Recover external hard drive (detect-undetect)

[jkt_saja]

Dear friend,

I have an external hard drive of 1 TB that goes error (it detect for 5 seconds and then undetected and then detected again and undetected again and so on), how can I DELETE all data inside the external hard drive so I can return it to the vendor (for a replacement) without the risk that vendor/store can read my precious data?

Please kindly help

Leo

[BlackST]

You can't delete data on it unless you repair it. Otherwise :

1) destroy it or keep it and buy another one and go on.
2) you should ask for someone with specialized tool to DEGAUSS it (but it will cost some money and I'm not sure it can render the disk totally safely unreadable - may be OK for normal case, but the result is uncertain and don't know if the disk can still be repaired and read

I see no other option.

[swersig]

As silly as it sounds,

have you checked/replaced the usb(?)-cable and checked the power supply? i have plenty external drives which have problems there, especially with mini-usb connectors (what the f... are the manufacturers thinking here?) on which the supply voltage drops too much.

[jkt_saja]

Yes I have checked and even change cable with the same type (this is suppose to come from FAMOUS brand of external drive), I change both the power cable and USB cable (also change to different USB ports) but still the same symptom happen after 5 hours of backup

I just want the drive to be alive again so I can destroy all the data (then I will replace it to the shop). I am very disappointed... it should have 5 years warranty (lifetime should be AT LEAST 5 years...) I only get it running for 2 days,what a crap!

Please help me. If I change the external drive to the shop they can refund me or change new drive but I am afraid for my DATA, who knows the shop or the VENDOR can retrieve it later and use it illegally.

[jkt_saja]

I have checked / replaced the usb cable and power cable with new one (of the same type) and change the usb ports and power port location, still no luck anybody have experience on this? it just act like that after 5 hours of backup... I am afraid if I give it back to the vendor/shop, they will replace it with new one but my data is not safe (somebody can retrieve it later)

[einstein9]

i would suggest to try another adapter here usb to sata and try
i think it might be from that give it a shot

[jkt_saja]

many thank to everybody here, I will try with small usb adapter to 2 head USB ports (hope this will give more power to the external drive). My experience is that never ever put data in Tera bytes external usb drive as it is not very reliable at the end (my old 40Gb and 80 Gb internal PATA drive still works perfectly every day for 6-7 years now... why it is more reliable then HUGE SATA external? strange... new technology even more unreliable for data storing...)

[HWHacker]

Did you test the drive on a different machine.