I know this is not unique but… My WD 4 TB (WDBKUZ0040BBK-UA)external HD fell (hard), and now Windows 10 doesn’t recognize it - device manager shows “invalid device descriptor”.
The drive powers on, and seems to spin, then I hear an occasional (not rapid) clicking, then Windows tells me it can’t recognize the USB device. I’ve tried multiple USB ports on multiple PCs.
I’d really prefer not to lose the contents!
Any hope?
Sounds like the heads are damaged. Was it running when it fell?
@kflash08 The drive was connected to my laptop when it (the drive) fell, yes.
Then it sounds like it’s either head damage, platter damage, or a combination of both. If the drive was off, the heads would have been parked off the platter, minimizing the possibly of damage.
I’m afraid that a data recovery service will be necessary to recover your data. If the the casing has any scuffs or cracks in it from the fall, then you’re likely looking at possible platter damage, which may likely prevent recovery of some files, or worse, any attempt at recovery.
Well, it seems like a case of physical damage. To repair physically damaged drive & to recover all your data back your drive must needed a special treatment. These type of drives needs to be opened in class 100 clean room only which is specially designed to perform data recovery on physically damaged drives. However, before moving ahead for professional data recovery services, you can try the below mentioned DIY methods to fix the issue:
- Check for Hardware issues
- Plug out the power supply
- Uninstall USB driver in device manager
- Disable the fast startup option
- Remove USB & scan for hardware changes
- Run the Hardware & Device troubleshooter
- Change your USB selective suspend setting
If none of the above methods works, then you need help of professional data recovery service provider, for that you can check out the below page:
Hope it helps!
Get a NAS and plug that into your access point which can be safe from fumbles
