Troubleshoot Problem with the external hard drive

Ryan Morgan · Jan 18, 2024

Hello, I have encountered an unpleasant event. My external hard drive has stopped working. The disc is no longer readable . When I connect the disc to my computer, the system asks me to format it.

There are very important files on the disc.

Does anyone know how to help me?

Ink · Jan 18, 2024

Check the cable connections are secure when plugging them in. Does the drive spin up when powered?

What do you see when viewing Windows Disk Management for the ExHDD?

How to Open Disk Management

You can try Download Recuva | Recover deleted files, free!

Ryan Morgan · Jan 18, 2024

Ink said:
Check the cable connections are secure when plugging them in. Does the drive spin up when powered?

What do you see when viewing Windows Disk Management for the ExHDD?

How to Open Disk Management

You can try Download Recuva | Recover deleted files, free!

I took the drive out of the box and connected it via the SATA interface.
And I got the following picture.

Ink · Jan 18, 2024

If you search 'External HDD shows as RAW' online, there are some solutions and troubleshooting methods to try without formatting the drive.

Another member of the forum may be able to assist if they have had experience with those types of software.

roger_m · Jan 19, 2024

Hetman Partition Recovery usually works very well in my experience, but is quite expensive to buy. It is occasionally available for free as a giveaway. But it seems there are no current giveaways for this, or its rebrand Magic Partition Recovery.

You can buy it with a 20% discount from the following link. But I would not buy it without trying the trial version first.

https://www.colormango.com/product/hetman-partition-recovery_149199.html#showcouponcode93600

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While I prefer the above software, this has worked well for me too. It's expensive as well, but I also got this one a few years ago as a giveaway. As above, you should install the trial version before buying.

Windows Data Recovery Software for Windows 11, 10, 8 & 7 - Stellar

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There is a current giveaway for RecoverXData Pro. I've never used it, so can't comment on its effectiveness. But it should be a good starting point as it's free.

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I just thought of OnTrack's EasyRecovery too. This has a very good reputation and comes from a company that does physical data recovery from damaged drives too. I haven't used it for many years.