This is a request for a last ditch effort to recover data from an inaccessible Seagate HDD (Barracuda 2GB model ST2000DM001).

I've been working on this HDD for some time so I'll try to be brief with a history:
-initially access would become very slow, ultimately freezing File Explorer. A reboot would restart the process.
-an error check was run and it apparently found and repaired errors. The problem continued.
-a dskchk was run with the /f option. The subsequent report indicated no bad sectors
-ultimately the HDD became completely inaccessible. It was not recognized by Win 10.
-Disk Management couldn't initialize or format the HDD
-currently the HDD has been removed from the system and installed in an external HDD enclosure. When connected, it powers up and the disks seem to be spinning but Windows does not recognize it and it doesn't appear in File Manager.

I have a backup but it doesn't include irreplaceable pictures from our last vacation. I'd like to recover these pictures but it's probably not worth the cost of commercial data recovery. (I have recovered a few but not all pictures from the original SD media)

Can anyone suggest a way to access the HDD short of commercial data recovery?

Thank you for the information.

I've checked a few firms that recover data. Reviews on the are mixed. An initial cost estimate starts at about $1000.

I've decided to totally destroy and junk the HDD. It contains all of my financial information as well as a password manager. That data is backed up. My only serious loss will be my vacation pictures. Given the cost, the risk to my financial security and the value of the pictures, it's just not worth it if I can't do it myself.

Nonetheless, thank you for you input.

i think this has weak head problem now. after running chkdsk it has gone worst for sure. i think you can't get recovered by your self.
SPILDIT has given a good opportunity.you decide.

Let me first say - I'm reasonably computer literate but definitely not an expert. As sad as this situation is, I look upon these situations as learning experiences.

I realize what a disk initialization and formatting would do and I attempted this only after I had finally concluded that the disk was dead. It was a late stage effort to resurrect the drive. If it worked, I had hoped that "Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery" would recover most files.

I don't understand the comment that running chkdsk was a bad idea. I understood that it was a good way to solve disk problems. If it fixed errors, I expected to loose the files on those sectors but the rest of the HDD would have been OK. What is wrong with my understanding?

Finally, thank you so much for your very kind offer to help recover my photos. I'm in Canada so, as you mention, in your eBay posts, customs may have been a problem. In any case, the drive is already physically destroyed. (WOW! Those things are built like a tank!)

Thank you again!

Thank you for helping to advance my education!

Cheers