IT Question: External HD Recovery

[Gointocarlton]

Hi GTC.

So, being in the industry there are a couple of questions I have.

1.  when was the last time you used this device succesfully?
If it was a while ago, then it may come good simply by unplugging and replugging it multiple times but Im guessing you tried this given you are asking here.

2.  After connecting your device, browse to disk management on your PC.  See if there is a drive letter attached to the external disk.  If there isn't one, you might be able to set one which could be the reason why you cannot "see it".

3.  Does any information about this device appear on the computer you have connected to?  Does the box asking what you want to do with it appear at all?

4.  Generally what do you have stored?  Is it important information?  If so, a DIY fix such as heating and cooling could prevent the drive from being accessible at all by disk recovery.  Keep in mind they often state a maximum they will charge, and then dont put guarantees on these services.  I have heard of them asking for a much more modest amount if they dont have to do too much work to extract the data, but they also provide no guarantees.

5.  Sometimes, using the external usb components on the inside of these shells, actually are the point of failure.  They will power the device, but not connect.  Is there an external power source to this device?  Can it be dissassembled?  If so, do you have scope to try a different USB cable to attach to the computer or an external caddy or even direct connect it to a computer as a slaved device?  If you have anyone that is somewhat IT savvy they might be able to help with this.

6.  Sometimes using a barebones operating system can help.  I dont know which version of windows you are running, or even if you use a different operating system, but occasionally you can get to the data using safe mode, or even a unix/linux operating system.  This will allow you to back it up, before viewing it and then deciding what else you want to do.

There is no magic bullet I am afraid.  ive had to write off hard disks before but I did use a mob in hawthorn or camberwell.  http://www.techneticsdata.com.au/

You can always ask them and they tell you they will inspect for free.  I know people who have used them before and have been happy.

When it all comes down to it, sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet. 

The only real lesson in this, is to keep no more than one months worth of data, in one place.  That way, even if you lose a disk, you will have that data elsewhere except for a very minute quantity that you might be dissapointed in losing, but it wont be diabolical.

Thanks for that, a lot to digest.
1. done numerous times, no good
2. When you plug it in, its not coming up in file explorer. The strange bit is, if I click on the eject safely button, something is there and I can click to eject it.
3. No
4. The information on it is not super critical, but I wouldnt mind retrieving it. I had this cowboy look at it and he rambled on about costing $550 to do half the job or $1200 to do the full recovery (or at least recover as much as possible). I didnt feel comfortable with this guy so I didnt pursue it. I also rang WD support and they gave me  a similar cost estimate.
5. No idea
6. I have windows 7, can try starting in safe mode and see if it reads then.