Subject: Halp!! USB Ext.Drive Not Recognized
Posted: 24 February 2014 at 2:47am
Help! I'm using a HP desktop w. Windows 7(Updated), 1 gig internal hard drive, 8 Gigs Ram, 6 USBports, etc... My problem is I have a 1.5 Gig, Seagate, USB 2, external hard Drive, that is about 1 and 1/2 years old and quit working. I've downloaded and tried every tool that Seagate offers. No use. I've gone to CNET and tried six different "recovery" tools. All failed to repair USB drive...
Indicators: When I right click "My Computer" and use "Manage", under Device Manager I get my Seagate USB Disk Drive shown. Yet under Disk management it shows up as "Unknown", 2 (!) gig Drive that is not initialized. A black bar is above the faulty drive "icon".
Easy right? Windows asks me if I want to initialize it. It tells me two possible formats to initialize it in. I've tried both, yet neither works. I get a message that says, "Request could not be performed because of an I/O device error". I assume that means Input/Output (but you know what they say about "assuming" things).
I've tried to unplug the unit when machine is off and then replug the USB drive in when computer is on. No luck. The drive in trouble didn't make any unusual sounds, or knocking, prior to failure. I have about ten years worth of family photos on bad drive, as well as a pending VA case... Not smart to have a single point of failure I know. But drive in question WAS my back-up. Yoiks!
Can anyone please help me?? I hate to pay the drive company $300, to fix this.