External hard drive with 4 TB of photos (Page 3): I would like to thank you all for taking the time to help me with my dilemma. After a couple day of frustration, I found the culprit.

ialvarez50

I would like to thank you all for taking the time to help me with my dilemma. After a couple day of frustration, I found the culprit. The cable connection right in the housing of the external hard drive is faulty, the connection is made only if I hold the cable and press up on it. So, I took a rubber band and attached it to the cable I then wrapped the other end to the housing and BINGO! I am making a back up of all the files I have in that drive.

I truly appreciate your input in this mater.

-Ignacio

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

ialvarez50 wrote:

... I am making a back up of all the files I have in that drive...

Good idea. Never keep only one copy of important files. Two at minimum, three is better. Some people will say four is overkill, but "when it comes to backup you can't be too paranoid"

PS: Back up all your important files, not just the photos. Include word processing files, program configuration files, email, whatever is important to you.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

ialvarez50 wrote:

Hello guys,

I have several hard drives connected to my computer, one of them is a Seagate Expansion drive, basically an external drive. Yesterday the drive stop being recognized by my computer, I am concerned because I have about 120,000 photos in it. I change the USB 3 cable 3 times now and no, its not connecting. Any recommendation to recover all my photos?

Thank you in advance.

You have just enlightened the masses on the need for cloud backup of irreplaceable images.
Hard drives fail. Period.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

Gene51 wrote:

Instead I suggest getting an HGST Ultrastar 0B36404 - also an 8 TB drive, but with a proven track record for performance and reliability - and it will cost you about $345.

I'd still buy two of the 'cheap' ones, and use them both. I'd have change left over. The quality one can still fail.

Dik

Traveller_Jeff

ialvarez50 wrote:

Hello guys,

I have several hard drives connected to my computer, one of them is a Seagate Expansion drive, basically an external drive. Yesterday the drive stop being recognized by my computer, I am concerned because I have about 120,000 photos in it. I change the USB 3 cable 3 times now and no, its not connecting. Any recommendation to recover all my photos?

Thank you in advance.

It might be that the computer needs a cold reboot. Try the following, it was taught to me by my institution's extremely knowledgeable IT supervisor: Shut down your computer. Then unplug it. Then remove the battery. With the battery out and no voltage entering, press the "on" button and keep it depressed for a bit over 30 seconds. This drains all the residual voltage in the capacitors and empties all charges from any solid state components. After this, replace the battery, plug the computer back in and turn it on. Give it a couple of minutes to do a complete reboot. Now plug your external hard drive in and see if your computer can now "see" it. I hope this works. It's the step of last resort before sending the HD to a technician. Over the last fifteen years, it has solved all my computers' woes but one, and that was due to a destroyed internal HD.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Throw it out. Now. Today. Don't risk having it fail completely. Did I mention getting rid of it yesterday.
...Cam

sclay1234 wrote:

I have a 1 t tb Seagate and does the same thing . It is going bad, I shut everything down for a few min then turn it on that usually works.
Scott

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Send it to a professional data restoration company. I'm not talking about the Geek Squad.
--Bob

ialvarez50 wrote:

Hello guys,

I have several hard drives connected to my computer, one of them is a Seagate Expansion drive, basically an external drive. Yesterday the drive stop being recognized by my computer, I am concerned because I have about 120,000 photos in it. I change the USB 3 cable 3 times now and no, its not connecting. Any recommendation to recover all my photos?

Thank you in advance.

Traveller_Jeff

CamB wrote:

Throw it out. Now. Today. Don't risk having it fail completely. Did I mention getting rid of it yesterday.
...Cam

First try to resuscitate it (see above). Then xfer all data, then erase everything. Then toss it.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

ialvarez50 wrote:

Hello guys,

I have several hard drives connected to my computer, one of them is a Seagate Expansion drive, basically an external drive. Yesterday the drive stop being recognized by my computer, I am concerned because I have about 120,000 photos in it. I change the USB 3 cable 3 times now and no, its not connecting. Any recommendation to recover all my photos?

Thank you in advance.

Glad to hear you found the problem with your drive. Hopefully you will now purchase a replacement and one more so as to have more than one backup. I had a 4TB external drive fail within the first year I owned it, but since I had other backups, I didn't even worry about the photos. Just erased everything and sent it back to the company for a replacement under the warranty.

Since then, I have purchased only HGST UltraStar drives, which have a 5 year warranty. The company can give that long a warranty because the drives are better quality than the "consumer grade" drives. I put one of the 4TB drives into my computer, and have another in a case with fan being used as an external drive. The replacement for the one that failed is still in use, but if something should happen with it after the 1 year warranty is over, I will get another4TB HGST Ultrastar.

I did not figure this out all by myself. I listened to good advice. You should do the same. Listen to what others say, such as the great advice given here by Gene51:

Gene51 wrote:

And thinking hard drives are cheap is exactly what... (show quote)

JoeM845

Robertski wrote:

... use a standard Android USB Micro-USB and plug it into the small side. of the connector slot. The Newer USB 3.0 Interfaces are problematic with many computer chipsets. It only works at USB 2.0 speed, but it allowed me to see the files ....

Thanks! I learned something.

BVBob Loc: Tri Cities, Wa.

As a retired Computer Network Engineer, I highly recommend talking to a professional. There are always layman that are willing to give opinions and repeat things that they have read and kudos to their desire to help. But, your data is too valuable to gamble. When it comes to online advise, be wary and stick with a trusted source.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Are you techie? I've had two flake kinda like that last year. Open the cases (PC and drive) and install the drive as an internal drive. Worked for me.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Dikdik wrote:

I'd still buy two of the 'cheap' ones, and use them both. I'd have change left over. The quality one can still fail.

Dik

Hey, to each his own. It's your data, your money and your time and energy spent recovering drives when they fail. My 35 yrs in the computer industry says your strategy is a disaster just waiting to happen. Your left change isn't going to make much of a difference when all hell breaks loose. And hell does break loose - trust me.

ialvarez50

Hello Harry, I am. I have build more than 20 computers for me and every family member and friends. I did not occur to do that but you are absolutely right, that will work. If I ever have the same problem I will just do that immediately.

Thank you.

-Ignacio

ialvarez50

You are absolutely right, I will get a couple of the drives you mentioned for all my important photos.

Thank you for your suggestion.

-Ignacio