My wd hard drive turns on but cannot be read. How do i get data

SOURCE: help to fix WD external hard drive

Try and use hirens boot cd to breath new life into the drive. It may just need to be repartitioned and reformatted to resolve the problem. Hirens can be found through a google search and it's a free download. All you need to do is burn it to disk. Then enter your bios and make sure that you can boot from your cd/dvd drive. After that move through the hard drive tools and see what you can find wrong with it. More often then not you'll find the problem using this fine boot disk. However, if it doesn't work then there is one other possible method.

Download this from western digitals website.

http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?swid=1

it's a last resort method to trying to revive a hard drive. Sometimes it works. Most of the time the drive is dead and gone.
Good Luck!

SOURCE: Help!! Western digital 500gb external hard drive ticking noise

Yes. This is going to sound strange. Put the drive in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. Next day, take it out, hook it up, and see if it is recognized.

If so, under My computer, right click on the drive - click Properties - then Tools, then Error Checking. Check box Automatically Fix File System Errors. Let it run. If everything shows up, be ready to transfer wnat you want off of it.

Freezing shrinks the metal parts . Microscopically, but often enough to get stuck parts free enough to get working.

I just went through this with a 750Gig Book. now i have reformatted the drive (after transferring all over to new drive) and the clicking is gone and all disk checks are fine and i wonder whether to trust this device ever again... Hate to just throw out a large drive.

danny

• 77 Answers
• Posted on Jun 01, 2009

SOURCE: Flashing blue light on external WD hard drive & not recognised

sounds like you are using the wrong power supply. Check the amp output on the power plug you plug into the wall make sure its the same as the amp input of your external harddrive

SOURCE: My WD 2T external My Book hard drive is not working

You will need to try formatting the drive. You can do this from the drive management section on the Mac.

SOURCE: WD external Hard drive 320 GB hangs my computer everytime connect

all solutions are not helpful, if u just use safe mode then there is no problem with hard disk, its a problem of some services, u just try with safe mode.30-40% people has same problem.
girish