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Broken hard drive?
LewieP
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Urgh, what a scary time that was.
I've just got a brand new computer, running windows 7.
Before I got this PC I was using an old laptop with a 500gb USB hard drive, and it broke. It would just turn off after using it for a minute or two. I had a bunch of important stuff on the hard drive, and reading around it seemed that it was most likely an electrical failure, so I got a hard drive enclosure, took apart the USB hard drive, and put it in the enclosure, and it worked fine.
Now, a few weeks later, on my new computer, the USB hard drive is acting really weird. It would often just appear as unpartitioned space, but that sometimes I could read from it fine. In (windows 7) safe mode it seemed way more reliable, I have backed up everything important on it now, so I'm all in the clear there, but I'd like to reformat it, and can't seem to be able too.
Windows seems to always know that there is a USB device plugged in (it makes the noise), but it now seems to mostly not show up in explorer.
I've tried it in other computers too, same problem.
It was a maxtor basics drive, and it is now in an Akasa Integral enclosure.
Could it just be that the drive is busted? That would be annoying, but I guess I could stick my current internal 320gb drive in the enclosure, and upgrade my internal drive.
Any suggestions?
I've just got a brand new computer, running windows 7.
Before I got this PC I was using an old laptop with a 500gb USB hard drive, and it broke. It would just turn off after using it for a minute or two. I had a bunch of important stuff on the hard drive, and reading around it seemed that it was most likely an electrical failure, so I got a hard drive enclosure, took apart the USB hard drive, and put it in the enclosure, and it worked fine.
Now, a few weeks later, on my new computer, the USB hard drive is acting really weird. It would often just appear as unpartitioned space, but that sometimes I could read from it fine. In (windows 7) safe mode it seemed way more reliable, I have backed up everything important on it now, so I'm all in the clear there, but I'd like to reformat it, and can't seem to be able too.
Windows seems to always know that there is a USB device plugged in (it makes the noise), but it now seems to mostly not show up in explorer.
I've tried it in other computers too, same problem.
It was a maxtor basics drive, and it is now in an Akasa Integral enclosure.
Could it just be that the drive is busted? That would be annoying, but I guess I could stick my current internal 320gb drive in the enclosure, and upgrade my internal drive.
Any suggestions?
LewieP on
0
Posts
It may just be defective or broken. How long have you had it?
e: If everything else fails hard disks are pretty cheap and if it is broken and there is data on it that you need recovered there are places that can do that.
Control Panel --> All Control Panel Items (if necessary) --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management --> Storage --> Disk Management
It does show up in the device manager (I couldn't find disk management in windows 7), it says "ST350082 0AS USB device"
In properties, it says:
The "Volumes" tab is all blank, and it is using Microsoft drivers.
Can't seem to find that in Windows 7...
When you open control panel, look at the "View by:" option in the top right corner of the window. Select either "Large Icons" or "Small Icons" instead of "Category." From there follow my earlier post.
Here.
I'm no expert on how hard disks work on the physical level, nor do I know everything about how Win7 manages partitions. However, I'd wager that it is possible the sector(s) responsible for informing Win7 about the partitions might be partially corrupted somehow... if partially corrupted is even possible. That would explain the intermittent behavior the way I see it. Basically I think your partition table got smacked around somehow. Modern OSes still use partition tables, right?
Although I just tried from disk manager and it looks like it might be working.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure Windows Explorer requires the drive have a letter assigned to it, and thereby some amount of already formatted storage capacity, to mess around with partitions. Basically, it's not good for much more than reformatting. Combine that with the fact that partition detection is spotty on your end for some reason, and Windows Explorer really isn't going to want to play nice with that disk. Disk Management is a lot beefier and is more for getting things sorted from the beginning. Good luck.
edit: If Disk Management fails more than once or twice while formatting the drive, I'd trash it.
It shouldn't take that long right?
It won't even let me cancel, the only way I have been able to get it to stop is turning the drive off.
I think I am going to have to get a new one.
Er, is there an easy way to transfer my current in tact internal drive contents, including windows install and all that jazz, to a new drive, then swap my current internal one out for a new one.
Since my current internal drive is only 320gb, and I'll likely be getting a 1tb new one, I'd prefer the bigger one as internal, and I have just got everything nicely set up on my new install.
Also, this drive should be fine right?
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173804