Help! My Hard Drive Has Fallen and It Will Not Start Up!

Leigh from Richmond asks the following;

"Hey Andy, I have a 1 TB Seagate FreeAgent external Desk hard drive that was knocked over pulling the usb connector from the computer and the drive and hitting the floor from about 3 ft. off the table. I have over 50 hours of scanned photo’s on the drive and need to know if there is anything I can do to save the images off the drive?? "

The first thing to think about is the cost of the drive vs. the cost of the information. If the drive is still under warranty, opening the case will void it, and you may not have a drive or the saved information. If it is not under warranty, you can open the case and try to recover the data (This case is extremely difficult to open without damaging the case), and still can be left with neither. So let’s concentrate on what we can do without voiding the warranty to retrieve the information it contains.

1. First question is will the drive power on? Check this by plugging the external drive into an electrical outlet while disconnected from the computer. If the drive will not power up, does the drive power indicator light come on? If the drive is not spinning up, and the power light does not turn on, go to #5.

2. If the drive will power up, Does it sound normal or does it make clicking noises or metal on metal sounds? If there is any unusual sounds coming from the drive, SHUT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY.

3. Are any of the connections of the USB cable bent or broken? If so, replace the cable.

4. If the cable is fine (you tested cable with another device to conclude this) make sure the usb connections on the drive and the computer are still straight? IF they are bent, they need to be straightened by taking a firm but soft instrument( I have used the eraser end of a pencil) and gently repositioning in the correct direction to allow the cable to plug in properly.

5. If the drive willl not power up, but everything else seeems normal, try putting the hard drive in a zip lock bag or a vacuum seal type bag. Pull all the air out of the bag, seal it and place in the freezer for about 24 hours (this is done so that the metal connections will contract with the cold. Then attempt to connect the drive to your computer. If it is recognised, copy alll of your files off the drive as sooon as possilbe, as the drive may stop as sooon as the parts start to expand due to heat.

6. If the drive is not recognized by the computer you must weigh your options.
a. If this option is still available, return it under warranty* and get another drive.
b. Send the drive to an information retrieval service.**
c. Open the case and remove the physical drive from the case and attempt to run it with another external case or your own computer.* (see this Video for an example)

To see how data is recovered from a dropped, or liquid soaked external hard drive, CLICK HERE.

Resurrecting a failed drive is shown HERE. Although the disk shown is internal, it works just as well with an external drive as well.

What is your backup plan? Not to make light of the issue, but it could be worse. See this funny video on BACKING UP.



* See your drive’s warranty information to confirm. Opening the drive enclosure usually voids the warranty.

**There are so many different retreival services, that I could not do them justice on this blog, however, It never hurts to go back to the company that sold you the drive and see what their options include.