Can't access to wd mypassport 4tb disk

xusmen69

New member
Few months ago I bought a WD MyPasport 4TB disk, and recently, when I tried to access in Windows 10 SO, I saw the disk in the disk list, but it doesn't specified disk usage, and when I tried to open the disk the windows freezed and never stop freezig, and when unplugged the disk the freezing state dissapear.
The disk ran properly before this situation, I tried to mount in linux system and appeared the next errors on logs:
blk_update_request: critical medium error
Buffer I/O error on xxx, logical block xxx, async page read

I tried to execute analysys of the surface and the app returns that is ok, and I tried chfdsk /f in windows but runs very slowly and never finished, for the slow speed.

I didn't setted any password for the device.

¿Can I format he partition and recover the files with testDisk, for example? ¿or is not possible with default encryption?
 

Jared

Administrator
Staff member
xusmen69":1lx1gsgj said:
[post]15410[/post] I tried chfdsk /f in windows but runs very slowly and never finished, for the slow speed.

That's probably the worst thing on earth you could have attempted if you're hoping to get data off of it.

xusmen69":1lx1gsgj said:
[post]15410[/post] Can I format he partition and recover the files
No, formatting a drive is absolutely the wrong thing to do

The reality of the situation is, your drive likely has a combination of one or more of the following problems:
1. Bad sectors
2. Firmware Malfunction
3. Weak or failed read/write head(s)

In any event, it's probably beyond DIY at this point. Best to get the drive to a professional data recovery company before your DIY efforts makes recovery forever impossible.
 

xusmen69

New member
I telled with a professional data recovery company of my country, and sayed me it seems is a problem for termic descompensation, it thinks is a physicall error, but I think is strange, because the disk haven't been exposed to higuer or lower temperatures, ¿do you think have sense?
Another persons have the same problem few days ago (in the wd community forum I added a topic to this), ¿do you is possible for a driver bug or similar? because in Windows, the SO keep freezed while the disk is connected, and when the disk is disconnected returns and runs properly, and in Linux can't mount the partition (I think because is encrypted) but the disk appears and the SO didn't freezed or have problems never.
 

Jared

Administrator
Staff member
xusmen69":n92hxgcl said:
[post]15426[/post] s a problem for termic descompensation

Temperature is rarely an important factor in the reason why a drive fails. Only if it was in a really hot place for a long time.

xusmen69":n92hxgcl said:
[post]15426[/post] ¿do you is possible for a driver bug or similar?
Nope, zero chance of this. All the necessary drivers are built into Windows.

The drive almost certainly has a firmware malfunction and/or bad sectors affecting the file system. Linux might not be freezing because it's not actually trying to mount the file system and thus not actually commanding the drive to read the area with the bad sectors.

The drive needs a simple firmware patch to be performed with a tool like PC-3000, then to have the data imaged around the bad sectors using a hardware imaging/cloning tool.

A professional data recovery company can easily handle such a case. We typically charge a flat $550 for a 4Tb in that condition assuming all the heads are still viable and you're opting for the no-rush service. Just to give you a baseline of what you can expect to pay somewhere. Obviously rates will vary depending on the country where you are.
 
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