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Jolly
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎06-15-2012
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2TB Elemnets UNUSUAL PROBLEM: I/O errors, unknown & not allocated

[ Edited ]

Hi to evrybody,
here's my problem with my external WD 2TB ELEMENTS HDD, Model Number:WDBAAU0020HBK.

Windows 7: 2 months ago it became quite slow and I noticed that there were some bad sectors. I tried to regenerate them with HDD Regenerator, but not for all of them it was a success: the first ones went well, but at a certain point the program blocked itself on a sector. So I decided to wait for a backup to a new drive and I havn't used it anymore till I've begun the transfer process. After a successfull 700 mb session with average speed of about 1 MB/s, I've decided to run a new chkdsk shot in order to make the speed transfer higher (2 months ago it worked)

Nowadays:
a) It's not displayed in My computer:
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b) visible but unknown and not allocated in Disk manager:
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ps: when I enter it asks me to initialize it, but then it says that is write protected
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c) with WD data life diagnostic I see it but i fail the tests (it says too many bad sectors)

working internal drive (to see differences):

external drive with problems:
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failed tests:
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d: with HD tune I can't perform read and write tests and I can't see drive infos:
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it says that it's all damaged:
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this was the situation 2 months ago:
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internal working drive:


e) drive map with HDD regenerator (2 months ago there were only 3 red B):
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Ubuntu:
a) Disk manager sees it but as unknown:
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b) With testdisk I can't see any partition, I Can't write MBR, I think that I can't read or write to any sector: the log file says I/O error (number 19). I'0ve checked with a different USB cable but nothing has changed. If I select None (and not Intel PC Partition I can see one Unknown partition but I can't read or write on it, nor MBR, nor MFT.
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c) photorec:
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d) fsck:
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e) ntfsfix:
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Results:
It seems that I can't access the drive: I can't read any sector, I can't write to any sector, no SMART data (2 months ago I could have them), I can't even see the device number. I think that it's something not due to data messed up on it.


Questions:
a) is it correct that's an hardware problem? (or can it still be something else?)
b) what can I do to try to backup the drive? I suppose nothng :smileysad: but I hope to be wrong...
c) If it's mechanical: how can I know what part is causing problems?
control board?
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printed circuit board controller?
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hdd magnetic head?


Thanks in advance for helping me :smileyhappy:
Diego

 

EDIT: externally, I can't hearor see nothing strange.  when I plug the drive in the light blue led turns on without blinking; after a while, several minutes, it begins blinking, probably due to inactivity (I think); initially I can hear the magnetic heads trying to work without unusual sounds.

 

Edit 2: with WinHex (and with a similar software) I "see" MBR without errors but it's all 00, so I think that they  don't work properly

Honored Contributor
Alucardx23
Posts: 4,266
Registered: ‎01-14-2012
0

Re: 2TB Elemnets UNUSUAL PROBLEM: I/O errors, unknown & not allocated

Aside from using a data recovery program, there is not much you can do aside from contacting a professional data recovery company. 

Click the Kudos star to say thank you for helpful posts and be sure to come back and 'Accept as Solution' under options for the post that solved your issue.
Esteemed Contributor
Awopero
Posts: 1,017
Registered: ‎11-03-2011
0

Re: 2TB Elemnets UNUSUAL PROBLEM: I/O errors, unknown & not allocated

As Alucardx says mate, you need data recovery service.....

Click the Kudos star to say thank you for helpful posts and be sure to come back and 'Accept as Solution' under options for the post that solved your issue.
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