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Mac_X · Oct 26, 2009, 01:24 PM

My external LaCie HDD, soon 3 years old, has seemingly died.
Upon turning it on, the light blinks yellow and red/orange. Back in its working days it would then turn orange/red and appear on my desktop. Now however it makes a clicking sound while it blinks, subsequently becoming silent and the light yellow.

Lately I noticed that this would occur every other time, and today as I decided to back up my most important data it finally decided not to work.
I tried connecting it to another computer, and also using a different usb-cable. Same story.
Disk Utility and System Profiler dont show the HDD, so I have no way of accessing it.

Is it game over? Or is there hope yet? (I wont bother pay for repair, the files stores there arent vital to me)

Thanks in advance.

Oh yes... the problems started to occur after my computer crashed with the HDD connected (like 2-3 times)

pra9ab0y · Oct 26, 2009, 01:28 PM

Boot the computer without the drive connected. Then connect it after the computer is fully booted.

Try a different USB Port. You may have shorted the port.

The only other thing you can do is open up the casing remove the drive and put it in a different casing. Casing may have died.

Mac_X · Oct 26, 2009, 05:43 PM

I have actually only booted the hdd while my mac was on.

Is it actually more likely that the casing dies than the actual hard drive?

pra9ab0y · Oct 26, 2009, 06:00 PM

Depends. Does the drive spin up? Does it click? Does the light flash when you try to mount it. I would reckon its the casing. Or the drive not getting enough power. - Casing could have shorted meaning less power.

CharlesS · Oct 26, 2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Mac_X

I have actually only booted the hdd while my mac was on.

Is it actually more likely that the casing dies than the actual hard drive?

If the enclosure is LaCie, then yes. Those are infamous for being failure-prone.

Open it up, take the drive out, and put it in a good enclosure, and see what happens.

Mac_X · Oct 27, 2009, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll see what I can do.

Doc HM · Oct 28, 2009, 04:43 PM

LaCie power supplies bring a new definition to the word shoddy. If you are lucky the drive will be fine in a new enclosure, if you are unlucky then the failing power supply will have damaged the drive.