dialogue recognises that it is a WD Passport as it should;
8 - WD Drive Utilities program recognises drive is Passport Ultra etc. but won't allow testing to be done via dialogue;
9 - Sys-tray safe removal of device stops this refresh thing, removes the drive from WD Drive Utilities too.
This is pretty frustrating because it sounds more power related than data itself... Anyone recognise this behaviour?
UPDATE
I have also tried plugging the drive directly into a USB charger, whereupon the drive cycled as described above, but at no point did it make a snick sound. No matter how long it was left connected the power source. THEN, when I reconnected it to the PC normally I was able to unlock the drive using WDLocker thing (on-USB drive security) and see the backup drive file structure! So the data is there, I can see it! What can I do to retrieve it?
ANOTHER UPDATE
I plugged the drive into a new laptop today and it immediately ran the WDUnlocker and I had access to the file structure. But before being able to restore my backup files to my desktop or anything, the explorer window for that drive hung unresponsive for maybe 2 minutes. When it was responsive again, the file structure was still there but when I went to copy files, it said the destination wasn't there. I think it means the source, myself, but hey-ho. But interestingly, systray was doing that flash thing again and on My Computer, there is a CD Drive that keeps refreshing its icon. This is listed as a WD CD Clone Drive, which I've never used and don't need. However, it appears to be the windows interaction with this CD Clone Drive that is confusing everything, because if you leave the Windows system in that state for a while, the desktop becomes a mess with graphics emptied from everywhere. Very odd indeed.
When using CMD.exe I am able to see the file structure of the drive but not to xcopy from it.
Next step will be to attempt plugging the drive into a MAC to see if its Windows being Windows.
1 - Connect cable to USB;
2 - Drive light comes on and drive engine begins turning. No abnormal sounds;
3 - Autolauncher looks to begin in windows 10;
4 - There is a single 'snick' or 'eek' noise (not a grinding noise or the sound of crunching) and the drive engine sounds like it immediately drops speed, as though power saving;
5 - Windows throws up a quick message asking for a CD to be inserted (?) and then says it can't connect to corrupt drive;
6 - Desktop continuously 'refreshes' including taskbar icons;
7 - USB Safe Removal dialogue recognises that it is a WD Passport as it should;
8 - WD Drive Utilities program recognises drive is Passport Ultra etc. but won't allow testing to be done via dialogue;
9 - Sys-tray safe removal of device stops this refresh thing, removes the drive from WD Drive Utilities too.
This is pretty frustrating because it sounds more power related than data itself... Anyone recognise this behaviour?
UPDATE
I have also tried plugging the drive directly into a USB charger, whereupon the drive cycled as described above, but at no point did it make a snick sound. No matter how long it was left connected the power source. THEN, when I reconnected it to the PC normally I was able to unlock the drive using WDLocker thing (on-USB drive security) and see the backup drive file structure! So the data is there, I can see it! What can I do to retrieve it?
ANOTHER UPDATE
I plugged the drive into a new laptop today and it immediately ran the WDUnlocker and I had access to the file structure. But before being able to restore my backup files to my desktop or anything, the explorer window for that drive hung unresponsive for maybe 2 minutes. When it was responsive again, the file structure was still there but when I went to copy files, it said the destination wasn't there. I think it means the source, myself, but hey-ho. But interestingly, systray was doing that flash thing again and on My Computer, there is a CD Drive that keeps refreshing its icon. This is listed as a WD CD Clone Drive, which I've never used and don't need. However, it appears to be the windows interaction with this CD Clone Drive that is confusing everything, because if you leave the Windows system in that state for a while, the desktop becomes a mess with graphics emptied from everywhere. Very odd indeed.
When using CMD.exe I am able to see the file structure of the drive but not to xcopy from it.
Next step will be to attempt plugging the drive into a MAC to see if its Windows being Windows.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram