Please help - PC says my external hard drive is not formatted - Need to recover files

[mellow139]

Hi all. I've ran into yet another PC problem. I have a western digital external hard drive that I've been using for less than a year. It has been running smoothly on my dell latitude E6500 laptap running Windows XP pro. I've stored at least a terabyte of data on it. I tried accessing the drive from a PC running windows vista and the OS failed to install the drive. Now, when I try to access the drive from my dell laptop, a pop up says that the drive is not formatted.

More specifically, when I attach the drive to the dell, a long period of time passes before the autoplay window pops up to scan my drive. Finally, after about 10 min, the drive is displayed on the "my computer" window. However, when I try to access the drive, a pop comes up stating the disk is not formatted.

Is there a way to get my dell to recognize the disk again without losing my data?

Thanks for the help.

[glc]

You may have to break the case open and remove the drive - and use a USB adapter to get your files. Quite frequently, the USB adapter circuit in an external housing fails rather than the drive itself. If that doesn't work, you will need data recovery software.

If it matters, breaking the case open like that will void the warranty.

IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter - Turn Your 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" IDE or SATA Drive Into A USB Drive! 2020

[mellow139]

Originally Posted by glc You may have to break the case open and remove the drive - and use a USB adapter to get your files. Quite frequently, the USB adapter circuit in an external housing fails rather than the drive itself. If that doesn't work, you will need data recovery software. If it matters, breaking the case open like that will void the warranty. IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter - Turn Your 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" IDE or SATA Drive Into A USB Drive! 2020

Maybe I should try to data recovery software first then. Do you have any recommendation for one? I don't mind spending a little bit for effectiveness and ease of use. Thanks!!

[glc]

Here's a freebie to try first:

PC Inspector - kostenlose Software fr die Datenrettung von CONVAR - Die Datenretter.

If the USB adapter circuit is bad, it probably can't do anything.