[ROD_SS]

It's a WD external hard drive. It powers up just fine but... you can hear it clicking and it's not being recognized by my computer no more. Anyway to recover those files or just get it to work?

Thanks

[Iwantone2]

When you say clicking, do you mean it clicks constantly while the platters are spinning? Have you tried hooking it up to a different computer?

[ichriscamaro]

Go to disk management and see if it shows there. If it is you can still recover the files using special software like testdisk. If it doesn't show then my friend you may be out of luck because it will have to be taken apart, have the damaged part replaced on it and only then be accessible for recovering. Unfortunately that can only be done in a clean room by a specialist and the price to have this done ranges between 500 and 1000 dollars. Good luck bud

[ROD_SS]

Originally Posted by Iwantone2

When you say clicking, do you mean it clicks constantly while the platters are spinning? Have you tried hooking it up to a different computer?

It clicks constatly but no spinning. I have and no luck.

[ROD_SS]

Originally Posted by ichriscamaro

Go to disk management and see if it shows there. If it is you can still recover the files using special software like testdisk. If it doesn't show then my friend you may be out of luck because it will have to be taken apart, have the damaged part replaced on it and only then be accessible for recovering. Unfortunately that can only be done in a clean room by a specialist and the price to have this done ranges between 500 and 1000 dollars. Good luck bud

Tried disk management and doesn't even show up there.

[f5journal]

previous post is only option. $500 or so with no guarantee no money back

[MLL67RSSS]

My son had a WD external hard drive that failed. It had become intermittent though, sometimes computer would see the drive, sometimes it wouldn't, and then it failed all together. On his the hard drive itself was OK but the board that interfaces with it had failed. A friend of his got a SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter, took apart the drive and using just the hard drive and converter was able to access just the hard drive out of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Adapter-.../dp/B001OORMVQ

[MLL67RSSS]

OP it did make sounds as you describe. Looks like it's a SATA. I was even able to scab the stuff into the case. Wasn't as reliable as before and has a new one, but this allowed it to work and get the files off the drive.
If yours is the same, bad circuit board but drive still working which it sounds like may be the case, this will allow you to access the drive whichever connections it has. May be worth a try.

[Jay_LHD3]

There are companies that specialize in this. Most don't even charge if they can't get the data for you. This may be a option for you if you have real important data you don't want to lose or destroy in the process of trying to recover yourself.

Do a google search for: data recovery hard drive specialist service

[atma]

this is a long shot, but try putting it in the freezer

http://lifehacker.com/5515337/save-a...-freezer-redux

[ROD_SS]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will try the freezer thing too

[Mr_Draco]

Please note the freezer trick can also permanently ruin the hard drive rendering any future attempts to get information futile. The new drives are hydro-bearing where as old drives use to be ball bearing based. If you freeze a newer drive not only will you bust the seals but you will permanently freeze the discs in place. Only try it as a last resort.

If it's an external hard drive, take the drive out and install it in your computer first if you have the connections available inside your case. Remember the drive is the exact same thing that is in your computer now, just in a different case. We had a similar thing happen to us. The drive would click but wouldn't run. I removed the drive from the case and installed the drive in our computer and it works just fine.

[shibbs]

Go on ebay (or somewhere else) and find a working HDD of the EXACT SAME MODEL.

Take the electronics board off yours and swap with the good drive's electronics. This MAY help you, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than data recovery experts!

This worked for me for a computer that was involved in a lightning surge.

[MLL67RSSS]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

If it's an external hard drive, take the drive out and install it in your computer first if you have the connections available inside your case. .

O.P. The converter allows you to connect just about any bare drive to the USB port on any computer, and you don't have to take apart your computer (Laptop?). The one I linked in post #7 is $8 free shipping. I'd do that or as Mr Draco suggested long before I stuck the thing in a freezer, since the drive is probably working anyway just like my son's was (also a WD).

Edit: I too tried to find a same model to get the circuit board out of. Problem is WD uses multiple vendors and the drive/boards installed are constantly changing. One that looks just like it could have a completely different drive in it. I was never able to find one with the exact same model numbers/drive/or the board itself before his friend hooked us up with the converter. Problem solved and for just a few dollars. Plus if I should ever have another hard drive I'd like to test or access without opening up the computer I already have the converter.