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If the hard drive does not even turn on, then check its power supply. Maybe the power supply went bad; it should be a standard 12V 3.5A power supply.
Even if the power supply is working, chances are good that your data are still there, because the unit not turning on means that the internal enclosure, not the disk electronics, got messed up. It's unlikely that BOTH enclosure electronics AND disk electronics went south together, unless you got a lightning strike at short distance (less than 60 feet, say). You'll need to open the enclosure, extract the drive and connect it to another compatible enclosure (most USB/eSATA enclosures with the same EIDE or SATA connector as your WD will do) in order to override the fritzed enclosure electronics and connect directly to the hard disk. Once you do, your data will be there. If the disk crashed last time it turned on, maybe you'll need to run disk checker and expect to lose a file or two.
On the other hand, if the drive does turn on when powered, and the PC "just" doesn't see it, chances are proportionately bad for your data: you'll need to send the disk to a data recovery service, which can be quite costly.
Comments:
Nov 05, 2009
- So to summarize:
The unit is completely dead. No sound, light, or noise when powered.
Under this conditions, there are two possibilities, and in both, your data should be still there, safe and sound even if temporarily unreachable.
First possibility: busted AC power supply. The unit doesn't power on because it has no power. To check, you need a DC tester and verify whether the AC adaptor is supplying current. If the AC adapter is not delivering, you just replace it with any other AC adapter with identical values for V (voltage), same connector and polarity, and a value of A, VA, or W equal or above the rating of the WD adaptor. In a pinch, if you're game with a hobbyist soldering iron, you can overcome a connector/polarity diversity with a connector transplant (or have it done by any electrician).
Once it gets the power it needs, the WD will work again (using it with a non-WD AC adapter may void the warranty though).
Second possibility: bonked electronics on the WD unit. You need to disassemble it and unconnect the internal hard drive. Then, connect it internally to either a compatible desktop PC, or put it into an external USB enclosure (essentially the same thing of the WD unit). Once recognized, the unit will work, and your data will be there.