Freaking out: 8 TB LaCie Drive suddenly disappered. (URGENT)

[CrocDrive]

INTRODUCTION

Saying I need help would be an underestatement.

First of all: it's a LaCie Porsche Design USB 3.0 3.5 inch external hard drive.
I know: LaCie isn't the brand of the hard drive. But I'm too scared to open it to check the exact one. (lacie.com porsche design section has "SEAGATE" at the top, so might be seagate?)

it accounts for more than 60% of my total hard disk space.


STORYTIME:
I've had this bad boy for 2-3 years now? Worked perfectly fine. But on the 13th of february I woke up to a nightmare.
I noticed that the POWER STRIP that i usually turn off in the night, was ON. And that was where my hard drive was connected. So I realized that my hard disk was running all night long, even though my computer was off. [Saying this just in case, not sure if it's of any help]

I turn on the pc, and everything is fine until I want to save a file in that specific hard drive and.. I don't find it. I disconnect the USB, and reconnect the USB. It's.. not working.

I notice that the **LED LIGHT IS NOT TURNING ON** (Again, not sure if this is of any help, I remember it flashing in the past). I start freaking out.

My pc doesn't even detect the usb connecting. it's not saying the drive has error, it's as if it doesn't exist. maybe the hard disk is off? I turn it on.
it's unusually quiet, but then it stops, so I assume I turned it off.
I turn it back on and.. well


*WHATS GOING ON W MY DRIVE*

THE LED LIGHT IS NOT TURNING ON.

the USB 3.0 cable must NOT be the problem since I swapped it w another hard disk, and worked fine.
Tried both external hard drives with another computer and it detected the good one, but didn't detect this one.

So it's either the DRIVE, or the POWER SUPPLY CABLE.


I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I posted about my experience in another forum but was quickly shunned with:
If the data was so important, why didn't you back it up?
Hard drives fail. deal w it. should've known better.
don't even try to fix it! pay a professional. if you try fixing it, add a 0 to their cost!



I HAVE NEVER HAD A DRIVE FAIL IN MY LIFE.

I've looked at videos and... stuff is scary. I know that I wouldn't be able to deal with this kind of stuff. I don't have the equipment and stuff like that

But a common issue seems to be the "head/arm" of the hard disk, stuck above the disk.
And the common fix is to rotate the hard disk counterclockwise, while pushing the arm/head back to the "relaxed position"


I REALLY REALLY NEED HELP. AND THIS FORUM LOOKS LIKE IT HAS PEOPLE WITH EXPERTISE, SO I HAVE FAITH IN YOU!
here are my questions

1) What are COMMON FIXES that I should try just in case

2) If the problem is in the inner workings, is there a way to know what the problem is WITHUOT OPENING IT?

3) Peolpe say that through noise they know how to identify the problem. They divide the noises in 2 parts: Clicking, and beeping.
Mine sounds like.. neither?
It is probably the LaCie Porsche design case that's just softening the sound, but when I turn it on, and put my fingers on it to hear the vibrations, a brief period of silence is there, and then I hear:

this is what the vibrations feel like. It's like if you're in a car, you're racing, and you hit a speedbump, and then two minor ones? shitty explanation but i hope you get the idea

4) if the fixes don't work. and the problem is either unidentifiable or unfixable for me, then I guess I'll need to pay a professional but.. how.
I am in ITALY. are there any reliable data recovery centers that I should know of?
and would they even be open right now during the pandemic?


please help

[Lardman]

It's Monday and I've not had enough coffee yet to unscramble that.

You're safer opening the enclosure than keep powering it off and on, so please stop doing that. Obviously don't open the drive itself ! Really need to know what the drive is and are you on a laptop or desktop where you could plug directly into the motherboard.

The advice you were given is correct, but perhaps a little premature. If the data is important and you're not comfortable seek professional assistance, there are lots of mail in services in Europe.

[northwind]

Yeah I'm also trying to decipher that graph
If I'm right guessing, it "looks" like stiction. Maybe.

Opening the Lacie plastic box should be harmless (apart from voiding you warranty - if any). You will see a Seagate drive inside. DO NOT OPEN the drive, it will end in a disaster.

My suggestion:

1) If data is important (and it sounds like it is), then contact Luca at ultrarecovery.com they're in Brugnera (near Venice). They'll help you.
2) If data is not so important and you can live without them, then disassemble the Lacie plastic case, get the SATA drive out of it and connect it directly to a SATA port in a PC motherboard. Record the sound it's making during spin up and post it here. Then, we will advise you accordingly.

Best of luck.

[DR-Kiev]

Lacies have a poor quality power adaptors. It usually die early than hard drive itself. Start your research trying to change with another working adaptor. I case it wont work start searching for neighbor data recovery service with good feedbacks

[CrocDrive]

It's Monday and I've not had enough coffee yet to unscramble that.

Obviously don't open the drive itself ! Really need to know what the drive is and are you on a laptop or desktop where you could plug directly into the motherboard.

desktop
so yes if i take it out then I could try attaching it to the motherboard.
do you think i should give that a try?

Yeah I'm also trying to decipher that graph
If I'm right guessing, it "looks" like stiction. Maybe.
My suggestion:

1) If data is important (and it sounds like it is), then contact Luca at ultrarecovery.com they're in Brugnera (near Venice). They'll help you.
2) If data is not so important and you can live without them, then disassemble the Lacie plastic case, get the SATA drive out of it and connect it directly to a SATA port in a PC motherboard. Record the sound it's making during spin up and post it here. Then, we will advise you accordingly.

Best of luck.

thanks for providing me w that website
but if I try number 2 - and the problem is too big for me to fix, then I could still use the ultrarecovery services... right?

Lacies have a poor quality power adaptors. It usually die early than hard drive itself. Start your research trying to change with another working adaptor. I case it wont work start searching for neighbor data recovery service with good feedbacks

the box didn't have a spare power thing, if it did then i lost it. I recently bought one but I'm too scared to connect it to the hard drive because volt, ampere, watt are all over the place, i dont think if it matches the ones of the original so im too scared [the new one has: 12V, 2A, 24W]

[Lardman]

As per Northwind's post, I'd open the lacie case, a quick google will give you plenty of youtube how-to results. Plug the drive directly into the pc and check it is recognised in the bios and doesn't sound like a brick in a washing machine. This will confirm if you have a drive problem or an enclosure problem.

If there are any odd noises turn the power off immediately and call a pro. A degree of concern about doing it is ok but there's no real difference doing this to turning the power on in the enclosure which you've been happy to do. If you haven't dropped or knocked the drive you shouldn't cause any more damage with a quick power test.

Let us know what you find.

[CrocDrive]

Updates:

Casing is bye bye
the hard disk that was hiding inside has been brought to light
it's a Seagate BarraCuda ST8000DM004

I am now considering to connect it internally through sata stuff bla bla bla, i'll update you guys on that

@Lardman i did not drop or knock the hard drive, will update you all whenever I get enough courage to try this out (which will probably be by the time this post is approved! hehe)

[CrocDrive]

upon some inspection I've noticed something strange which gives me hope.
my scare is that:
1) the problem is internal
and 2) it's a big problem that i couldn't fix by myself

i've noticed that inside, there's this green component (which i assume is a SATA to USB kind of adaptor), the thing is, that there's a piece of metal (that corresponds to the place in which the USB connects from outside) that seems a bit put off, like, it's almost "diagonally put"? like if something from outside just put enough pressure on one side to further it deeper, while keeping the other one in the original.

do you guys think this might be the cause? i really hope it is
i know that if i connect it internally then i don't really have to care ab this stuff but it makes me wonder
because the LED doesn't turn on. but the led only is supposed to turn on when the pc writes or reads stuff from the pc, and if the usb can't connect there perfectly, then it'd explain why the led light is off!

will update obv

[CrocDrive]

guys i know im about to do something highly illegal but i'm tagging all of you

a

a

a

I have connected the hard drive internally through the sata stuff and....................
IT SHOWED UP ON BIOS.

suddenly, euphoria rushed through my body

I turn windows on but I don't see the hard drive. I know that this is probably normal but now I need those extra steps to get it back working yet again on windows


it doesn't show up as a letter/partition
disk management shows that
2048 is "allocated" while the 6000 rest is "unallocated"

1) The 2048 allocated one doesn't show up as a letter partition either - because I didn't partition it or whatever
2) the 6000 unallocated, what do i do?

one thing I noticed is that the file system in disk management wasn't NTFS, it was blank if I remember. I assume I have to set it?

I don't want to lose any data, that's why I was scared and didn't attempt anything. I disconnected the drive just to come back for your guys opinion.

what do I do now?

can I get the full 8000 back? or only the 6000 unallocated one (that would be crazy!)

i love you

[DR-Kiev]

Drive is possible formatted under HFS or XFS DF, now you need specific data recovery software to get access

[Lardman]

This is good news... now stop, leave the drive unplugged and consider your options.

The goal is not to repair your drive, something caused it to have a brain fart and I wouldn't trust it with important data ever again. I looks like it would probably be a very straight forward recovery at an entry level price for a pro, if cost is the concern.

Did you listen carefully - were there any odd sounds from the drive at all?
How much of the drive was actually used ?
What type of data and how much do you want back?

The next step normally would be to clone the original drive. You will obviously need another 8TB drive to do, the process even if everything is 100% is likely to take an entire day. If you just want a few pictures or word documents from a virtually empty drive that might change this.

[northwind]

Drive is possible formatted under HFS or XFS DF, now you need specific data recovery software to get access

That's the most probable cause.
That, or your motherboard doesn't support drives larger than 2TB.

I'd suggest you to download UFS Explorer demo version and see if you can see your data. 99.9% you will see your data.
Then, buy a license and recover your data into a new drive. Have one empty drive, larger than the size of your data, ready and plugged in.

There's always the safer route, as Lardman says, to clone your drive into a new one using something like HDDSuperClone under Linux, then scan your clone and recover your data somewhere else.

[CrocDrive]

Drive is possible formatted under HFS or XFS DF, now you need specific data recovery software to get access

what software would you recommend?

This is good news... now stop, leave the drive unplugged and consider your options.

Did you listen carefully - were there any odd sounds from the drive at all?
How much of the drive was actually used ?
What type of data and how much do you want back?

The next step normally would be to clone the original drive. You will obviously need another 8TB drive to do, the process even if everything is 100% is likely to take an entire day. If you just want a few pictures or word documents from a virtually empty drive that might change this.

No odd sounds
I'd say 99.375%, I remember around 50 gb free space of it last time I used it
it's mostly recordings, I'd preferably want them all but I know that they're probably gonna be the easier to get corrupted

I have ordered another 8 TB drive and I will be transfering everything as you said
Question is:
[b] Once I have transfered everything to the new drive - it'll basically be full. But what about this drive? Once I've transferred everything out, this old drive doesn't need to hold the data anymore. Can I format it and use it again? even if it's not trusty, just for some extra space until I order *another* drive

That's the most probable cause.
That, or your motherboard doesn't support drives larger than 2TB.

I'd suggest you to download UFS Explorer demo version and see if you can see your data. 99.9% you will see your data.
Then, buy a license and recover your data into a new drive. Have one empty drive, larger than the size of your data, ready and plugged in.

There's always the safer route, as Lardman says, to clone your drive into a new one using something like HDDSuperClone under Linux, then scan your clone and recover your data somewhere else.

Motherboard 100% supports drives larger than 2 TB as it's connected to a 6 TB one rn

What's the difference between copying all of my files (slowly) from ufs explorer demo from old hard drive to new, instead of cloning it all?
cloning it fully sounds like it'd take an awful lot of time and I'm not sure if I could have my computer running on for that long

and again: once everything is copied out (so the new drive has the info of the old drive), can I format the old drive so I can start using it again?

thank uu

[Lardman]

Can I format it and use it again? even if it's not trusty, just for some extra space until I order *another* drive

We still don't know what was/is wrong with it... it may just have been the enclosure or it may be there's a nasty head crash you won't find until trying to get the data off.

I wouldn't trust it... but if you were going to use it again I wouldn't put anything important on it. I would suggest using it to make back-ups but...

I'm not sure if I could have my computer running on for that long

Once you start doing either - cloning or copying file you really don't want the process to be interrupted. You'll need to make a window of time to get the data 8TB however you want to copy it will take as long as it takes an not a second less, we spend endless hours watching little white blocks go green.

A few days ago you thought there was no hope at all

edit : I should add at that point you're at the logical recovery stage and there are far safe hands than mine as I've not used ufsexplorer for a while.

[CrocDrive]

Can I format it and use it again? even if it's not trusty, just for some extra space until I order *another* drive

We still don't know what was/is wrong with it... it may just have been the enclosure or it may be there's a nasty head crash you won't find until trying to get the data off.

I wouldn't trust it... but if you were going to use it again I wouldn't put anything important on it. I would suggest using it to make back-ups but...

I'm not sure if I could have my computer running on for that long

Once you start doing either - cloning or copying file you really don't want the process to be interrupted. You'll need to make a window of time to get the data 8TB however you want to copy it will take as long as it takes an not a second less, we spend endless hours watching little white blocks go green.

A few days ago you thought there was no hope at all

edit : I should add at that point you're at the logical recovery stage and there are far safe hands than mine as I've not used ufsexplorer for a while.

I agree, sorry for not updating but not much happened since, waiting for the hard drive to arrive (should come tomorrow, 19th february)
I won't be able to fully copy everything all in one go, I would want to do like 25-50%, and then leave the rest for the next day.
would this be a good choice? i genuinely cannot allow my computer to run for 24 hours in a row

2nd thing: it still is a blessing that the drive has shown up but what are the chances that my data there is safe?
it's quite likely that the problem was just an enclosure one, because otherwise I would've heard distinct noises - while instead I heard whatever pattern I showed at the top, which I guess is meaningless
but the partition/format thing scares me a bit! hope I didn't mess anything up. what would be the reason for it to show 2048 allocated and the rest not? is this usual?

also I have to say that everyone on here has been extremely helpful and this whole forum... I mean.. thank god this forum exists. I don't even remember how I found this place but I'm so grateful that I did.
you all have saved me a lot of stress, time & money and it feels unfair to me that you've invested time in readig my thread and providing your expertise to save a 8 tb drive just for free, so if any of you want to private message me your bitcoin addresses then I'd gladly donate to pay for your time's worth! although the data you saved is *priceless* <3

[northwind]

Dude, hold on to your bitcoins, it looks like it will explode in the next months

Glad to be of assistance, and I hope lesson is learnt: BACKUP (especially for "priceless" data)

[CrocDrive]

guys I really need urgent help yet again

I've used ufs explorer and honestly I see folders and all but many files just are not there, and their sizes are mostly small? I really need help, I don't know what to do. I fear I'm messing something up!

again I want to stress that the disk maanagemtns ection says:

Disco 2 (7452.04 GB - Online)
and is divided into
2048 GB (Protected GPT) and 5404 non allocated.

[CrocDrive]

does anyone here have discord or any service in which we can chat in real time? I really really really really really really really need help

[CrocDrive]

When I right click -> explore content of this partition
on top left I could see a "pie chart" of my drive, 23% (approximately) of which was green
this lead me to think that either 23% was available to recover (which is approximately the 2048 gb out of the whole drive, and made sense to me)
or that 23% was the "free space", and that the rest was recoverable
I opened my new drive then, to check if the green represented free space or occupied space, and noticed that the pie chart was the SAME. for the empty drive.
relief!

relief number 2:
the "small sizes" don't represent the sizes of all of the contents inside of the folders.
when I open folders, I do see giant files inside. I opened a text file and everything was fine. I wonder if the big recordings will be.

still don't know how much I can recover, how much is lost, etc.

[CrocDrive]

we're nearing the end
(very long read, it's just a dramatized diary entry, skip to tldr if you don't have time)

dawn of the final day

1: EaseUS chapter
Instead of trying out ufs explorer first, I had actually tried out another program called "Easeus". not sure what was going on in my brain but that was quite the mistake.
As soon as I opened it, I noticed that it DETECTED my seagate drive. it called it "Lost Partition -1"
looked REALLY grim. I opened it and it started detecting "lost files"
even more grim. it wasn't as if you open up a drive on your windows file explorer, you see all the folders etc, nope.
this program listed the files that it could find under their type.
so there was a gif section, an image section, a video section, etc.
I was in shambles.
"at least not 100% is lost" I told myself
"at least i'll get some back". yeah. not sorted in ANY way shape or form. and every single file had NO file name either.
instantly paused and said: let's try ufs explorer.
paused it and was about to quit the program when it kept blackmailing me: if you stop right now, you might not be able to recover your files!
so I just kept it running.. in the background

2: UFS explorer chapter - the sad one
turned ufs explorer on.
recognized the drive.
folders were there.
their sizes were super small.
"I read online that i can only recoup files under 256 kb unless i buy a license"
i buy a license - activate it, activation successful, nope, the folders in there are 100 kb, 200 kb, pathetic. I fall into a depressive state
I used to move files from my iphone to this drive, I check the F:\iphone folder - TWO files. Tears.
I realize: only 2048 was allocated, the rest wasn't unallocated. the pie chart top left showed around a 23% green section, while the rest was white. is it 23% free space? 23% occupied space? how much did I lose? how much can I get back?

3: UFS explorer chapter - the happy one
I decide to check a random folder, the size was 250 kb so I wasn't looking to get too many files out of there.
but to my surprise, all of the text files in there looked.. good? and their size definitely surpassed the 250 kb or whatever that it claimed before
I open up another folder and I see big files. I realize that the sizes told in the "preview" don't represent the folder's content's size. amazing.
I cannot clone the whole drive so i decide to do it bit by bit. but I'm scared to do anything because how do I keep track?
do I move a folder out, then delete it here on ufs explorer? I think that would result in chaos. but i have an idea

4: data recovery time
I have enough courage to at least try getting a folder out and to my surprise, the recordings are pretty much intact! and so were the .txt files. everything is amazing
I open up a notepad file, write down every single folder & file name in the drive, move one folder, wait for it to complete, delete it from the notepad file, move to the next

5: Windows acting up
My pc isn't the best, it's a ticking bomb at best. from the moment you turn it on it's only a matter of time until it decides: I don't want to do anything anymore
I realize this because I try to do something in a specific application window, it freezes. but the others work fine. I move to another application, try to do something there, and that freezes too. that's when I know that stuff is about to freeze up.
When this is the case, hovering over the bottom left windows button means one thing: explorer.exe freezes up - unable to do anything. it is at these times in which I spam the windows key, click on the lower bar, and try to ctrl alt del my way out. if I don't find it necessary to wait, I just restart the pc
but.. files were being copied at this time. I don't know what to do.
the EASEUS application blackmail is still hanging in the background - too afraid to close the application
and ufs explorer hasn't stopped yet (because I knew I had to let my mouse stay far away from it)
my windows does NOT recover, so I wait until the copying of the folder is finished, then forcefully turn off my pc.
I pray. so many risks. the easeus blackmail attempt, the fact that this new hard drive may not be set up too good, it's the first time it has been working like this. the seagate drive's being copied for the first time, it may be the last, bla bla bla

6: Restarting - epilogue
I restart.
I open UFS explorer.
check out if the drive is still copiable
it is.
victory.
so far 1 TB has been transferred, the rest will do tomorrow


TL;DR
NEVER use easeus
UFS EXPLORER >>>>>> king of everything (standard version, i didn't know which one to pick)
even though your mind will wander to apocalyptic scenarios every move, their odds are definitely lower than expected


most dramatic 5 days of my life. I really couldn't psychologically handle the loss of EIGHT. terabytes. of data.
you guys are life savers. not exaggerating.

incredible. incredible. incredible.