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If I go to Device Manager, i see a hdd connected via usb as Generic HDD USB Device but when i look at the folders, i dont see it showing up.

How do I make it show up so I can access the files in the HDD?

thank you

I am using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7WDZGT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and my HDD is https://servers4less.com/st1000dm003-seagate-barracuda-1tb-7200rpm-sata-6gbps-64mb-cache-3-5-inch-internal-hard-drive/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPKiBhDvARIsACn-gzBX96F2ct6rQ5BNe2elYSPbJdzXXYM0EAsHAhEb5xTw4uG9PGoAFQYaAl36EALw_wcB

EDIT 5/11: bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LS5NFQ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to try

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  • 1
    It it formatted? Has it been assigned a drive letter?
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 16:19
  • @DavidPostill Thank you for the comment. I have done nothing except just plugged it in. How do I check/do both? TIA
    – ealeon
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 16:55
  • How does it show in Disk Management? Do you, at the very least, know which file system it has? Where was it used before? Please edit the question to add useful information.
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 16:59
  • 2
    And now I see the problem. The adapter you just edited into the question is ONLY for 2.5" drives. 3.5" drives need external power supply that can't be added to that sort of USB adapters. There are enclosures for that purpose with their own power supply.
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 17:35
  • 1
    Does it spin up even?
    – Joep van Steen
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 18:31

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Elimination

In general, if a storage device is not detected you play the game of 'elimination'. So you replace components one by one to see if you can determine the bad one (cables, enclosures). If you're dealing with a spinning drive use your ears: Even the most silent drives should produce some noise/sounds.

Get the right enclosure/adapter

Make sure, that if you're using an enclosure or SATA > USB adapter that it can actually power the drive. As a rule of thumb for 3.5" drives you need an external power-source, USB alone is not enough.

No spin and your using the right, non faulty components?

Then probably some component on the PCB failed. Some can fix yourself by removing them so you can recover the data. By snipping the TVS diode you can often get the drive to spin again.

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Note I am not a HDD expert but here it goes:

If TVS is the issue with multimeter in continuity mode, place black probe at the side where lines ||| are, red other side you get a beep. So beep is bad.

In diode mode black probe at ||| and red other side, if reading is close to zero the TVS diode is bad.

In which case I'd remove it, hook up drive. If it spins save data. Note that by removing the diode you removed protection as well so it's not meant to be a permanent solution!

If fuse is shorted, remove and bridge it (solder blob, but .1 copper wire is nicer) for temporary solution.

If you prefer watching someone diagnose, this is a nice video: https://youtu.be/2YZ0LBhFCZY

Incorrect or no detection

For data from a drive to be recoverable, it needs to be correctly detected. So as long as Windows Disk Management does not detect the drive with the correct capacity you can not recover data from it.

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If you get a different capacity than the expected one, in general you're dealing with a 'firmware issue'. And in general, to recover the data you'd need to send the drive to a lab. Some times the firmware issue is a direct result of surface damage, so best to not power on the drive at all in this case, specially as there's isn't much to gain by powering it up anyway.

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