Help my portable hard drive!?

Question

help! i have the western digital passport portable hard drive (white, 160bg) and it has all my important work files... i accidently dropped it and i think it stopped working!!!???
I plug it in and my pc and it defintely recognises it because a message comes up with 'USB NOT RECOGNISED windows doesnt recognise this usb because it has malfuntioned.
i was told that it has something to do with the driver controller??
i need help with resolving this issue becuase i need to access my files ASAP!

Answer 1

You drop them and they are finished. The data write arms smash into the disc platters, or the shock bends the platters out of line.



When you consider that the air distance between the write head and the platter is 50nm (0.05µ) A human hair is about 100µ in thickness, so you get the picture.



So what you have on there is totally lost I'm afraid.

Answer 2

try using another USB cable. one you know that works. Also I know for a fact that dropping a hard drive is the worst thing you can do. most of them do NOT have shock protection, especially when they are writing or reading. So with that being said. If its Not a driver thats bad.....(software that came with it) and if its not the USB or the Port you plug it into....Kiss it Bye Bye. Because the Passport is very small and has higher proability of the discs being damaged in a fall. Sorry dude! that sucks. Go big time anyway. Quit F'in with the 160. Get a 500 or a TB. That way you wont drop it cause you know how much its worth.

Answer 3

It seems that many people are still getting the 'USB Device not Recognized' problem from time to time. Unfortunately there is no easy fix.



Firstly, it's recommended that you make sure every one of your motherboard drivers are completely up-to-date, but you probably already knew that.



In XP, after a USB port isn't used for a long while the USB driver built into the OS sets the OHCI controller to suspend. When you plug a device back in, it can sometimes fail to 'wake up' properly. This problem was supposedly fixed in SP1 but there is a related registry hack that may still be able to help.



Run regedt32.exe and navigate to;



HKEY_LOCAL_Machine\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Usb



Create the Usb key if it doesn't already exist. Under this key, create a new DWORD value called DisableSelectiveSuspend and give it a value of 1. Then restart the PC.



A long shot perhaps, but I recall having similar problems with a USB hub built into my Microsoft keyboard and adding this key seemed to solve it. It wouldn't hurt in trying .



Alternatively, removing all entries relating to USB in Device Manager and all associated USB drivers will force XP into refreshing the USB driver stack.



Begin by unplugging all USB devices, then use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to uninstall any USB driver software. Next, boot up into safe mode and go to Device Manager. Once in device manager make sure 'Show hidden devices' is checked under the View menu. Uninstall all device entries in this order;



1. USB peripheral devices (printers etc.)



2. HID and/or Composite USB (Human Interface Devices) You're using PS/2 input devices so you may not have this entry.



3. USB Root Hub(s)



4. USB Host Controller(s) (Universal or Enhanced Host Controllers)



Then boot back into Windows (not safe mode) and it should populate the Root Hubs & Host controllers again. Proceed to plug your USB devices back in, starting with your powered hub. Be aware that most USB printers and scanners need to have their drivers installed first before you plug them in.



Hopefully some of this may be of help, let me know how you get on.

Answer 4

This could be because you have damaged your device or it could be a system error. I think my portable hard drive has shock protection so it doesn't get as damaged easily but I wouldn't recommend dropping it.



I found this http://www.ntcompatible.com/Desperately_need_help_---_USB_Devices_Not_Recognized_t32356.html



I would contact Western Digital for professional advice. There contact information can be found here http://www.wdc.com/en/company/contact.asp



Good luck! I hope you get sorted.

Answer 5

the version is, portables are potable. did that help? portables are frequently sufficiently small to fit in a pocket. externals are designed to no longer be moved a lot. you may want to apply a conveyable as an exterior, and vice versa, even if it will be inconvenient. you may not oftentimes save files on to both, in case you mean, rapidly. you oftentimes have the only extra step of telling the computing gadget to placed it aside to the exterior/transportable. yet, convinced, some thing it may ward off to the frustrating rigidity might want to be kept to the exterior/transportable. operating platforms and their information ought to no longer be save to an exterior/transportable. except you comprehend of a fashion on your computing gadget to artwork even as yopu remove the transportable/exterior.

Answer 6

ok well if u droped it the the little magnites that run across the disk where probally knocked offf and it cant read the hard drive any mroe

Answer 7

sounds like the enclosure connection got damaged.. its not gonna be easy with that one to take it out and switch it to a new one

Answer 8

Sounds like you've fuked it up by dropping it.