Extra HD is Dead

arncap · 11-02-2009, 03:04 PM

A couple of years ago I bought a Buffalo 250GB HD for to be used for backup / storage. When powered on, a red light and a green light are suppose to turn on. The green light is suppose to show that it is active.

For several months I have been unable to get the green light to come on. My PC will not recognize the HD at all. In other words, I can't use it at all.

I bought another 1000GB HD recently to go with an older 160GB HD I had previously. Both of them work fine. So, I was wondering how I could get my 250 activated. Any suggestions?

**The_Other_One** · 11-02-2009, 03:26 PM

It's very common for hard drives die. In the case of an external unit, it could be something with the enclosure or it could be the drive itself.

What kind of drive is it? Is it a large 3.5" drive (requiring external power) or a smaller 2.5" drive (powered over USB). Can you tell if the drive spins up when plugged in? Have you tested it on other computers?

arncap · 11-02-2009, 03:30 PM

It's a large size requiring external power. It doesn't "spin up" when plugged in. I have tried it on both of my laptops with the same results.

**The_Other_One** · 11-02-2009, 04:30 PM

OK, so we can pretty much eliminate your computer. Do you have a desktop available? Being a larger one, it should be a standard 3.5" drive inside using desktop-style IDE connections (or probably new enough for SATA). I'd try popping it into a computer and seeing if you can get anything more from it. Perhaps something has gone wrong with the enclosure or the power supply...

arncap · 11-03-2009, 02:21 PM

Still not sure what you mean. First, I don't have access to a desktop. Second, this is a pretty large and heavy external HD. It's about 16cm x 16cm and about 5cm thick. It probably weighs over 1kg. So, I'm not sure what you mean.

Twist86 · 11-03-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arncap

Still not sure what you mean. First, I don't have access to a desktop. Second, this is a pretty large and heavy external HD. It's about 16cm x 16cm and about 5cm thick. It probably weighs over 1kg. So, I'm not sure what you mean.

All a external drive is a normal HDD that is inside of your current computer with a power supply a IDE/SATA connector and a USB plug.

What he is saying I believe is to take out that HDD and plug it into your computer to see if the power supply in the external unit is dead or if the HDD is dead itself.

arncap · 11-04-2009, 05:51 AM

As I previously stated, the HD I'm talking about is completely external and not inside my PC. So, is it possible to do what you're saying? It is a large external HD that is about 17x17cm and about 5-6cm thick.

G25r8cer · 11-04-2009, 08:48 PM

No it's not impossible. You can take the hdd out of the External Enclosure and hook it strait up to a desktop pc. That way you can determine if it is the hdd enclosure or the hdd itself.

**The_Other_One** · 11-04-2009, 09:40 PM

Trust us, there are really only two main kinds of hard drives you'd come in contact with today... a 3.5" (standard desktop drive) or a 2.5" (standard laptop drive). All others are few and far between; and really nothing larger than a 3.5" is found today, only smaller.

If you don't have a desktop, you could always purchase another enclosure and transfer the drive. They aren't all that expensive...though I am leaning more towards the drive being bad over the enclosure.

G25r8cer · 11-04-2009, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Other_One

If you don't have a desktop, you could always purchase another enclosure and transfer the drive. They aren't all that expensive...though I am leaning more towards the drive being bad over the enclosure.

Me to but, it could be a simple thing such as the power switch or power adapter. Really the only way to tell is to buy another enclosure, hook it up to a desktop, or buy a sata/ide usb cable and power adapter.

Adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812816014

11-02-2009, 03:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
arncap Bronze Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 25	Extra HD is Dead A couple of years ago I bought a Buffalo 250GB HD for to be used for backup / storage. When powered on, a red light and a green light are suppose to turn on. The green light is suppose to show that it is active. For several months I have been unable to get the green light to come on. My PC will not recognize the HD at all. In other words, I can't use it at all. I bought another 1000GB HD recently to go with an older 160GB HD I had previously. Both of them work fine. So, I was wondering how I could get my 250 activated. Any suggestions?

11-02-2009, 03:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 25 Posts: 13,407	It's very common for hard drives die. In the case of an external unit, it could be something with the enclosure or it could be the drive itself. What kind of drive is it? Is it a large 3.5" drive (requiring external power) or a smaller 2.5" drive (powered over USB). Can you tell if the drive spins up when plugged in? Have you tested it on other computers? __________________ Primary- i7 920 \| 6GB RAM \| 9800GT \| 160+160+500GB Secondary- Athlon X2 4200 \| 2GB RAM \| 7600GT \| 80+250GB Netbook - Atom N280 \| 2GB RAM \| GMA945\| 160GB

11-02-2009, 04:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 25 Posts: 13,407	OK, so we can pretty much eliminate your computer. Do you have a desktop available? Being a larger one, it should be a standard 3.5" drive inside using desktop-style IDE connections (or probably new enough for SATA). I'd try popping it into a computer and seeing if you can get anything more from it. Perhaps something has gone wrong with the enclosure or the power supply... __________________ Primary- i7 920 \| 6GB RAM \| 9800GT \| 160+160+500GB Secondary- Athlon X2 4200 \| 2GB RAM \| 7600GT \| 80+250GB Netbook - Atom N280 \| 2GB RAM \| GMA945\| 160GB

11-04-2009, 08:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
G25r8cer Diamond Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 4,803	No it's not impossible. You can take the hdd out of the External Enclosure and hook it strait up to a desktop pc. That way you can determine if it is the hdd enclosure or the hdd itself. __________________ My Rig Antec 300 w/Scyth Kaze Master Asus M4A785TD-V EVO Phenom II 955BE w/ CoolerMaster V8 2 x 2gb Gskill DDR3 1600mhz Ultra X-Finity 600watt psu Samsung F3 500gb and F1 750gb XFX 8600gt XXX will be 5850 soon Logitech G25, Illuminated, and MX Revo Team Stats FOLDING FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND F@H Team 44358

11-04-2009, 09:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 25 Posts: 13,407	Trust us, there are really only two main kinds of hard drives you'd come in contact with today... a 3.5" (standard desktop drive) or a 2.5" (standard laptop drive). All others are few and far between; and really nothing larger than a 3.5" is found today, only smaller. If you don't have a desktop, you could always purchase another enclosure and transfer the drive. They aren't all that expensive...though I am leaning more towards the drive being bad over the enclosure. __________________ Primary- i7 920 \| 6GB RAM \| 9800GT \| 160+160+500GB Secondary- Athlon X2 4200 \| 2GB RAM \| 7600GT \| 80+250GB Netbook - Atom N280 \| 2GB RAM \| GMA945\| 160GB

11-02-2009, 03:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
arncap Bronze Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 25	It's a large size requiring external power. It doesn't "spin up" when plugged in. I have tried it on both of my laptops with the same results.

11-03-2009, 02:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
arncap Bronze Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 25	Still not sure what you mean. First, I don't have access to a desktop. Second, this is a pretty large and heavy external HD. It's about 16cm x 16cm and about 5cm thick. It probably weighs over 1kg. So, I'm not sure what you mean.

11-04-2009, 05:51 AM	#7 (permalink)
arncap Bronze Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 25	As I previously stated, the HD I'm talking about is completely external and not inside my PC. So, is it possible to do what you're saying? It is a large external HD that is about 17x17cm and about 5-6cm thick.

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