Big Problem - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

11/21/2008 11:01:55 AM · #1

Last night I tried to reconnect the ext HD which has all of my images, but my computer won't see it. It was fine a couple of months ago -- I could acess any of my images on that drive, but since then I have not had it connected to my computer. I brought it out to move everything into Lightroom but Now both the red and green lights are on and it is not being recognized at all.
Meanwhile, I had backed up my PSE catalog to another drive, yet when I try to restore in (move it) into Lightroom, I am told there is nothing there or it is corrupted. So much for trying for a fail safe.
Now - what do I do? Is there any way of getting my images off that drive?
HELP!

Patrick_R

Canon EOS-60D

11/21/2008 11:14:13 AM · #2

plug it in a friends computer just to make sure you external drive is okay. if it works there and never at your place you could have anything from driver issues to a bad USB port. If nothing else burn disks of the pics at your friends house and then do them that way.

11/21/2008 11:15:19 AM · #3

Have you tried to connect it to a different computer?

Can you hear the hard drive "whir" when you plug it in? If not I've seen before the unit packup but the hard drive is fine. It can be removed from the case and plugged into the computer like a second hard drive (ie plug it directly to the motherboard)

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

11/21/2008 11:47:18 AM · #4

I have tried plugging it into another outlet (two of them) and both red and green lights are on, with the red one blinking. If I tilt it around, I noticed both lights go out completely.

I do think it used to be a noisy drive and now I do not hear anything.

Bugzeye

11/21/2008 01:45:30 PM · #5

What brand is your drive?

Moose408

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

11/21/2008 02:42:54 PM · #6

The fact that the lights go out when you move it implies a faulty cable. Can the USB cable on the drive be unplugged from the back of the drive? If so try a new cable.

Here are the things I would try in order
1) Try on another computer
2) New cable
3) Try on another computer
4) Get a new external hard drive enclosure and swap the drive into the new enclosure (they cost under $20)
5) Contact a hard drive data recovery service. They should have no problem getting the data off, it will just be costly.

Just an FYI, hard drives need to be spun up on a regular basis or they will fail. Some suggest at least once a month. A lot of people have problems with external hard drives because they tend to leave them sitting on a shelf for a long period of time.

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

11/21/2008 02:47:42 PM · #7

I recently did some research on a drive for my brother and found that some of the USB drives have an internal card in it that has a tendancy to go bad. The card converts from the normal hard drives SATA format to USB, often it dies while the drive itself is still good.

It's pretty easy to do but if you don't know how or not sure if it will ruin your computer warranty find someone to remove the external drive from it's caseing and install it into your computer as a slave drive. You will most likly be able to access it just as you always did (probably even faster since it's not usb anymore).

If this works but you still want it as an external drive, you can often buy converter kits to install the hard drive back into for use via USB like before. I got a few of the laptop size drive ones from Radio Shack REAL cheap or places like best buy and CompUSA carry them...I think compUSA would even help you fix it (I like them more than best buy but they aren't easy to find anymore).

Good luck with it.

Google Glass Google Glass

11/21/2008 04:06:25 PM · #8

Brand: Beyond Micro, Mobile Disk, model#BMMDU2
I have had it for years already, so no warranty. I did email support at Beyond Micro.
I also have a phone call into a local computer guy to see if he can do something....whenever I hear back from him since he rejoined the Sheriff's Dept.
How do I know which external drive enclosure I need? I looked into this once when the enclosure went bad on an Iomega drive. I couldn't even open it up! And there were too many types of enclosures that I had no idea of what I needed. So I threw the whole thing out.
I do have a local Radio Shack. Would it help to take it there?

ambaker

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

11/21/2008 04:15:13 PM · #9

Originally posted by Balko:

I do have a local Radio Shack. Would it help to take it there?

Uhhhhh.... NO!

11/21/2008 07:07:19 PM · #10

sounds like it's possibly the case. You'd need to take the drive out of the case to see if it's IDE or sata. To be honest if you are not comfortable with that your local PC place will be your best bet, they should be able to test the drive quickly. A case off eBay should be pretty cheap or take your PC with you and they should be able to plug the drive in inside your pc.

11/22/2008 10:39:29 AM · #11

I opened it this morning and see it's a WD Caviar SE 250gb. How can I tell if it is IDE or SATA? I plan on taking it to Radio Shack later today to perhaps see if the drive is still good and to buy another case.
Hope the tech gods are with me!

11/22/2008 01:02:50 PM · #12

if it's IDE the data plug on the back will be long rectangular and probably White. The power will be White and much shorter. If it's SATA that plug will be black and about the same size as the White power plug. Can you post a piccy of the back of the drive?

Message edited by author 2008-11-24 06:51:35.

Google Glass Google Glass

11/22/2008 02:03:45 PM · #13

Thanks so much bobonacus for your willingness to help and to all who posted here!
The Tech Gods are with me today.
I took it to Radio Shack where they first tested my power supply. It was 1/10 of a volt shy of what it should be. (That is why I was getting green and red lights, red blinking).
When they attached it to a new power supply, voila, it worked - green only! So $42 later, I have it connected and Lightroom is cataloging 14,420 images! LOL
I did buy a 750GB ext off eBay and will copy all of my pix onto that as backup and meanwhile, will keep using this one! I am so happy it was an easily-solved problem after all :)

ambaker

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

11/22/2008 02:15:37 PM · #14

ETA: Never mind.... Problem solved...

Message edited by author 2008-11-22 14:16:56.