I have an older WD My Passport 1TB USB Drive with nearly 1TB of video data (MP4, MKV, etc.) on it. I failed one time to eject the drive before I removed the USB cable. Since then I have been unable to access the drive in any manner. I am running Windows 7 Pro on an HP 3000 computer. When I plug the drive in via USB, it spins smoothly with no clicking errors. Disk Managment reports that I must initialize this drive but when I try I receive an error message saying “The Request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.” When I try to eject this drive before unplugging the USB cable, the message says “Eject Hardware Error”. My question is whether replacing the drive’s circuit board (which I can purchase on eBay for around $50) would fix this problem or whether it is a different problem altogether. Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated.
Hello,
I/O error usually means the drive is defective. This error means the drive is having a hard time reading or writing data.
I dont recommend a DIY repair or any kind of repair since this may damage the drive even more and make the data irrecuperable.
If you wish to have your data recovered I recommend you contact a data recovery company.
Before doing anything else, you ought to scan the disk for errors. This is a Windows operation and is a non-destructive measure. Have you ever scanned a disk for errors? This is a common task for drives disconnected incorrectly… It is performed from Windows File Explorer.
Google to find out how to scan an external hard drive using Windows 7. This could likely solve the issue.
I have no choice as I’m retired on a limited income and can’t afford $600 for a data recovery expert.
I can’t scan the drive as I can’t access it. I get an I/O device error trying to access the disk by any means. Even when I eject the drive I get a Hardward Error. I’m just trying to find out if the error is on the circuit board, which I can replace, or if the error is part of the hard drive itself.
