WesternDigital external drive pooched

[SilentKnight]

I have an older WD 160gb external drive (wd1600B014) that died awhile ago. It makes a slight repetitive clicking noise when attempting to boot it - and the green power light flashes at 1sec intervals.

The laptop(s) won't recognize it - tried it on two. So far I've replaced the USB cable, updated the drivers and firmware. No luck.

I've searched the WD tech sites - can't tell for certain if it's a burnt circuit board or damaged heads.

Anyone have similiar experiences...and/or a cheap DIY fix?

Data recovery isn't critical (no original photography - just editted work)...but would be good to get the thing up and running again.

[The Porn Nerd]

Same thing happened to me a couple times with WD external drives. What you are experiencing is the "click of death" (Google it). Only two ways to get your data back. Either send it to a lab or try this quick fix:

Put the drive in a plastic bag in the freezer for a few hours. This may cool down the unit and 'unstick' the drive.

That's the only DIY fix I know. But here's a Tip: stay AWAY from Western Digital. All my external drives are Toshiba now.

Good luck! Glad there's no serious data loss.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

Same thing happened to me a couple times with WD external drives. What you are experiencing is the "click of death" (Google it). Only two ways to get your data back. Either send it to a lab or try this quick fix:

Put the drive in a plastic bag in the freezer for a few hours. This may cool down the unit and 'unstick' the drive.

That's the only DIY fix I know. But here's a Tip: stay AWAY from Western Digital. All my external drives are Toshiba now.

Good luck! Glad there's no serious data loss.

I'll keep the freezer tip in mind as a last-ditch - thanks PN.

Other than this old drive, I've had good experiences with WD externals over the years. Just bought another 3tb last week, in fact.

'preciate the help.

[MrBottomTooth]

I have an 8 bay drive enclosure that recently had the cooling fan fail. I lost 2 drives...both Seagate. My wds were fine along with a couple other different drives. I guess the Seagates don't like heat. I've used some drive recovery software before that actually worked to get the data off. Most have a free trial you can use to see if the data is actually recoverable. If it is, you can buy the program for $20 or so and use it to pull the data off. Probably not possible in your case though if it has the click of death. I've heard of the freezer trick too. Worth a try.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by MrBottomTooth

I have an 8 bay drive enclosure that recently had the cooling fan fail. I lost 2 drives...both Seagate. My wds were fine along with a couple other different drives. I guess the Seagates don't like heat. I've used some drive recovery software before that actually worked to get the data off. Most have a free trial you can use to see if the data is actually recoverable. If it is, you can buy the program for $20 or so and use it to pull the data off. Probably not possible in your case though if it has the click of death. I've heard of the freezer trick too. Worth a try.

Been readin' more about the freezer trick - seems somewhat common with a good success ratio. I may just have to take out a rack of ribs to make room for the drive.

[brandonstills]

If you hear the repeated clicking sound it is pretty much game over. If you really really need the data on there you can take it to a data recovery lab but they are really expensive. Like $800/drive from what I remember.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by brandonstills

If you hear the repeated clicking sound it is pretty much game over. If you really really need the data on there you can take it to a data recovery lab but they are really expensive. Like $800/drive from what I remember.

At this point I'm gearing up to try the freezer trick - sometime mid-week when I get some time.

I'll update the thread if it works.

If not, I'm group-funding for Kleenex donations to dry my tears.