Author Topic: Mini-USB Port on External Hard Drive Broken (Read 32205 times)

mcdidd · « **on:** July 30, 2011, 01:48:58 PM »

Hey everyone,

I have a 1 TB Western Digital My Book Essential hard drive (Model WDBAAF0010HBK-NESN) that was dropped today. As a result, the mini-USB port on the back of the hard drive broke off. As far as I know, the HDD itself is fine. I was on chat a while ago and the admin "lostcoast" told me that I should buy a new case for it, but then he refused to answer the rest of my questions and kicked me from the chat. Can someone please tell me what I should do to fix my hard drive? I have over 400 GB of stuff on that hard drive and some of it is irreplaceable.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #1 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:23:33 PM »

Since you now have nothing to lose you could remove it from the case and put it in another USB enclosure. Inside the case is a 3.5 inch SATA drive, and USB enclosures for these are plentiful and cheap.

Or you could just get another USB-to-SATA adapter and fit that inside the WD case. The second of the two articles below will make this clear I hope.

(1)
Opening A WD Elements 1tb desktop Hard Drive

"If you use an exacto knife or something similar you can slide in on the bottom around the seem. I just went all the way around with that, and then did it again but gently pried outward a bit, and it popped off. "

(Just words)

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1034973418

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(2)
Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive Disassembly

"You can find a seam on the bottom of the drive, all around the edge. If you slip a miniature flat-head screwdriver, you can easily pry the enclosure apart"

"After pulling the 2TB hard drive out of the Western Digital case, I was able to use it with an USB adapter and within a Seagate USB case. So the internal hard drive is really just a normal hard drive."

(Words and pictures)

http://www.gearhack.com/myink/ViewPage.php?file=docs/Western%20Digital%20Elements%20External%20Hard%20Drive%20Disassembly

I know the label on the drive in the picture shows it is a 2TB device, but the 1 TB case is the same as far as I can see.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:31:05 PM »

If it's a SATA drive, you're in luck. SATA connectors are the same for desktop & notebook drives. No adapter necessary to get your data off. The drives used in the 2.5" USB drives are not the same as the ones used in the notebook computer, they have lower power requirements so no power adapter is required & all power can be supplied from the USBus.

Notice that the one shown in the link is not a notebook drive so must use a power adapter. You can see the power jack in the pics.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #3 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:32:23 PM »

Quote from: Computer_Commando on July 30, 2011, 02:31:05 PM

If it's a SATA drive, you're in luck.

Did you even read my post?

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:34:32 PM »

Not yours, his.
This is his:

Definitely a 3.5" SATA drive.

I have a WD Elements, but it's a 2.5" drive.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:38:46 PM »

Quote from: Computer_Commando on July 30, 2011, 02:34:32 PM

Not yours, his.

What are you talking about? I don't think you understood. I know what that drive is. I researched how to open a WDBAAF0010HBK-NESN case. That is what that drive is. That is what I wrote about. Complete with link to disassembly instructions.

mcdidd · « **Reply #6 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:41:57 PM »

Quote from: Salmon Trout on July 30, 2011, 02:23:33 PM

Since you now have nothing to lose you could remove it from the case and put it in another USB enclosure. Inside the case is a 3.5 inch SATA drive, and USB enclosures for these are plentiful and cheap.

Or you could just get another USB-to-SATA adapter and fit that inside the WD case. The second of the two articles below will make this clear I hope.

I got the case open already and the HDD is out of the case. Can you direct me to a website where i can buy a new enclosure?

Quote from: Computer_Commando on July 30, 2011, 02:31:05 PM

If it's a SATA drive, you're in luck. SATA connectors are the same for desktop & notebook drives. No adapter necessary to get your data off. The drives used in the 2.5" USB drives are not the same as the ones used in the notebook computer, they have lower power requirements so no power adapter is required & all power can be supplied from the USBus.

Notice that the one shown in the link is not a notebook drive so must use a power adapter. You can see the power jack in the pics.

I should probably clarify that this HD requires its own power source. I can't figure out if the drive inside it is SATA, but if it is, should I open my computer up and hook it up to get the files off of it?

To both of you: I already called Western Digital to see what they can do for me, but I'm sure their solution will be much more pricey.

mcdidd · « **Reply #7 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:43:20 PM »

Quote from: Computer_Commando on July 30, 2011, 02:34:32 PM

Not yours, his.
This is his:

Definitely a 3.5" SATA drive.

I have a WD Elements, but it's a 2.5" drive.

That's the same HDD i have if it helps at all

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #8 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:48:42 PM »

Quote from: mcdidd on July 30, 2011, 02:43:20 PM

That's the same HDD i have if it helps at all

We know. The number you quoted says everything we need to know. We do not know what country, area, town or city you live in, so it would be hard to suggest a website, but Amazon is possibly a good first stop. Type "USB SATA enclosure" into Google. They usually come with their own power adapters.

If you have a spare drive bay you can just install it in your computer as an internal drive.

mcdidd · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2011, 02:53:38 PM »

Quote from: Salmon Trout on July 30, 2011, 02:48:42 PM

They usually come with their own power adapters.

Just to clarify, does the replacement case come with all of the boards inside? because the USB port that broke was connected to the control board. Will I be able to get rid of the one I have once I get a new one?

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2011, 03:26:21 PM »

Quote from: mcdidd on July 30, 2011, 02:53:38 PM

Just to clarify, does the replacement case come with all of the boards inside? because the USB port that broke was connected to the control board. Will I be able to get rid of the one I have once I get a new one?

You'll get everything you need. The old one can be thrown away.

mcdidd · « **Reply #11 on:** July 30, 2011, 07:56:41 PM »

Even the control board attached to the drive? It's removable. I tried to post a picture, but my replies don't get posted when I attach the picture.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #12 on:** July 31, 2011, 01:02:46 AM »

Quote from: mcdidd on July 30, 2011, 07:56:41 PM

Even the control board attached to the drive? It's removable. I tried to post a picture, but my replies don't get posted when I attach the picture.

That sounds like the USB adapter board. Your new enclosure will have one of these. You just need the bare drive. When you get your new enclosure, read the instructions supplied.

immental1200 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 31, 2011, 04:59:30 PM »

The sealed metal drive is all you need the circuit board attatched to it... in this case green? Can be discarded.

patio · « **Reply #14 on:** July 31, 2011, 05:02:05 PM »

Quote from: immental1200 on July 31, 2011, 04:59:30 PM

The sealed metal drive is all you need the circuit board attatched to it... in this case green? Can be discarded.

HuH ? ? ?

immental1200 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 31, 2011, 05:38:50 PM »

Was reading a post above, didnt realise there was more after and just hit reply. This was when they were wondering what needed to be lept if using a new enclosure.

mcdidd · « **Reply #16 on:** August 03, 2011, 07:17:40 PM »

Hey everyone, just an update. I bought a new enclosure for the drive. I installed the drive into the enclosure and it powers on fine. My computer is not recognizing the drive. What should I do?

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #17 on:** August 03, 2011, 11:51:46 PM »

Have you tried it plugged into another computer?

I presume you are using Windows - Is it showing up in Disk Management?

Are you sure you made all the connections correctly inside the enclosure?

Can you hear the disk spin up?

Does it make any unusual clicking sounds?

I notice that this whole thing started because you dropped it with enough force to break off the USB port. You wrote that "as far as I know" the disk was OK. I do not see how you could know anything at that time about the state of the disk. You merely hoped that it was OK. It may well be damaged. Hard drives are well known for not liking to be dropped hard.

immental1200 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 04, 2011, 05:30:13 AM »

Quote from: Salmon Trout on August 03, 2011, 11:51:46 PM

Have you tried it plugged into the computer?

LOL

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #19 on:** August 04, 2011, 05:34:18 AM »

Quote from: immental1200 on August 04, 2011, 05:30:13 AM

LOL

What was the point of that post? Have you got anything to offer here?

immental1200 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 04, 2011, 06:03:26 AM »

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #21 on:** August 04, 2011, 06:08:52 AM »

Quote from: immental1200 on August 04, 2011, 06:03:26 AM

Maybe, I don't know yet.

This is not a chat room for your funny remarks. You should post when you have a useful answer. Not before.

mcdidd · « **Reply #22 on:** August 04, 2011, 11:45:01 AM »

I tried it on a different computer and I got the same result. I'm going to talk to tech support for the enclosure so I can see what's up.

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #23 on:** August 04, 2011, 11:48:27 AM »

Have you tried it as an internal disk in any computer? You seem to have ignored my remarks about it possibly being damaged by the drop it suffered.

mcdidd · « **Reply #24 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:10:21 PM »

I did try it internally. When I booted up my computer, it brought up a message saying that my hard drive had exceeded its normal storage space (I assume that meant that it was recognized). This message was displayed before Windows booted. When I checked Explorer, I didn't see the drive. I also checked Disk Management and it wasn't there. The drive may be damaged, but it still spins and powers on fine. It could easily be a problem with the enclosure itself, so if it doesn't work, I can try a different one.

patio · « **Reply #25 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:11:40 PM »

Exactly how was it hooked up internally ? ?

mcdidd · « **Reply #26 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:23:42 PM »

I attached the SATA and power cables to the drive in the appropriate ports. After that, I powered on the computer.

patio · « **Reply #27 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:28:10 PM »

Which SATA port on the MBoard ? ?

mcdidd · « **Reply #28 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:29:56 PM »

There were (I believe) 3 black ones and 1 white one. I used one of the black ones.

patio · « **Reply #29 on:** August 04, 2011, 01:50:33 PM »

OK...it should have been recognised...you did it right...

It is not showing up in BIOS or Disk Management is a worrysome sign...did you install the MyBook software on this drive or leave it as is ? ?
I seriously think the jolt it took may be the end...

mcdidd · « **Reply #30 on:** August 04, 2011, 02:14:14 PM »

Should the drive be plugged in next to the DVD drive? Or are there SATA ports somewhere else? And how should I go about checking to see if it is recognized in BIOS?

mcdidd · « **Reply #31 on:** August 04, 2011, 04:18:35 PM »

patio: I figured out how to check if it is recognized in BIOS, and it was. Now I just need to figure out how to access the data. Even if I have to buy a new drive, it's ok. I just want the data on the drive.

mcdidd · « **Reply #32 on:** August 04, 2011, 04:27:32 PM »

Hey everyone, sorry for the frequent posts, but I have an update. I tried connecting the drive internally again, this time using a different SATA port. It was recognized by Windows and it installed drivers. After the drivers installed, it told me that a restart was required. After the restart, the drive didn't show up in Explorer.

patio · « **Reply #33 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:03:37 PM »

You need to be checking for the drive in Disk Management...right clik it and select properties...
It sounds like were gettin closer...

mcdidd · « **Reply #34 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:12:55 PM »

I checked it in Disk Management and it was detected, but it says I need to initialize the disk to MBR or GPT format. The only problem with that is that my disk has about 400 GB of data on it and I don't know if initializing it will erase the data. I'm currently running a scan using a program called RecoverMyFiles 4.7.2 to try to recover the data on the drive.

patio · « **Reply #35 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:20:16 PM »

Initialising will indeed wipe the data...
Not familiar with thet recovery app...

Try Recuva...Free...

mcdidd · « **Reply #36 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:29:20 PM »

patio: The only problem is that since the drive doesn't show up in Explorer, Recuva can't find it. It would just be scanning my primary internal hard drive. RecoverMyFiles detected all the drives, including the one in question.

patio · « **Reply #37 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:41:34 PM »

Gotcha...
What i think may have happened is th e file allocation table got wonked somehow...
You may want to attempt running chldsk /r on it
I believe that will run from Disk Management even if it's nor being seen by Explorer...

mcdidd · « **Reply #38 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:46:03 PM »

How do I do that? Isn't it done through command prompt?

patio · « **Reply #39 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:50:50 PM »

Right clik the drive in DM and select Tools...

mcdidd · « **Reply #40 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:00:42 PM »

I don't see any option called "Tools"

patio · « **Reply #41 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:04:59 PM »

Ooops my bad..Properties 2st...then tools

mcdidd · « **Reply #42 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:08:11 PM »

There's no option called "Tools" because the drive isn't recognized in explorer.

[regaining space - attachment deleted by admin]

patio · « **Reply #43 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:24:45 PM »

Use DM...as i said.

mcdidd · « **Reply #44 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:26:00 PM »

Disk Management? Device Manager? I used Disk Management.

patio · « **Reply #45 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:29:22 PM »

In disk management it works fine here...
Rite clik the drive...select Properties ,...then Tooks.

mcdidd · « **Reply #46 on:** August 04, 2011, 08:31:15 PM »

I used Disk Management and that's what came up.

immental1200 · « **Reply #47 on:** August 05, 2011, 04:28:14 PM »

No choose the Tools tab at the top, and click check now in the error checking box. Tick both boxes and hit start.

mcdidd · « **Reply #48 on:** August 05, 2011, 05:01:58 PM »

Look at the attached snapshot in reply #42. That's what comes up.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #49 on:** August 05, 2011, 05:18:26 PM »

Quote from: patio on August 04, 2011, 08:29:22 PM

In disk management it works fine here...
Rite clik the drive...select Properties ,...then Tooks.

He's using Win7, as I am on this laptop. Right-click on the drive or partition in the top right pane, then you'll see Tools tab.

jason2074 · « **Reply #50 on:** August 06, 2011, 12:39:39 AM »

How is disk managemet reporting the External HD as to file system and current space recognized, used/available/total?

mcdidd · « **Reply #51 on:** August 06, 2011, 12:47:47 AM »

The drive is only recognized internally. Disk management detected about 997 GB. I haven't been able to access the file system. Also, when I tried the drive externally in the new enclosure, the PC could tell that it was plugged in (only in "Safely Remove Hardware"). I had more luck with it plugged in on the inside. Should I maybe try a different enclosure?

Salmon Trout · « **Reply #52 on:** August 06, 2011, 12:54:12 AM »

Could you post the brand and model of the enclosure?

mcdidd · « **Reply #53 on:** August 06, 2011, 09:07:09 AM »

Yeah, it's an Inland USB 2.0 SATA enclosure (model 08419).

mcdidd · « **Reply #54 on:** August 07, 2011, 05:37:36 PM »

Just an update, I took my drive to a shop to see if their computers would recognize it. Their computers did the same thing that mine did (recognized the drive, but couldn't access the file system). I guess at this point, I'm willing to accept that the drive is probably dead, but if anyone else has suggestions about possible fixes, please let me know. Also, in "Disk Management", the drive is marked as "unallocated". If I initialize the disk, is there a chance it would work? Forgive my lack of knowledge about this stuff, but could the drop have caused some sort of corruption in the file system? I feel like it's not possible, but I might as well ask since I've got nothing to lose now anyway.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #55 on:** August 07, 2011, 05:45:15 PM »

Allocate (create) the partition & then format. The drop may have done irreparable damage. I certainly wouldn't rely on it for future use. I suspect it's a gonner.

mcdidd · « **Reply #56 on:** August 07, 2011, 05:46:25 PM »

Quote from: Computer_Commando on August 07, 2011, 05:45:15 PM

Allocate (create) the partition & then format. The drop may have done irreparable damage. I certainly wouldn't rely on it for future use. I suspect it's a gonner.

There are no other options? So should I just go for it?

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #57 on:** August 07, 2011, 05:55:05 PM »

No other options. Go for it. In the fall, the heads probably crashed into the platter damaging one or the other or both. When the drive is off, the head self-parks & are able to survive a rated number of G's. It's like you fall, your head hits the floor & you receive a concussion. You may never recover.

mcdidd · « **Reply #58 on:** August 07, 2011, 06:02:57 PM »

Ok, which format should I initialize in? MBR or GPT?

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #59 on:** August 07, 2011, 06:07:32 PM »

mcdidd · « **Reply #60 on:** August 07, 2011, 07:16:45 PM »

It told me that it couldn't initialize due to an "I/O device error."

Transfusion · « **Reply #61 on:** August 08, 2011, 06:45:12 AM »

Try testdisk to check your drive for memory errors, although the chances of reviving the drive now are pretty slim as

Quote from: mcdidd on August 07, 2011, 07:16:45 PM

It told me that it couldn't initialize due to an "I/O device error."

www.[/font][/size]cgsecurity.org[/size]/wiki/[/size]TestDisk

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #62 on:** August 08, 2011, 11:02:47 AM »

It didn't work, drive is dead, bury it and move on.

mcdidd · « **Reply #63 on:** August 12, 2011, 01:19:36 PM »

I tried to run TestDisk, but my PC won't even start up normally with the drive connected anymore. Oh well, it's dead. I'll just buy a new one. Thanks for all your help!

bosox5150 · « **Reply #64 on:** February 05, 2013, 09:23:53 AM »

i know this is old and dead but if you happened to have saved your drive and see this then perhaps theres still hope! the usb board that you where told in you did not need in your first few posts was indeed needed! WD uses some type of proprietary communications that will only allow the drive to work through that connector on that board. it is possible to buy the board by searching the model # on it or buy the exact model WD backup you originally had and simply swap the drives, then you can recover your old data and transfer it to a new drive. Hopefully you did not take all the incorrect info you where told like throughing out the old board or giving up and burying your drive!!

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Author Topic: Mini-USB Port on External Hard Drive Broken (Read 32205 times)

mcdidd

Salmon Trout

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mcdidd

mcdidd

Salmon Trout

mcdidd

Salmon Trout

mcdidd

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immental1200

patio

immental1200

mcdidd

Salmon Trout

immental1200

Salmon Trout

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mcdidd

Salmon Trout

mcdidd

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mcdidd

patio

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mcdidd

Salmon Trout

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Computer_Commando

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Transfusion

Computer_Commando

mcdidd

bosox5150