20 Most Recent Western Digital 1TB My Passport Essential SE USB 3.0 Portable External, WDBACX0010BBKSN USB 2.0 Hard Drive Questions & Answers

Lots of info there, but what exactly is the problem with the drive?

I recommend Spin rite disk utility. www.grc.com It is a bit pricey at $90 US Dollars, but has only failed me when the hardware controller has failed. I have resurrected at least a dozen HD, even when encrypted. supports SSD's, so is future proofed as you migrate your spinning drives to SSD's. Good Luck.

Sounds like you need codecs. There are several codec downloads out there. I personally use K Lyte codec Mega Pack. Try googling it and download. Should solve the problem.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/external/portable/ Go here for information you need.

Try unplugging from usb and plugging it back in. Also, you may need a SAS driver for your computer to recognize the drive. Some drives have internal encryption and require a driver before the computer recognizes them. Check the Mfg website to see whether this drive requires one.

You need to format the hard drive to FAT32 and then copy your 80Gb of music files to this hard drive.

Hard drives are easily damaged beyond repair by dropping them on the floor. There is no way of fixing this hard drive, if you need to recover your data, then there are companies that can recover data off faulty hard drives BUT it will cost you an arm and a leg for their services.

Step 1: You might not have the appropriate software installed on your computer to show / read the files IE: adobe flash , directx , win zip , codec , word ...... Determine if access is denied by a sharing violation because the folder and its files are in use by someone else or the computer itself. Wait several minutes, and then attempt to access the folder again. Go to the location where the file or its folder are stored on your computer. Lock files are hidden files in Microsoft Windows. Select "Show hidden files." The lock files for Windows applications have a ~ symbol in front of the file name. For example, for test.txt, the lock file is named ~test.txt. In UNIX, the lock file may be identified by an extension of .lock or .swp within in the file name. Delete the lock file. The locked file or folder unlocks. Reboot your computer, and bring it up in Safe Mode. This prevents the startup of many of the system services and programs that could be locking the files or folders. Attempt to access the folder location and its contents. If the folder is available, save the folder or its contents in a directory to which you have access. Record the active processes running on the computer and the programs available in Safe Mode. Then, log into the computer after a normal boot up. Review the applications running in the background in normal setup. One of these applications may be preventing access to the file folder and its contents. If there are applications that run in normal mode that do not run in Safe Mode, turn off those applications. Then, try to access the file folder again. b> Are the Security Permissions for the Folder or Its Contents Preventing Access? b> Check the file folder permissions by right-clicking on the folder and selecting "Properties." In the "Properties" dialog box, select the "Security" tab. The "Name" list box includes the user and group permissions. If there is no "read," "read and execute," or "write" permissions in your user profile, you do not have permission to view the file folder or its contents. These security permissions are typically set by system administrators. System administrators may be trying to prevent end users from altering system files that are critical to the computer running smoothly. Contact your system administrator, and request local administrative rights to the computer. This allows you to gain access to the files and folders that are restricted to administrators. Edit the system policies using administrative tools via the gpedit.msc program. Users can add, read and modify permissions for folders and other objects via this program. Full control is the best system policy, because it includes read, write, execute and modify rights. However, access to the gpedit.msc program may be restricted, as well. Go to the command line (press on the "Windows" and the "R" keys on your keyboard at the same time), and enter the CACLS command for the folder name. Use the command format: C:\> cacls <foldername> /E /G <username>:F CALCS stands for Change the Access Control ListS. This command allows you to add your user name to the security settings to permit access to the protected system folder when the gpedit.msc program is not available.Downloads to Recover Your Files and Save Your Bacon and 10 Best Free Hard Drive Utilities. Some addition links found on Google http://www.datarecoveryreview.net/ http://www.cleverfiles.com/ http://www.easeus.com/resource/hard-disk-data-recovery.htm

some times viruses changes the attributes of files and make them something like system file which are not visible, to make them visible go to folder option, then check the show hidden files, also uncheck both the two below option try this have a good luck

You can gain access to a working hard drive that is inaccessible when the system starts and assign it a drive letter under the Windows Explorer interface. Or, you can import foreign disks into Windows or create a partition and format them. You can scan a drive for bad sectors or lost clusters and repair the system files to allow access to a corrupted drive. In short, you can utilize the drives as they were intended to be used by completing some operating-system configuration steps that are occasionally required for some drive installations. Click "Start" (the Windows Orb) and "Computer" to access the Windows Explorer screen. Right-click on the inaccessible drive and choose "Properties" from the context menu. Click the "Tools" tab and click "Check Now" under the Error-Checking section. Select both check boxes to allow the system to automatically fix file-system errors and to scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Allow the system to run the scan the next time the system is booted. Restart the computer to complete the scan and check for access after the scan completes. Click "Start" (Windows Orb) and "Computer" to access the Windows Explorer screen. Right-click on the inaccessible drive and choose "Properties" from the context menu. Click the "Security" tab and click "Edit" to change permissions for the drive. Click "Users" from the Group or User Names section. Check the "Allow" box for full control and check for access after the settings are saved. Click "Start" and "Control Panel" and then click "Administrative Tools" and double-click "Computer Management" to launch the utility. Click "Disk Management" to display a list of all detected drives in the system. Right-click in the left column of the inaccessible drive and click "Import Foreign Disk" to allow the system to convert the disk signature to a local disk. Check for access after the settings are saved. Click "Start" and "Control Panel" and then click "Administrative Tools" and double-click "Computer Management" to launch the utility. Click "Disk Management" to display a list of all detected drives in the system. Right-click in the right column of the inaccessible disk and choose "Change Drive Letters and Path." If no letter exists, click "Add" and assign a drive letter from the list of available letters. If a drive letter is listed, click "Change" and select a new letter to eliminate any conflicts with other devices in the system. Check for access after these settings are in place, which may require a restart of the system. Click "Start" and "Control Panel" and then click "Administrative Tools" and double-click "Computer Management" to launch the utility. Click "Disk Management" to display a list of all detected drives in the system. Right-click in the right column of the inaccessible disk and choose "New Simple Volume" to create a partition and format it for use. Click "Next" when the New Simple Volume Wizard appears. Click "Next" to accept the maximum for the drive. Click "Next" to accept the suggested drive letter assignment. Click "Next" to format the volume with the suggested defaults or change them if desired. Click "Finish" to format the drive and make it accessible to the operating system. Restore a Drive That Is Not Accessible b> Microsoft Windows operating systems support a large number of file system formats including FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS. Hard drives are typically formatted with either FAT32 or NTFS, both of which can be used for years without issues. Damage can occur to the file system through a sudden power outage, malicious software or lack of maintenance, rendering the drive unreadable or inaccessible. Run the Chkdsk utility in Windows to resolve file system corruption and restore access to the hard drive. Select the "Start" or "Globe" button and then click "Programs." Click "Accessories" and then right-click the command line icon in the menu that appears. Click "Run as Administrator" in the drop down menu that appears. The command prompt will display. Enter "chkdsk C: /F" substituting the "C:" with the letter assigned to the drive that cannot be accessed, and then tap the "Enter" key. Enter "Y" and tap the "Enter" key if a message appears that states "Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)." Let the disk scan run and fix the drive, or if the scan does not start, reboot and let the scan run and repair the drive. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730714%28WS.10%29.aspx

try other usb port, or other computer and see whether the hdd is detected. If still not, try to go to device manager ( http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000833.htm ), and then assign a drive letter to the hdd. After that, try to access it from Computer, if not able to access it, format it (use quick format) and then use this program to recover your files.http://www.asoftech.com/adr/

You can find all of the necessary documentation on this page from Western Digital's website in the 'Portable' sections.It includes Product Overview, Quick Installation Guide, and the User Manual in PDF format. Just select the document you want to view or download and select 'English' on the next page.

You may have hidden files on the drive. Unhide them by hitting the Alt key and going to toolsSelect Folder OptionsGo to "View" and select the two indicated options below and hit OK. This will unhide what ever files you have. If you dont find the files taking up your space, just copy what ever files you need to your hard drive temporarily or another USB drive and format the disk.

Figure out whether you need a hardware or software fix.

Look for grinding sounds from your drive or humming that starts or stops.

These are signs that the actuator arm and discs are no longer in alignment and your drive is timing out.

If it seems as though nothing is wrong with your hard drive, it's probably time for a software fix.

Run one of the many software fixes, if you think the problem is related to software.

These programs feature on-screen directions, making it easy for you to progress through them.

If this works, you don't need to fix a physical problem.

Remove the many tiny screws that holds the drive together.

Eventually, you'll get to the innards of your drive.

Be very careful not to bend or force a piece to go where it doesn't want to.

Determine if you've set things straight.

Look to see whether anything was loose inside your external hard drive.

If you have recently dropped it or traveled with it, it is possible that something came loose.

Also check that all the arms and platters are straight and do not appear bent in any way.

If they are bent, straighten them with your hands or pliers.

Put everything back together and check that everything in your external hard drive is working properly.

Try using the external hard drive on another computer.

click start control panel administrative tools computer management device manager scroll down universal serial bus controllers you could see a yellow question / exclamation mark? ! or a red X

you will need to update/reinstall drivers

right click to reinstall drivers

if you can see your usb but its not working

ports(com&lpt)right click update driver

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again

if you can see your usb drive but its not working

ports (com&lpt) right click update driver if this fails to fix the problem

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red white green black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems to a computer and its parts

if it still cant be detected or If the hard drive that has failed is the same one that you are trying to recover from might the reason that you are getting this error.

This could be an issue where the part of the hard drive you are trying to access is corrupt and not accessible which would explain the reason that it would let you access the other partition.

Now I have seen cases where Malware can break the link of a Hard Drive.

So let's try a couple of steps.

Let's go back in to "Disk Management"

Lets right click on the partition that you are not able to access and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths"

Now try selecting a new Drive Letter.

This will restore the path if it has been broken.

There are also Data Recovery programs that might be very helpful to recover your important information.

Downloads to Recover Your Files and Save Your Bacon and 10 Best Free Hard Drive Utilities.

Some addition links found on Googlehttp://www.datarecoveryreview.net/

http://www.easeus.com/resource/hard-disk-data-recovery.htm

or if its a usb external drive you might need a usb 3 card installed on your computer your computer might not have enough usb output

USB 3 card will provide more power when needed to the device to gain maximum throughput and conserve power when the device is connected but is idling

http://blog.premiumusb.com/2010/09/usb-2-0-vs-usb-3-0/

these can be purchased on Ebay cheap and easy to install

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PCI-e-PCI-Express-USB3-0-Card-new-NEC-720200AF1-chipset-/330608109325?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9c7670d

for roughly $9 or $10free postage

hope this helps

Power down your computer.

Remove the screws on the rear of the case and remove the side panel.

Place the jumper on the back of the hard drive to the "write-enabled" position.

Consult your drive manual if unsure of how to do this for your specific Western Digital drive model.

Replace the side panel and restart the computer.

or

If you know the password, go into the installation disc that pops up in my computer when you plug in your wd hard drive (right click and then open, not autorun) there should be some sort of thing called security.

Possibly unlock, or something along those lines on there double click on it and type in your password it should unlock it then every time then that you plug in your hard drive, you might have to do this to access your files

hope this helps