My EHD is not working (crying)

lmilgram · 08-02-2009, 09:29 PM

My EHD is suddenly not working...for a day or so my computer was just running very slow and now "My Computer" (Windows XP sp3) crashes whenever I connect the drive.

I have some of the data backed up, but not my most recent kits and pages...

Does anyone have any advice to recover data from a possibly corrupt EHD?

**Abby** · 08-02-2009, 11:15 PM

Ohhh, I'm so sorry! That's one of my bigger fears. I know there are places you can send it to have the data recovered that are quite successful. Hopefully someone will pop in with the sites for you

Leslie · 08-02-2009, 11:36 PM

I'm sorry! My smallest one, the oldest, two years old, stopped working last week. It was one of three though so I was backed up in several other places. I now have a new 500 one, and my other two are 160 and 250 GBs.

I am so sorry - and hope someone can help you with ideas for retrieving your gear. {{hugs}}

*sands_healy* · 08-03-2009, 05:36 AM

Here are a few companies that offer data recovery services. A warning... it can be rather expensive, but most of them have a no recovery no pay system. So if you send it in and they can't retrieve anything, you don't pay for it. If they can retrieve something its generally rather expensive, so you need to decide how important the data is to you.

Also, try calling the makers of your EHD. Some of them offer a data recovery service as well. You could be lucky enough that they may be recalling that model and score free data recovery, but you will never know unless you call them. Good luck.

ONTRACK DATA RECOVERY

DATA RECOVERY GROUP

DTI DATA

Leslie · 08-03-2009, 05:41 AM

I really feel for you. I couldn't get anything off mine using this laptop, it just wouldn't work, but I tried another computer - the work one - and by carefully jiggling the cord slowly, after several attempts I got it to open up and managed to retrieve 3 LOs I had lost off my laptop in the latest crash.

I just now threw the EHD in the bin.

carolyn d · 08-03-2009, 06:23 AM

does your computer still recognize the EHD? If so, then check to see how much RAM your computer has available. run the disk cleanup function, get rid of temp internet files etc... defrag if needed and then hook up the EHD and see if it works. You do need enough "room" in the computer for it to run the EHD.

if you computer doesn't recognnizze the EHD, call the manufacturer.. they may be able to walk you through a process to check it.

if none of the above works, then you may need to send it out for recovery. As Sands says, it can be expensive.

>>aruaL<< · 08-03-2009, 09:07 AM

We had an external get flipped over on its head about a year or so ago and it wouldn't work. It still had power but it wouldn't show on the computor at all. Computor didn't even recognize it. DH took it apart and did something with it to hook it up to the computor and he was able to get all of the files off of it, and he now uses it as some sort of backup drive or something ( I didn't ask, I didn't care, I just wanted MY stuff! lol).

Maybe someone you know would know how to do something like that as well? I think DH learned how to do it from a forum online somewhere. He posted to a computor forum of some sort about the issue and they walked him through it I guess.

*Kathleen* · 08-03-2009, 01:31 PM

Carolyn has given you some great advice. Other thing I can think of is make sure it is getting enough power - sometimes the USB connections can come loose and need a little wiggling to get the drive to get power. If it is making weird noises, I would stop what you are doing and seek professional help. If you have a local computer store, they may be able to take the drive out if its case and put it into a computer as an internal drive so you are able to get the data off of it.

Let us know how it comes along. I know drive problems can be hard to recover from, but any recent purchases at DSP can easily be reactivated with a simple email to the store so you can download them again.

And not to hit you when you are down, but a reminder to everyone, having data in just one place is a recipe for disaster! Find a back-up solution that works for you and make sure it happens!!

**Meryl** · 08-03-2009, 02:29 PM

Well you have had lots of good advice - i won't add any - just want to say sorry it happened to you. Don't give up hope though - Mandy just had a nasty shock but "her man" has recovered all. needless to say she is now rushing off to buy 2 ehd's - as kathleen says stuff is not save unless its in at least two locations. EHD's are notorious for failing (subject to knocks, bumps, and all that plugging and unplugging!)

Good luck with yours!