Most common external drive problems

In this article, you will learn what to do if your external drive won't load, what could be causing it, and how to prevent these problems.

External drives are a very useful tool for storing and sharing data. These drives are usually portable and can be easily connected to a computer or other device using a USB cable. Despite their usefulness, however, problems can occur with them.

Currently, there are actually only three HDD manufacturers in the world (WD, Seagate, Toshiba). Other brands (Fujitsu, Hitachi, Maxtor, Samsung,..) are owned by these main manufacturers.

External hard drives are manufactured by many companies (Verbatim, Sony, Adata, ...), but they are just a case that contains a hard drive from one of the main manufacturers. In order to connect an external drive to a computer, there is electronics inside the case that converts the standard SATA interface of the hard drive to USB. Some electronics also encrypt the data on the drive, making it difficult to recover it in the event of a failure.

Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter when using an external drive:

1. Mechanical damage: If an external drive is dropped or subjected to impact, the mechanical parts of the drives, such as the read heads, can become damaged and stop working. This can cause data loss on the drive. For some models, it is enough for the drive to fall on its side and the read heads come into contact with the surface of the platters and destroy them. This is usually indicated by the drive making strange sounds, such as clicking or whirring. In such a case, it is important to turn off the drive immediately and not turn it on again or attempt to repair the drive yourself, as this could lead to even greater damage. Instead, contact a professional data recovery company that has experience in recovering data from mechanically damaged drives.
2. Electrical damage: External 3.5’’ HDDs (desktop size) require a 12V power supply in addition to a USB connection to function. It often happens that the user connects a higher voltage source (from a laptop) and the drive’s electronics (external control electronics or internal read head electronics) are destroyed.
3. File system damage: One of the most common problems that can lead to data loss on an external drive is file system damage. This can occur for many reasons, such as incomplete disk disconnection or a disk error. If you notice that files are missing or data cannot be accessed, it is best to stop using the drive immediately to minimize the risk of permanent data loss.
4. Data Loss Due to Accidental Deletion: Sometimes, it can happen that important data is accidentally deleted from an external drive. It is important to note that if you continue to use the drive after deleting data, the risk of permanent data loss increases.
5. Virus Attack: Just like computers, an external drive can be infected with viruses and malware. These attacks can cause data loss or damage it to the point where it becomes inaccessible.

In any case, it is important to stop using the external drive immediately as soon as you realize that something is wrong with it. Then contact data recovery experts who can provide specific assistance and suggest the best course of action to recover your data.

Also, keep in mind that data recovery is not always possible, especially if the drive is completely destroyed or if the data has been overwritten by new data. Therefore, it is important to prevent data loss by taking proper care of your external drive and using it with caution.

In conclusion, losing data from an external drive can be a very stressful situation, but there are many options to deal with this problem. The best way to minimize the risk of data loss is to back up your data regularly and prevent mechanical damage and corruption of the external drive's file system. However, if you do experience data loss, do not hesitate to contact data recovery laboratory, where our experts can help you recover your valuable information.