USB power failure - WD Elements drive [ Edited ]

[Jones1]

Hello,
I'm having issues with transferring large amounts of data from my WD Elements 1.5 TB external hard drive to my internal NTFS formatted SATA hard drive. I keep getting the following error message: 0x80070037. A quick google search generated a thread that discussed that power from the motherboard may not be ample enough to keep the external drive powered, thus the failure in the transfer of the data. But this WD drive has it's own AC power supply, so I'm not sure. Essentially the external hard drive keeps dying no matter which USB port I plug it into. My WD Elements model number is: WDBAAU0015HBKNESN

I'm not sure what to do,  but thought I'd start here and see if any of you Western Digital experts could comment on this issue.

1. What info do you need to help me diagnose this issue?

2. How can I troubleshoot my WD drive to make sure it's functioning correctly in regard to this potential problem?

Any reply is appreciated.

Thanks

[Joe_S]

WD does make a power booster cable for USB powered drives. Contact customer service and see if they will send you one.

Joe

[Jones1]

I appreciate a fast response. A few more questions.

1. Is this a common problem?

2. Can the issue be resolved without getting a power booster cable?

3. I'm new to this forum. How do I reach customer support?

[RoofingGuy]

It depends which "Elements" you have.

You appear to have an "Elements Desktop" since you said it has an external power supply.  In that case, it should be getting suffifient power, since it wouldn't be using USB power.

The "Elements Portable" and the "Elements Portable SE" use only USB power, and this can be a problem if the USB port can't provide a full 1A of current... those are the instances in which a power booster cable could help.

Nontheless, to Contact WD for Technical Support
http://support.wdc.com/contact/index.asp?lang=en

I'd suggest making sure all your Windows drivers are up to date, since it sounds like Windows is having difficulty communicating with the drive.

But, I suppose the external power adaptor (or the drive itself) could be faulty.

[BruceAHz]

I have a similar problem - no error message but at random times, like in the middle or beginning of a data backup/restore, my Vista 32 computer no longer recognizes the 1.5 T Elements drive. It is a desktop so has external power supply.

Had it a little over a month and at first it seemed fine - it's as if the USB interface has become flaky.

[RoofingGuy]

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RoofingGuy wrote:

I'd suggest making sure all your Windows drivers are up to date, since it sounds like Windows is having difficulty communicating with the drive.

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Well, trying different USB ports, different PCs and different USB cables are also always suggested, and almost go without saying.

[Jones1]

I'm going to try a different USB cord.

What type of USB cord should I buy?

i.e. Is the plug that connects into the WD Element drive proprietary or standard?

[Joe_S]

I believe it's a Micro USB connector check here http://www.wdc.com/en/products/resources/drivecompatibility/

Joe

[Jones1]

Ok. Consider my problem solved.

I had a faulty power strip that the hard drive was plugged into which caused the intermittent power issues thus generating the error message and transfer failures.

Thanls for the quick replies.

[Joe_S]

Thanks for posting back with what you found.

Joe