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kill bill · Dec 24, 2007, 10:57 PM

I think I might have lost all the data on my external hard drive. I had nearly 500gb of music and movies archived there. I just plugged it into my powerbook and nothing is there. What could have happened? Can I get anything back?

It took so long to get all that stuff. I lost some stuff that I can't really get back either.

CharlesS · Dec 25, 2007, 01:09 AM

Can DiskWarrior or Data Rescue see any of the data on the disk?

If you try putting the hard drive into a different enclosure, does it change things at all?

kill bill · 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Can DiskWarrior or Data Rescue see any of the data on the disk?

If you try putting the hard drive into a different enclosure, does it change things at all?

enclosure?? I'm sorry but I don't really know what you are talking about.

I also don't really know that much about computer hard drives and how (if) you get data back. Can someone please explain what I need to do to get my files back in layman's terms?

Big Mac · Dec 25, 2007, 03:06 AM

Do you see any sign of it getting power at all? Is it possible that it's not plugged in properly? Try the simple things first. If your computer cannot see the drive and you have no backup, you're probably in for a good amount of pain, unfortunately.

Jesus On Cheese · Dec 25, 2007, 03:50 AM

Enclosure=case. It's the case that holds the hard drive.

Does the drive still show up on the desktop/finder (orange icon)?
If the drive doesn't show up, does the case power on, light come on, disk spin up?
Any weird noises?

Worst case, your looking at about $2000 for data recovery specialists to get any data off if they can. Best case, just needs some jiggling around to get working again.

Cadaver · Dec 25, 2007, 10:38 PM

Please don't think I'm rude, but for other readers - take this as another example of why to back-up your stuff.

~bash $ · Dec 25, 2007, 10:52 PM

And what do you mean by "nothing is there," exactly?

(Cross media backups are the way to go for me.)

kill bill · Dec 26, 2007, 04:11 AM

Well, the drive is getting power, and I wouldn't have a clue about moving to a different enclosure. That is definitely beyond me. It's a 500gb WD firewire drive and it was pretty much full before my data loss. When I plug it in to the wall and my computer, it powers up and my system recognizes it. When I open it in finder, it tells me that I have 465gb of free space on it. None of the files or folders I had previously stored there will show up. Outside of burning all my files to cd's, what other way would I have to back this stuff up?

Big Mac · Dec 26, 2007, 04:22 AM

Another drive. Now since your computer can see, there's a chance that a utility like Data Rescue II may be able to recover your files.

Data Rescue II: Mac Data Rescue & Mac Data Recovery Software

CharlesS · Dec 26, 2007, 03:32 PM

Yeah, considering that the drive is recognized by the Mac, I'd try Data Rescue first since it is non-destructive. If Data Rescue can't recover your files, give DiskWarrior a try, but be sure to look at a Preview of the new directory to make sure your files show up on it before allowing it to replace the directory. If your files don't show up in DiskWarrior's preview, I'd cancel the replacement.

seanc · Dec 26, 2007, 07:14 PM

I'd also go with trying to transfer it to another enclosure. It really isn't *that* difficult. You could try and find a technically minded friend to do it.
Is it a MyBook drive? We bought one of these at work, less than two weeks ago and it already seems to be dying although I think it might be the enclosure rather than the drive.
If it is a MyBook, then it should have firewire and USB. Try either one to see if that makes a difference.

Jesus On Cheese · Dec 26, 2007, 08:36 PM

WD enclosures can be a little tricky to open (I've seen some that use glue and clips). But doesn't sound like the enclosure is the problem.

First step is to try a software data recovery tool. Data Rescue is pretty good and FileSalvage, but there are a few others. Stellar Phoenix Macintosh - Data Recovery Software 2.0, MediaRECOVER, and Boomerang Data Recovery Software. All available at Apple - Downloads

seanc · Dec 26, 2007, 09:18 PM

I read some of the low reviews about the MyBook's on Amazon to see what other people had said.
One person said they had tried to get the drive out to recover the data, but had found that the drives had proprietary connectors, so if this person is right and it wasn't just some sort of converter, swapping the drives between enclosures may not be doable.

Andhee · Dec 28, 2007, 12:52 PM

I think I've got the drive you got, apart from I only got it a few days ago, but its working fine for me. I think if the files have actually disappeared then maybe you unplugged it without disconnecting it properly. Try one of those programs recommended in this thread, or just try using the usb port instead.