Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: Enclosure Kit malfunction

1.) Connect the external hard drive to another computer to determine if the problem is actually with the external drive and not the OS, which is much more likely.

2.) Try performing a System Restore to a time prior to the update; the update itself would not affect the external drive, but it could potentially cause Vista to have problems accessing it.

3.) Look for your previous backups and prepare to purchase another hard drive, or a stack of DVDs, to backup the drive to.

John

1.) Note that they charge excessively for their services and can only try what you can do yourself; they do not have the facilities to tear apart the hard drive, something you will pay $1,000+ for from data recovery experts.

2.) Tell us if the drive shows up in My Computer, Disk Management, etc. If so, it is still physically working, making data recovery possible. Recuva is one of the top freeware options I recommend. Just remember to recover to a hard drive other than that external one.

3.) With the hard drive in the new enclosure and connected to a different computer, tell us what My Computer and Disk Management report.

4.) Open the enclosure, touch your hand to a metal object, such as your computer tower, to reduce static charge, then feel the external hard drive while connected. You should be able to feel a light spin/vibration. With time, heat should also be generated.

5.) Verify that the power and data cables are fully connected and that the data cable is connected to the port on the back of the computer. If the enclosure receives its power from the computer, instead of having its own power cable, be sure to mention it.

Let us know.
John