Western Digital passport 1600 series 160...

ok. i bought this harddrive at the army px here in iraq. i have had it less than 2 months and it just wont let me open it up. my computer recognizes that their is a usb plugged in but thats as far as it will go. i got one of my soldiers to let me use his passport 1600 to get the drivers off of it and his worked on my laptop. when i plugged mine in it still did not allow me to open it up. as far as i know it hasnt been dropped as i am always careful about my external harddrives. i cannot send itto anyone to get fixed as it has my soldiers ssn and personal info on it.. am i stuck like chuck and have to destroy it and start all over?