WD Elements HD (WDBAAU0020HBK-01) suddenly not recognized

[JamesCooper]

I usually have this drive hooked up to the router and use it as remote storage. It is stored behind a cabinet so it cannot get bumped or moved. It was working yesterday but today when I tried to access it in my network area it acted like it was not there. I rebooted everything but still the same results. I attached the hard drive directly to my desktop and laptop but neither recognized it. No sound was even made when I attached it. I tried a different usb cord but still the same results. Every time I do attach it the white light on the back flashes for a bit and then stays on solid. Any ideas?

Thanks,

James

[Alucardx23]

If its not recognized on the disk management you provably need to replace it.

[JamesCooper]

I assume I will have to replace it but I would like to recover the data. I am guessing the data is still all there and this is only a problem in the unit's usb connection. But I am not sure how to start the process of recovering the data if I can't even get the computer to recognize the unit. It appears that others seem to be having similar problems with this unit. Can WD offer any assistance in data recovery?

[JamesCooper · Accepted solution]

I managed to find a way to save my data. I opened the casing and removed the hard drive. It is just like any other hard drive, sealed in its own case, so it is save to remove. I then removed the 'adapter' that allows the hard drive to plug into usb and the wall charger cord. It was very easy to do, just remove two screws. I then attached the hard drive up to my computer using my dvd units power and sata cables. Sure enough, there was no problem with the hard drive. All my data was there and it works fine. It was the adaptor unit that had gone bad. By what I have seen while researching this issue I think this is a common problem with external hard drives.

So if you plug your usb cable in and your computer does not recognize the drive at all, the adaptor is probably your problem.

[Joe_S]

This won't work on drives that come with Smartware. They are hardware encrypted by the board with the USB connector. Any data recovered without that board will be encrypted. Opening the drive also voids the warranty.

Joe

[Nick_Beale]

@JamesCooper

When you removed the casing of the HD was it an Elements HD or another type?

Just checking before I even think about removing the casing on mine and remove the warranty.

[Wizer]

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Nick_Beale wrote:

@JamesCooper

When you removed the casing of the HD was it an Elements HD or another type?

Just checking before I even think about removing the casing on mine and remove the warranty.

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The internal drive on the Elements is a WD Caviar Green