Hello guys,

I need your proffesional help, my "WD my passport" (wd5000bmvw-11amcs0) stopped working:
when i connect it to the usb port it spins for a few seconds, the led turnes on - and nothing, the laptop cannot even recognize it on the device manager, I tried to get further information through UVCView.x86 but still nothing.

any help would be very appreciated!

i do have some experience with hdd recovery so please, those of you who can give me practical advices from their experience - i'll be grateful but please don't write me answers like "go to proffesional recovery lab"

tnx!

was it dropped?
Does it Spin Down after you try and turn it on?

Unless you have some professional equipment like the pc-3000 which support those usb models, you may be limited in your evaluation of the drive. Since it is not detected it could be a firmware issue, which you would need expensive tools to fix. If it is an internal problem you would need a clean environment and parts to attempt to fix.

I know you do not want to hear this, but if the data is important it is not risking guesses on trying to fix it, especially if it is an internal problem, you may want to get a free evaluation from a comapny that has the necessary equipment ot give you an accurate diagnosis.

I am not sure what kind of DR experience you have, but I would assume it is software related data recovery.

you can check the usb connector, sometime the usb piece can come loose.

Hi Cleanroom,

Thank you for your quick comment!
the hdd did dropped few days before i noticed the problem and likely caused it.
in the begining the laptop could recognize it and asked me to format the drive but after few attempts of trying to reconnect the hdd to the usb port, it just stopped recognize it.

the hdd head sometimes do clicking sound (1 of 20 reconnections - i know that it is not recommended to reconnect it so many times..).

is there a recipe i can follow to debug and figure what my problem is?
what equipment is needed to recover the firmware?
and last one - in case i manage to get my data through SATA, encrypted, is there a way to decypher it? (I never used the password protection that the smartware suggests)

again - thank you very much!

forgot to answer to your second question - the platter usually stops spining after about 5 second..

thanks again!

Heads problem likely. Not a DIY I'm afraid.

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Data Recovery Ireland

based on your responses. 99% the problem is with the reading mechanism and not the firmware.

The drop most likely caused the head damage and possible scratching on the platters.

I would stop powering the drive on since you could cause more damage. The drive will need to be opened and to see the extent of the damage inside.

If the data is important, i would not recommend any further attempts. and have a pro look at it...

Defo heads issue, for sure. You and I both know these are drives with multiple issues encountered during recovery, and absolutely NOT DIY!!

I think he wants to try DIY anyway, whatever the advice he gets

Of course it's his data (hopefully) and thus his choice, lets just hope he's not bodging about with someone else's data

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

+1 also on heads

I think its human nature to go cheap even if it puts the data at risk. Agreed I also hope its not someone elses data

Loki