WD 500GB MyBook not working

[joyntkid]

So i had my 500GB MyBook hooked up to my MBP yesterday, and it was copying some files over when i picked up my laptop to move it and forgot the hard drive was connected.

The hard drive fell onto the ground, but stayed connected.

When i unplugged it and plugged it back in, it didn't show up at all, (desktop, finder, disk utility).

So I waited till today and when I plug it in, it shows up under Disk Utility as "2 TB WD Media" but won't let me repair it or anything.

Is my only option formatting it?

If I format it and then immediately run a Data Recovery program, will it find most everything, or should I run the recovery before I format?

Thanks for your help, I really need this stuff back. About 470GB of stuff.

[winrez]

So i had my 500GB MyBook hooked up to my MBP yesterday, and it was copying some files over when i picked up my laptop to move it and forgot the hard drive was connected.

The hard drive fell onto the ground, but stayed connected.

When i unplugged it and plugged it back in, it didn't show up at all, (desktop, finder, disk utility).

So I waited till today and when I plug it in, it shows up under Disk Utility as "2 TB WD Media" but won't let me repair it or anything.

Is my only option formatting it?

If I format it and then immediately run a Data Recovery program, will it find most everything, or should I run the recovery before I format?

Thanks for your help, I really need this stuff back. About 470GB of stuff.

more than likely your head on the drive is damaged from the fall try to access it using live linux cd or a bartpe disc then try a recovery program like iolo search and recover.

[joyntkid]

Will any linux distro see HFS+?

I've never used my mac drives with linux, so i have no idea.

[CPressland]

Will any linux distro see HFS+?

I've never used my mac drives with linux, so i have no idea.

Ubuntu 8.04 supports it for sure, but in all honesty, your hard drive is fraked and you should run a diagnostic application like some of the ones on the Heirns boot CD

[joyntkid]

What would you recommend using off Hirens Boot CD?

Everything I ran couldn't see the drive.

I booted int Ubuntu 8.04 and it showed the drive, but it couldn't mount it.

I started to run Data Rescue II on my MBP and it got about 9GBs done in 15 hours or so and when i quit it early, it said it couldn't find any files.

[Sophism]

if the drive was being accessed when it was dropped its most likely dead, the head probabaly slammed into the platters damaging them and possible bending the head

[fix-this!]

sounds to me like your drive is a goner after that fall. hope you didn't have anything too important on it ?

[joyntkid]

Thats the bad part, I dont even remember what all was on it.

So it's gone as in, can't even format it and use it at all?

Or just gone as in my data is gone for good?

[Cara Veteran]

Thats the bad part, I dont even remember what all was on it.

So it's gone as in, can't even format it and use it at all?

Or just gone as in my data is gone for good?

The good news is, you don't remember what was on it so you don't know what you lost. ;)

Honestly I'd be very careful with that drive even if it does format for use again, after taking physical damage there is a good chance you will start to see the drive itself degrade until death as time goes forward, faster than normal due to the physical trauma.

[joyntkid]

Yeah, I'm thinking she's done.

I was hoping to wait and not buy a new drive until 1TBs were ~$150 or so.

The local Apple Authorized Specialist place said they could fix it for $45. I may just go there tomorrow and see if they can do anything.

[fall3n]

Is it clicking? If so, it's a goner and only a data recovery specialist can open it up and retrieve data. If it isn't then you may have a chance. Data Rescue II is definitely a great tool to give a shot of data recovery. It's $99 bux but it's nice to have around. Usually when a hard drive takes a spill like that the mechanics get fudged up good, either that or you've got some instant bad blocks. Good luck!

[joyntkid]

I dont think it's clicking.

But i tried Data Rescue II and it said it was going to take 3200 hours.

I let it go for about 16 hours and it had only done about 9GB and when i did "End Early" it said it hadnt found anything.

Are there any good data recovery bootable CDs or stuff for linux i can use?

I have Ubuntu 8.04 on an old PC and that would be the best thing to use to just let it run for a few days/weeks.

[joyntkid]

What do you mean if I am able to access the drive?

The drive shows up as "2TB WD Media" even though its 500G and it doesn't have any active partitions.

It doesn't show up in finder, just disk utility.

I ran Data Rescue II for about 15 hors and it got through 9GB and found nothing.

All I want is a program that for linux or that will run off a bootable CD that can do HFS+ because I can't waste all this time recovering on my laptop.

[Cara Veteran]

What do you mean if I am able to access the drive?

The drive shows up as "2TB WD Media" even though its 500G and it doesn't have any active partitions.

It doesn't show up in finder, just disk utility.

I ran Data Rescue II for about 15 hors and it got through 9GB and found nothing.

All I want is a program that for linux or that will run off a bootable CD that can do HFS+ because I can't waste all this time recovering on my laptop.

Depending if you feel the data is that important you may just want to give it up for dead and move on, it is hard to do but I think we've all been there before. 

[fall3n]

What do you mean if I am able to access the drive?

The drive shows up as "2TB WD Media" even though its 500G and it doesn't have any active partitions.

It doesn't show up in finder, just disk utility.

I ran Data Rescue II for about 15 hors and it got through 9GB and found nothing.

All I want is a program that for linux or that will run off a bootable CD that can do HFS+ because I can't waste all this time recovering on my laptop.

Sorry to be the breaker of bad news, but your SOL. I've seen this many, many times. When it shows up as a 2TB WD Media and Data Rescue II says thousands of hours, your drive is dead. The only slight chance of recovery is to send it in to a professional business where they'll take it apart and try to recover it, but it costs and arm and a leg. Sorry :(

[joyntkid]

Haha yeah, i've given up on all hope already.

I have a 750GB FreeAgent i'll use, but I just didn't really wanna lose the data.

[Guest jgrodri]

good to know.

I had the same problem as you, got a new drive through the warranty :)