external hard drive -help please

[denz]

i recently bought an external hard drive and it worked perfectly for a week or two. now it has stopped working.
when i used to plug it in to my laptop (via usb connection) it would show in 'computer' -and work ok. it dont do that now.
the external hard drive still lights up as before -so it looks like power is ok.
i have tried the device on my tv usb and again it lights up but nothing happens. (it did previously work on my tv)
any advice would be much appreciated - as it fairly obvious i know sod all about this stuff!

[BobHelm]

Not an easy problem to find the solution for just with words..but I wouldn't hold out too much hope that the drive is any good any more.
The good news should be that it should have come with a minimum of 6 months guarantee so the equipment should be replaced, even if the data on it can't be.

If it was just not working on the computer then it might have been a fixable problem, the fact it no longer works on two different devices while the power still appears to be on is not a good sign at all.

However, just before for return it it might be worth while reading this site
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofth ... atools.htm
and downloading one of the Seagate tools they talk about.
As you say that you are not very technically competent then SeaTools for Windows sounds the easier thing to try. My only feeling is that in some cases it could actually be a problem with Windows & the disk which maybe this program would also suffer from.
The SeaTools for DOS would certainly give more clues as to an issue & would also still work even if the issue was with Windows - thus maybe presenting ways of solving it.
The nagging doubts is that it no longer works on the TV either which does not suggest that it will be a simple matter to fix.

[sabaidee_mike]

As Bob says. It's probably toast. I find that drives either fail in the first few months or last for years. Is the drive making any noise when you plug it into the USB port. Normally it should spin up which you can hear as a little whine. Can you try it on another computer, maybe a friend's or in an IT shop?
The same thing has happened to me a few times, always with Maxtor drives strangely. My current Western Digital externals have been running for 4 years almost 24/7.

[ting_tong]

does the hard drive spin?
you can put next to your ear and listen for the vibration, or hold it and see if it has a gyroscope effect if turned side to side.
If it spins and you have data that you want recovered, let me know?

[BangkokButcher]

If you are hearing a clicking sound, the drive is on it's way out.

There is a possible quick fix to recover data though, freeze the drive - seriously!
http://www.emergingtechs.com/posts/put- ... over-data/

I've done this 2 times with broken drives, it worked once but it totally killed the 2nd, so it was a 50% success rate for me

[TicToc]

Could try downloading HDD Regenerator,run the program and see what it makes of it.Program will tell you if it is no good anymore.

[denz]

thank you all for your help and advice. much appreciated. =D>
When i plug the hard drive into the usb it makes small clicking noises and the green light flashes.........then the light stops flashing and stay lit........then nothing happens. not happy! any advice much appreciated.

[Dudde]

It's toasted. Go too the shop you bought it from and replace it.... Hope you didn't have any important information on it

[sabaidee_mike]

This symptom also occurs with small 2.5" drives if there is not adequate power from the USB port they are connected to. Most of these drives come with a "Y" cable with 2 USB connectors so they can be connected to 2 ports to get the necessary power. If it's a 3.5" drive it should come with an external power supply.
Probably not your problem but worth mentioning.

[ting_tong]

if you are unable to return the external HD, I would be interested in buying the case for parts............