Transferring external hard drive into computer, not recognizedClosed

Question

Hello, 

I have a WD 2 TB external hard drive that, a few months ago, lost it's USB port.  It snapped right off.  I bought a new casing and plugged it in only for it to not work. It showed up in my Device Manager, but the icon was opaque and un-clickable.  Following the advice from a Best Buy employee, I finally tried putting it directly into my computer so I can get the data.  I used some parts from my old computer.

The drive shows up in my Device Manager and it shows that the data is still there.  My problem is with allocating/partitioning/assigning a letter.  Everything I read online indicates that I will have to wipe it clean in order for it to be read properly and for it to be usable.  I do not want to lose all 2TB of data so i am desperate.  Is there any way to access the data without having to wipe it?

I am going to try to get to a repair shop tomorrow, but I figure that since I am up and in the middle of this I could see if anyone can help. Is it possible to do on my own or should I just let the pro handle it?

Zohaib R · Answer

Hi,

It seems the problem originally started with the snapping of the USB port on the Hard Drive. If the hard drive is detected in the Device Manager you can assign a drive letter to it without formatting it. You can try doing it to as a fix. Check the below mentioned link for details:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows?ui=en-US&rs=en-001&ad=US

Do reply with results.

Zohaib R · Answer

Hi notunctioning, 

There is a software by the name "EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard" this can help you recover data in most of the damaged (not physical) Hard Drive Scenarios. You can try using this software but in your case as you reported there was a physical damage so it is recommended that you seek a technical expert to assist in recovery or choose a data recovery company to recover as much data as possible. 

You can read about "EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard" and also download it from the below mentioned link: 

http://www.easeus.com/resource/recover-hard-drive-data.htm 

Kindly get back if there are any further queries.  
  
Thanks & Regards 
Zohaib R 
#iworkfordell

Zohaib R · Answer

Hi notunctioning,

Dismantling the Hard Drive is not a recommended step as this might damage some of the delicate parts inside such the Hard Drive Platters or read/write head. Also if there is any permanent damage to the platters it might become unusable and experts might also fail to recover the data from it. However, when researching I found a Video which has some valuable steps on how to dismantle some of the common Hard Drive types. Please check the below mentioned link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg1udSz9FEk

Note: This video shows one of the old Model Hard Drive. Please attempt these steps only if the Hard Drive has a similar structure/design.

Kindly get back if there are any further queries.

Zohaib R · Answer

Hi notunctioning,

I would recommend doing that only under supervision of a technician as it might lead to breaking of some parts. If any irreparable damage is caused to the good working Hard Drive, both the drives will be rendered unusable. Please go through the Service Manual (if any) for the Hard Drives or carefully go through the instructions for dismantling if available.

Kindly get back if there are any further queries.

Transferring external hard drive into computer, not recognized

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