Help Request My External HD has failed. Help please?

[AliShibaz]

Does anyone have much experience with external hard drives?

About 6 months ago, I bought a WD USB 2.0 3TB external hard drive and it has been wonderful ever since - except for today.

During those 6 months, I used it with both my PCs and my Blu Ray player and would often plug it into one of my PC's USB 2.0 ports and copy some video files onto it. Then I would unplug it and plug it into my Blu Ray player and watch those files. I would do that about 3 or 4 times per day - most every day.

Well, today it seems to have failed. It is no longer recognized by either of those two machines. When I plug it in, the machines react as if I had never plugged it in.

Would anyone be able to help me by informing me as to any probable causes for this or what I can do about this?

I kind of figure that maybe plugging and unplugging it into one machine and then another so many times might have been a factor?

I never heard that it would be a problem to plug or unplug it while a machine was running. I never heard that you should power off a machine before plugging it in or out of that machine.

Would anyone please be able to give me any advice besides just going out and buying a new one?

Thank you.

(This post was last modified: 01-12-2013, 12:30 PM by AliShibaz.)

[sporkium]

try using a different usb cable.

[bob5695]

not long ago, one of my WD externals stopped working because the wall-wart (or whatever it's called) went kaput.

(This post was last modified: 01-12-2013, 05:45 PM by bob5695.)

[AliShibaz]

What is a wall-wart?

---

BTW, it worked again after I reset it.

However, it is now intermittent. Sometimes it recognizes the drive and sometimes it doesn't.

This trauma is def not worth the $150 it cost to buy the drive.

I'm thinking I will for certain buy a new one in any event.

But it would be very nice to figure out what is wrong.

(This post was last modified: 01-12-2013, 06:01 PM by AliShibaz.)

[bob5695]

that thing at the end of the power cord that reduces the voltage from 100~250 to about 12.

[AliShibaz]

OK.

Thanks Bob and Spork. I will try to use a new USB cable and a new power cord before I buy a new drive.

(This post was last modified: 01-12-2013, 06:14 PM by AliShibaz.)

[Mark]

that thing at the end of the power cord that reduces the voltage from 100~250 to about 12.

That unit contains a small transformer and AC/DC converter but most people simply refer to it as the 'power adapter' or sometimes just 'adapter.'

[AliShibaz]

Spork nailed it. When I switched around the cables, it worked fine once more.

Now I have to find out where to buy one of those cables.

I'm referring to the cable you plug into a USB 2.0 port.

BTW, here is a little tip for anyone who may be interested.

Do you know how to tell the diff between a USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 device?

If you look at the ends of the cables, a USB 2.0 cable is colored blue. I hope that is of help to some of you.

And thank you all very much for trying to help me.

Mark, Bob and Sporkium!

I appreciate you guys very much!

[sporkium]

most stores sell usb cables.

[sporkium]

BTW, here is a little tip for anyone who may be interested.

Do you know how to tell the diff between a USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 device?

If you look at the ends of the cables, a USB 2.0 cable is colored blue. I hope that is of help to some of you.

@alizhibaz, i believe you are in error.

the usb 3.0 specification suggests using a 'blue' connector to distinguish the type-a 3.0 plug from that of the type-a 2.0 plug... other than that, i can't find any other color scheme apart from that of the actual wires.

also, since the cables are not necessarily proprietary to the device being used, the colors of the cables being used will not allow a user to distinguish between a 1.0 or 2.0 device.

you can read more about the usb specifications here: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/i...tions.html