Re: HELP: External hard drive failure?

My learned friends

1. I am using a Lacie external hard drive. I do not know of it actually
encloses a WD hard drive. I will make enquires. If I find that it does not am
I correct from the tread that the WD diagnostic utility will be of no use to
me?

2. Moreover, as I stated when I try to access the drive, I am prompted to
format it. Would the diagnostic utility resolve this problem? I ran a virus
scan for good measure and while it would usually scan both the internal and
the external, it only did the internal. In short, it would appear that the
drive is not being recognised.

Please advise

-Joe


"Anna" wrote:

> > On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:35:55 -0500, "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>>> "Rock" <rock@mail.nospam.net> wrote in message
> >>>> news:%23Vib9w9CGHA.2700@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> >>>>
> >>>>>>Jonny:
> >>>>>>We are aware that Western Digital recently released an updated version
> >>>>>>(5_04f) of their HD diagnostic utility, however, we've had no luck
> >>>>>>with
> >>>>>>that utility in connection with detecting USB-connected drives. We've
> >>>>>>tried it with a number of WD drives in a number of different USB
> >>>>>>enclosures, but without success. We've jumpered the drives in every
> >>>>>>possible combination. BTW, we've been using (as we usually do) the
> >>>>>>bootable floppy disk version of this software.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>Have you *personally* had success with this diagnostic utility with
> >>>>>>respect to USB hard drives? Or were you just relying on the
> >>>>>>information
> >>>>>>provided by WD on their website?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>If anyone has used this WD diagnostic utility with success re USB
> >>>>>>drives, I certainly would like to hear about it.
> >>>>>>Anna
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>Anna,
> >>>>>
> >>>>>I just tried it on my two Usb/firewire combo drives. The smart status
> >>>>>is
> >>>>>not available, but it otherwise ran on the drives for the quick test.
> >>>>>The
> >>>>>extended test started but I canceled since it will take same time.
> >>>>>--
> >>>>>Rock
> >>>>>MS MVP Windows - Shell/User
> >>
> >>
> >>Anna wrote:
> >>>> Rock:
> >>>> Thanks.
> >>>>
> >>>> 1. Are those combo drives connected as USB devices?
> >>>> 2. And are they different commercial models? If so, could you let me
> >>>> know
> >>>> their make & model?
> >>>> 3. Or are they enclosures where you've installed the WD hard drive(s)?
> >>>> Could you let me know the drive model(s)?
> >>>> 4. When you used the diagnostic utility, were you booting with both the
> >>>> internal HD and the external devices connected? Or was only the
> >>>> external
> >>>> device connected during the boot (which the diagnostic detected)?
> >>>> Thanks for the info.
> >>>> Anna
> >>
> >>
> >>"Rock" <rock@mail.nospam.net> wrote in message
> >>news:%23Sofnq%23CGHA.1676@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl.. .
> >>> 1. Yes, connected to USB2 ports.
> >>> 2. They are Western Digital packaged external combo drives.
> >>> 3. See 2 above
> >>> 4. I booted with the drives connected but not turned on, installed the
> >>> WD
> >>> diagnostics, turned on the external drives and ran the the diagnostics.
> >>>
> >>> You're welcome.
> >>> --
> >>> Rock
> >>> MS MVP Windows - Shell/User
> >>
> >>
> >>Thanks again. Perhaps the key here is that you're working with packaged WD
> >>single-unit USB devices and there's some new capability built-in to these
> >>devices that allows them be detected by the new WD diagnostic utility.
> >>That
> >>might explain why we were unable to use the diagnostic with WD HDs
> >>installed
> >>in this or that USB enclosure. I'll do some more research on this.
> >>
> >>But I'm not clear on your response to Q4. I assumed you were working with
> >>the WD diagnostic utility on a floppy disk. Is that right? If so, how
> >>could
> >>you run the diagnostic if the USB drive wasn't connected at the time you
> >>booted with the floppy? Perhaps I misunderstand you.
> >>Anna
>
>
> "Driver" <driver1010usxx@nobody.com> wrote in message
> news:uq46r1lrj1nfoiju2m6kcnoq9slfombmhd@4ax.com...
> > Anna, if I may intrude here.
> >
> > I am also running the WD diagnostic utility to check my external USB
> > WD HDD, The diagnostic utility is installed on the local hard drive
> > and you run the pgm from within Windows XP. You have your external USB
> > drive turned on and just run the diagnostic pgm with no hassle. As
> > rock said this pgm is only for WD HDD's.
> > Hope this helps.
> > Driver
>
>
> Driver:
> Thanks for the information. Sounds like that's the real answer, i.e., the WD
> diagnostic has to be run from the Windows interface for it to detect the
> USBEHD. If so, it's a pity it can't be run from the bootable floppy disk.
> The *only* way we've ever used HD diagnostic utilities is from a bootable
> floppy disk incorporating the diagnostic. Otherwise, it's not really
> practical for us.
>
> In the past, we've used the IBM diagnostic utility (again, in floppy disk
> form) regardless that the drive being diagnosed was from another
> manufacturer. It was a nice feature of the IBM HD diagnostic program that it
> could work with virtually any IDE drive, regardless of its make. It was, of
> course, superseded by the Hitachi program which isn't as "universal".
>
> Again, thanks for the info.
> Anna
>
>
>

"JOE X5" <JOEX5@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3B5D5E4D-A322-44E4-B103-CA23258EBCF8@microsoft.com...
> My learned friends
>
> 1. I am using a Lacie external hard drive. I do not know of it actually
> encloses a WD hard drive. I will make enquires. If I find that it does not
> am
> I correct from the tread that the WD diagnostic utility will be of no use
> to
> me?
>
> 2. Moreover, as I stated when I try to access the drive, I am prompted to
> format it. Would the diagnostic utility resolve this problem? I ran a
> virus
> scan for good measure and while it would usually scan both the internal
> and
> the external, it only did the internal. In short, it would appear that the
> drive is not being recognised.
>
> Please advise
>
> -Joe


Joe:
Please accept my apologies. It looks like we've been ignoring you, that is
to say, your problem, during this subsequent discussion re hard drive
diagnostic utilities.

From your original description of the problem and your current posting, it
sounds ominously like a defective hard drive problem or possibly a failure
of the USB enclosure. The LaCie unit you have is a commercial unit and it's
not designed for user removal of the hard drive within. Hopefully, the
device is still under warranty and you can return it to LaCie for their
diagnoses. But even if it's no longer under warranty you still should get in
touch with the company to seek their advice re diagnosing the problem.
Here's the link for their Tech Support Form...
http://www.lacie.com/support/request/
You also might want to call them at 503-844-4503.
Anna

JOE X5 wrote:

> My learned friends
>
> 1. I am using a Lacie external hard drive. I do not know of it actually
> encloses a WD hard drive. I will make enquires. If I find that it does not am
> I correct from the tread that the WD diagnostic utility will be of no use to
> me?
>
> 2. Moreover, as I stated when I try to access the drive, I am prompted to
> format it. Would the diagnostic utility resolve this problem? I ran a virus
> scan for good measure and while it would usually scan both the internal and
> the external, it only did the internal. In short, it would appear that the
> drive is not being recognised.
>
> Please advise
>
> -Joe

1. It probably will not work but you could try it.

2. The drive is being recognized, otherwise it wouldn't say to format
it. It's just not readable. Why that happened I don't know. You might
have lost the data on that drive. Maybe the drive is bad, and Lacie
will replace it.

Always have a current backup of all data. I know that's an after the
fact statement but if it keeps you from data loss in the future that's
good.

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User