My Mid to Late 2010 21.5" iMac's with a WD5000AAKS drive failed a week ago. Upon trying to restart the machine, I experienced the dreaded flashing question mark. After that the iMac was not able to detect/recognize the drive. I took it out and connected it to a couple of SATA > USB 3.0 & 2.0 docks/enclosures in attempt to retrieve my data. However, the 2 macs I have connected it to did not recognize the drive. The drive makes normal sounds when powered up. No clicking or what I would consider to be potentially "bad" sounds/noises.

I'm all new to data/HDD recovery. However, very willing to try things. If there's someone with expertise local to me, I'm more than happy to avail you of your services.

I appreciate all insight.

Thanks in advance.

It would also be good to attempt a direct SATA connection. Just to see what happens a PC will do as well. Should Windows somehow suggest to initialize or format the drive, do not click OK, however.

As for the professional assistance, contact ddrecovery: ucp.php?i=pm&mode=compose&u=26310 I'm not 100% sure which states exactly Midwest is, but believe he isn't too far.
I also didn't see the drive, but considering you didn't put it into fridge or opened the lid, quite likely cost should be very reasonable.

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I would sugest you to try using testdisk or a linux machine to see what you can get from it, but if your data is 100% critical ask for pro help.

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Pure information / not ment as an assult:
I am really surprised to see it so often, that other members suggest/recommend
DIY procedures, allthough its obvious that the requesting member has no clue
what/and how to continue or that he/she could damage his/her valuable data.

***
1)
Any DIY advice can destroy your valuable data because either
- the advice is wrong for your special case
- the advice/information is lacking necessary information
- the user following the advice misunderstands/misinterpretes it
- the user doesnt follow the advice correctly
- etc., etc., etc....

finally for 99,99% of the DIY cases:
data is either lost - or if a recovery is possible at all - it will cost
you then .... much, much more to recover.

Would you bet that your DIY case is within the remaining 0,01% ?

2)
Even if the procedure is simple and isnt a "big secret" hidden from the "bad DR guys"
(to earn for their living) they are used to do this DR work day in & day out
and know exactly what to do in your case - and most probably for a very
reasonable price - if, yes ... if you didnt try some dum DIY procedure which
made your case much, much more complicated ....

3)
if the drive + data has no value for you - and you just want to try whether
a DIY would work - yes, then give it a try

But bear in mind, that even it worked in this case - this doesnt prove
that it will work in other - similar looking - cases. And its also no cause
to publish (forum/Youtube) "how simple" it is/was to do DR.... this is
why so many people are mislead to try DIY.... and loose their data.

+++

Well Spoken...

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Rescue IT Datarecovery service Sweden
Rescue IT Dataräddning Göteborg AB
http://www.rescue-it.se

I had a similar problem last week. Fitted a new hard drive in a customer's imac and connected their old one up via usb to migrate data. For some reason it wouldn't see the drive.

I connected the drive to my DDI4 and imaged it onto a good hard drive, connected the good hard drive to the imac and it was seen. Managed to recover all the data no problem.