Any computer geeks here? Need some help with an external HD issue

[DMelt36]

Got a Western Digital My Book external hard drive a few years back. I have no idea how this happened, but the USB port on the HD somehow became loose, to the point that no USB cables I use to connect this HD to my computer work. So, I need to find a new way to get all of the information off of this HD and onto a computer or some other device.

On the HD there are a couple other ports: one is eSATA, the other is Firewire. I need to go from one of those connections into a USB connection

Is that even possible?

Or is there some other way that you'd recommend for me to get all of the files off of this HD and onto something I can access?

 

[brett05]

You could remove it from the case and isntall it to your PC

 

[Crystallas]

Or buy another external enclosure. All an external drive is, an internal drive mounted inside of it's own case with a power source. Being that it has eSATA, you can buy any SATA enclosure that supports the drive size(2.5" or 3.5"), including another external that you may have floating around.

brett's suggestion is the cheapest and easiest. I'm just giving you another option. If the USB input is bad, and without inspection, I can't suggest trying to use that board, as you could fry the drive in certain circumstances.

 

[DMelt36]

You guys mean install the hard drive into the computer? I feel like that is going to require computer knowledge far beyond my abilities.

I've taken the protective plastic casing off of the HD, but I don't know if I want to go much farther than that.

 

[Crystallas]

If you don't have a spare SATA cable, then you are dead in the water with installing it into your computer, unless the Optical drive is SATA.

All you need to do, is take the two cables that connect your drive to the enclosure out, then take the same two cables from your CD drive, and connect them to your external. Boot up your computer(im not going to recommend hotswapping to a newbie). Now open your file browser, and copy the files that you want to keep, from one device onto your computer's hard drive. Or you can copy them onto another external drive. Either or.


What kind of computer do you have?

 

[DMelt36]

This one:

http://www.asus.com/Desktop/Entertainment/Essentio_CM1630/

Got some work to do this evening but I think I'll have time afterwards to give this a shot. If you've got any other tips, send them my way. Thanks a million.

 

[Crystallas]

Just handle everything with care, unplug and slide the cables straight in and out, and you'll be good to go.

 

[ShiftyDevil]

This one:

http://www.asus.com/Desktop/Entertainment/Essentio_CM1630/

Got some work to do this evening but I think I'll have time afterwards to give this a shot. If you've got any other tips, send them my way. Thanks a million.

Don't worry, you wont break anything.

Make sure to power down your box completely, then unplug the actual power cable from the back power supply (almost all machines do this).

Everything you plug into anything internally is keyed so you can't plug anything in wrong. If you have questions just ask.

 

[Crystallas]

Everything you plug into anything internally is keyed so you can't plug anything in wrong. If you have questions just ask.

I'm guessing you haven't seen the flimsy guards on a quality SATA drive break/bend, thus moving the lines over one and causing a nice electric fire. That SATA power cable is the only cable in a standard computer that will skip over the pins.

 

[ShiftyDevil]

I'm guessing you haven't seen the flimsy guards on a quality SATA drive break/bend, thus moving the lines over one and causing a nice electric fire. That SATA power cable is the only cable in a standard computer that will skip over the pins.

Nope. I've put plenty of servers together, and my own machines, never had a problem with a SATA connector.

 

[Crystallas]

Nope. I've put plenty of servers together, and my own machines, never had a problem with a SATA connector.

Yep. Especially when you have to force flash your own rom onto a compatible drive, just to swap the platters and recover the data. I never tell people that are new to the inside of a system that you can't plug something in wrong, because I'm usually the guy that has to fix it for them.

 

[ShiftyDevil]

Yep. Especially when you have to force flash your own rom onto a compatible drive, just to swap the platters and recover the data. I never tell people that are new to the inside of a system that you can't plug something in wrong, because I'm usually the guy that has to fix it for them.

Well, as long as you don't try to he-man it in there, it's pretty hard to plug crap in wrong...well unless you're dicking around with mobo jumpers or something.

That said, I've never had to work helpdesk (thank jeebus); going IS instead of straight IT was one of the best things I ever did.

 

[Crystallas]

Well, as long as you don't try to he-man it in there, it's pretty hard to plug crap in wrong...well unless you're dicking around with mobo jumpers or something.

It's from trying to to reach the inputs from a tight spot inside the case. You don't need to force them in to plug it in wrong. Quite a few storage companies warned about this flaw after the new standard was implemented, and the only change that was made, was to put the connection into the corner of the headface.

I don't work IT. Never did helpdesk. My response to you was not a pissing contest, just clarification. Anyone, regardless of experience, can make this mistake. They can have 100% confidence that it will never happen, until it does.

 

[ShiftyDevil]

It's from trying to to reach the inputs from a tight spot inside the case. You don't need to force them in to plug it in wrong. Quite a few storage companies warned about this flaw after the new standard was implemented, and the only change that was made, was to put the connection into the corner of the headface.

I don't work IT. Never did helpdesk. My response to you was not a pissing contest, just clarification. Anyone, regardless of experience, can make this mistake. They can have 100% confidence that it will never happen, until it does.

My post wasn't meant to be aggressive or whatever.

 

[Crystallas]

My post wasn't meant to be aggressive or whatever.

Neither was mine.

 

[DMelt36]

Working on this right now ... may add a picture or two if I get confused.

 

[DMelt36]

Computer is no longer reading that disk drive, now. Any idea?

 

[DewsSox79]

Computer is no longer reading that disk drive, now. Any idea?

what is the exact error message

 

[DMelt36]

There isn't an error message. It's simply not showing up anywhere.

Starting to think the drive itself is dead/fried. Probably taking it to a computer repair store tomorrow to see if they know what to do. The drive just makes a quiet little "click" sound every 5-10 seconds, that's it.

Really hope this thing isn't busted. I've got just about every Bears win since 2006 on it, as well as all of the Blackhawks postseason wins dating back to the season before the Cup run.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

 

[Crystallas]

Computer is no longer reading that disk drive, now. Any idea?

If that's the case...

Make sure power saving is not enabled.
Power off your system, wait a few seconds, power it back on.

The drive itself may have issues, so you're going to want to copy files off of it in small bursts, opposed to copying the whole thing at once.