External hard drive problems

ash75 · December 30th, 2015, 07:54 AM

I was transferring stuff from an external hard drive to my laptop and accidentally pulled the usb cable out of the drive.

Now the laptop won't even 'see' the drive.

The drive itself is fine (the light comes on, there are no worrying sounds) and I've tried a different cable so it's not that, but my laptop just won't 'see' it.

I don't want to take the drive to a repair shop as it's full of porn (nothing illegal, it would just be awkward), so was hoping someone here could offer some sort of solution.

arioch404 · December 30th, 2015, 08:38 AM

ive has issues similar to this in the past. If your laptop has other USB ports try the drive in one of them. They're often on other root hubs which will force a reinstall of the drivers. If you don't have any other ports then i'd suggest uninstalling the driver for the external disk and reinstalling.

ash75 · December 30th, 2015, 10:13 AM

Cheers for that; I swapped the ports as you suggested and I got some life out of the drive.

It only stays available for about 2-3 minutes so there is clearly something wrong in the drive itself, but at least I can move some files out onto my laptop each time.

It's an old drive (external power source etc) and there isn't much stuff left on it now so at worst I may lose a few gigs of stuff but nothing that isn't irreplaceable.

Thanks again for the tip; have a good New Year.

**lagerlout** · December 30th, 2015, 11:33 AM

If there is some one you can use / borrow a desktop from try it as an internal drive in that

luegowin · December 30th, 2015, 09:16 PM

Try another USB port. After that go to computer adminstration. I don't know the exact term in english, but there is a menu where you can assign a device letter to a harddrive.

This is how it looks in a german W7:

Try to click on "Datenträgerverwaltung" (storage or device administration or something like that) and then assign a new letter to your external drive.

befuddled · December 31st, 2015, 02:48 AM

It sounds as if the circuitry has been damaged that adapts between the drive's native interface type, which is probably IDE or SATA. Now, here is the good part. If the drive is not damaged and the problem resides solely in the IDE/SATA to USB adapter circuitry, you can disassemble the case and pull the drive. Then, you just need the proper cable to attach it to a desktop computer (or laptop, but it will be much easier on a desktop). If the drive itself is not damaged, you should be able to transfer data just fine. I have done this twice with both the larger and smaller drives in which the adapter interface was damaged. If the drive is not IDE or SATA, the same principle applies: you need the proper cable to attach it to your desktop.

I hope that helps.

befuddled · December 31st, 2015, 02:51 AM

I'll try to monitor your replies if you ask questions. I did not include everything I could think of because I assume you have some familiarity with drives,computers and cables and my rather generic response will be adequate. If not, ask away. ;-)

ash75 · December 31st, 2015, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by befuddled

It sounds as if the circuitry has been damaged that adapts between the drive's native interface type, which is probably IDE or SATA. Now, here is the good part. If the drive is not damaged and the problem resides solely in the IDE/SATA to USB adapter circuitry, you can disassemble the case and pull the drive. Then, you just need the proper cable to attach it to a desktop computer (or laptop, but it will be much easier on a desktop). If the drive itself is not damaged, you should be able to transfer data just fine. I have done this twice with both the larger and smaller drives in which the adapter interface was damaged. If the drive is not IDE or SATA, the same principle applies: you need the proper cable to attach it to your desktop.

I hope that helps.

Hmmm, I'll give that a go. But only have a lap-top to download it to. What sort of cable do I need?

**old alal** · December 31st, 2015, 06:59 AM

ash75, I had the same problem, and purchased a universal drive adapter (I don't remember where from) it was only a few quid, but it has three or four connecter types, and power. It has allowed me to recover many files from crashed external drives, but not all, as if a head crashes it will damage the disc in parts.

You can also buy new housings for drives, which include the controls. Good luck.

I know that some of these are expensive, but if you value tour files, an uninterrupted power supply is brilliant to have. I am fortunate to have one for my Hi-Fi system (which is far too expensive to damage) it includes a small battery which allows me to power down saftely if power fails.

befuddled · January 1st, 2016, 12:35 AM

ash75 - old alal's post is spot on, and one of the things I was going to suggest, and it's likely your best bet.

My other suggestion was a dock, which is a device you slide the drive into, which then attaches to the computer via USB.

First, you need to find out what kind of interface the drive uses. Once you get the drive out of the enclosure, it will have make and model stickers on it. If you don't know from looking at the drive, you can then google the make and model to discover which interface type it uses.

Here is an example of the kind of cable old alal mentioned: C2G 30504 33in USB 2.0 to IDE/Serial ATA Drive Adapter Cable, from a company named Cables 2 Go.

Here is an example of a "dock": Orico 6619US3-BK 5Gbps Super Speed USB3.0 to 2.5" & 3.5" SATA Hard Drive SSD / HDD Docking Station

You can find both on newegg.com in the USA. If you're not in the USA, you can at least see what the devices are and get a feel for how they work.

However, the main thing at this point is to know what interface the drive uses. Find that out first.

I'll keep an eye out for your posts

December 30th, 2015, 07:54 AM	#1
ash75 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Suffolk Posts: 112 Thanks: 85 Thanked 1,457 Times in 105 Posts	External hard drive problems I was transferring stuff from an external hard drive to my laptop and accidentally pulled the usb cable out of the drive. Now the laptop won't even 'see' the drive. The drive itself is fine (the light comes on, there are no worrying sounds) and I've tried a different cable so it's not that, but my laptop just won't 'see' it. I don't want to take the drive to a repair shop as it's full of porn (nothing illegal, it would just be awkward), so was hoping someone here could offer some sort of solution.

December 30th, 2015, 11:33 AM	#4
lagerlout Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 4,505 Thanks: 31,568 Thanked 73,329 Times in 4,399 Posts	If there is some one you can use / borrow a desktop from try it as an internal drive in that __________________ Nice girls are nice but BAD gals are much much better To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Please Pm me with any of my links that are not working. Please do not repost my links To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

December 31st, 2015, 06:59 AM	#9
old alal Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: UK Posts: 3,197 Thanks: 22,904 Thanked 35,082 Times in 3,165 Posts	ash75, I had the same problem, and purchased a universal drive adapter (I don't remember where from) it was only a few quid, but it has three or four connecter types, and power. It has allowed me to recover many files from crashed external drives, but not all, as if a head crashes it will damage the disc in parts. You can also buy new housings for drives, which include the controls. Good luck. I know that some of these are expensive, but if you value tour files, an uninterrupted power supply is brilliant to have. I am fortunate to have one for my Hi-Fi system (which is far too expensive to damage) it includes a small battery which allows me to power down saftely if power fails. __________________ Old alal's First Rule Of Breasts To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. When you've seen one pair of breasts.........you want to see every pair of breasts!

January 1st, 2016, 12:35 AM	#10
befuddled Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Roaming the Cosmos in search of life-filled planets to consume. Posts: 170 Thanks: 608 Thanked 1,076 Times in 168 Posts	ash75 - old alal's post is spot on, and one of the things I was going to suggest, and it's likely your best bet. My other suggestion was a dock, which is a device you slide the drive into, which then attaches to the computer via USB. First, you need to find out what kind of interface the drive uses. Once you get the drive out of the enclosure, it will have make and model stickers on it. If you don't know from looking at the drive, you can then google the make and model to discover which interface type it uses. Here is an example of the kind of cable old alal mentioned: C2G 30504 33in USB 2.0 to IDE/Serial ATA Drive Adapter Cable, from a company named Cables 2 Go. Here is an example of a "dock": Orico 6619US3-BK 5Gbps Super Speed USB3.0 to 2.5" & 3.5" SATA Hard Drive SSD / HDD Docking Station You can find both on newegg.com in the USA. If you're not in the USA, you can at least see what the devices are and get a feel for how they work. However, the main thing at this point is to know what interface the drive uses. Find that out first. I'll keep an eye out for your posts Last edited by befuddled; January 1st, 2016 at 12:46 AM.. Reason: remove redundant information

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December 30th, 2015, 08:38 AM	#2
arioch404 Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 41 Thanks: 157,922 Thanked 3,030 Times in 36 Posts	ive has issues similar to this in the past. If your laptop has other USB ports try the drive in one of them. They're often on other root hubs which will force a reinstall of the drivers. If you don't have any other ports then i'd suggest uninstalling the driver for the external disk and reinstalling.

December 30th, 2015, 10:13 AM	#3
ash75 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Suffolk Posts: 112 Thanks: 85 Thanked 1,457 Times in 105 Posts	Cheers for that; I swapped the ports as you suggested and I got some life out of the drive. It only stays available for about 2-3 minutes so there is clearly something wrong in the drive itself, but at least I can move some files out onto my laptop each time. It's an old drive (external power source etc) and there isn't much stuff left on it now so at worst I may lose a few gigs of stuff but nothing that isn't irreplaceable. Thanks again for the tip; have a good New Year.

December 30th, 2015, 09:16 PM	#5
luegowin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 157 Thanks: 875 Thanked 3,321 Times in 144 Posts	Try another USB port. After that go to computer adminstration. I don't know the exact term in english, but there is a menu where you can assign a device letter to a harddrive. This is how it looks in a german W7: Try to click on "Datenträgerverwaltung" (storage or device administration or something like that) and then assign a new letter to your external drive.

December 31st, 2015, 02:48 AM	#6
befuddled Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Roaming the Cosmos in search of life-filled planets to consume. Posts: 170 Thanks: 608 Thanked 1,076 Times in 168 Posts	It sounds as if the circuitry has been damaged that adapts between the drive's native interface type, which is probably IDE or SATA. Now, here is the good part. If the drive is not damaged and the problem resides solely in the IDE/SATA to USB adapter circuitry, you can disassemble the case and pull the drive. Then, you just need the proper cable to attach it to a desktop computer (or laptop, but it will be much easier on a desktop). If the drive itself is not damaged, you should be able to transfer data just fine. I have done this twice with both the larger and smaller drives in which the adapter interface was damaged. If the drive is not IDE or SATA, the same principle applies: you need the proper cable to attach it to your desktop. I hope that helps.

December 31st, 2015, 02:51 AM	#7
befuddled Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Roaming the Cosmos in search of life-filled planets to consume. Posts: 170 Thanks: 608 Thanked 1,076 Times in 168 Posts	I'll try to monitor your replies if you ask questions. I did not include everything I could think of because I assume you have some familiarity with drives,computers and cables and my rather generic response will be adequate. If not, ask away. ;-)