Plugging and unplugging helps recovery, but why?

[MaineComputerService]

So I just found out that this really helps when dealing with a broken hard drive. I just dont understand why. Any ideas?

- MyBook WD 500 GB USB
- HD stopped mounting, but no clicking noise is heard. Tools like RTT can see it as WDxxyxxyxx
- HD was more and more sporadically mountable and eventually not mounting at all on the desktop
- Found a way to see the hard drive: if I unplug BOTH power and USB cord from HD and computer, the HD will mount again
- Win7 will ask if I want to Scan and Fix it ,I click no
- when manually copying data to a different HD there are lots of errors and I'm forced to skip a lot of files.
- after each error, It wont allow me to copy anything else and I have to unplug and plug back again.
- tried imaging the whole...get blue screen all the times and start all over.

Why is this happening and what the problem could possibly be? This is the second HD I recover this way, but boy what a pain!

Thanx for inputs.

[BlackST]

If you try with something more professional you will get different results and less hassle.

Disk has simply weak head/heads problem or internal problems.

Last edited by BlackST on April 15th, 2010, 8:00, edited 1 time in total.

[harddrivespecialist]

Your drive has a scratch on a surface.
While you are trying to read file located on a scratch surface, drive will go into busy state until your reset it.
You will create more damages to a surface trying to copy file by file.

[BlackST]

To me it's more head problems, than surface.... WD500 MYBOOK ...

[unknown]

To me it's more head problems, than surface.... WD500 MYBOOK ...

Agree.
Very common problem with WDs.

[MaineComputerService]

If you try with something more professional you will get different results and less hassle.

Disk has simply weak head/heads problem or internal problems.

What would you use "more professional"?
Sei Italiano? Di dove?

[harddrivespecialist]

To me it's more head problems, than surface.... WD500 MYBOOK ...

Agree.
Very common problem with WDs.

I have to agree with that also, but I believe its a scratch.
In any case, have to see a drive to do accurate diagnostics.

[BlackST]

More professional :

1) check drive / head test
2) when possible, disabling err check and reallocation
3) alternative : use HW imaging tools that can override some common problems with unstable drives.
4) alternative #2 : try different access strategies = different results. Each system has different behaviour.

P.S. that drives are crap.

[unknown]

have to see a drive to do accurate diagnostics

That will end all doubts.