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Can't open or copy files from my external HD

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Friday October 3, 2014
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Posts
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Friday October 3, 2014
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October 3, 2014
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Hi,

My external HD shows me the files but won't let me open or copy them. This is actually an improvement as an hour ago every computer I connected it to claimed it doesn't recognize the USB device... It's an Iomega HD and I'm using an HP laptop, if it helps. I should mention that the HD is a bit old (about 5 y/o).

The disk manager says it's healthy, but when I run an error check it says it found errors I should fix but doesn't tell me how to do so.

Anyone has an idea?

Thanks,
Shaked

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Monday September 1, 2014
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Hi there,

Do you hear the drive spinning without any strange noises? Do the copying process even starts when you try?
Try using the chkdsk /r,/f commands from the CMD to recover some readable information. If after that you are able to copy your files, do so and format your drive. If it is a bit old device, I would say that it may not be so reliable as it used to be and you should keep another copy of your files.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/technet-magazine/ee872425(v=msdn.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN - more details about the chkdsk commands

Hope this helps

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Hi R2D2_WD,

My father had a brilliant idea of changing the cables between the HD and the laptop... it worked.

Thanks!
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