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Dead drive?

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Jake 
#1 ·
Hoping I can get some insight into a hardware issue I am having. I have an external drive that has been working perfectly for years until this morning. When I go select the drive in "my computer" it appears for a couple seconds then disappears. First step was to power it down, restart the computer, same result. Then tried to hook it up to another computer with the same result. You can hear it spooling up, the icon appears, then it winds down and the icon disappears. You can, if you are quick, select the drive and see the contents, even start to load a file, but then it's like the power goes off. Seconds later it spools back up. It's almost like it overheats after 10 seconds and shuts itself off, but I left it unplugged for a long time in case it was a heat issue, and the same thing happens.

Any thoughts or troubleshooting ideas to determine the cause or how to fix?

Thanks in advance,

Eljaca
 
#2 ·
Sounds more like a power supply failing. I would, if you are capable, remove it from the enclosure and test it using another power source. You have to know how to do this. Lots of hits if you search for this subject.

Otherwise if you have a compatible power supply (power rating, pin configuration and polarity) just swap that and give it a try.
 
#3 ·
Failing Jake's suggestions, I would try purchasing a SATA to USB adapter (~$20-30) and try connecting your drive with it (once it it out of the housing) to elimate any problems that may be caused by the housing. Plus, you will always find another need for it at some point.
 
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