Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I have Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex External Hard Drive (500GB) and today when I plugged it to the laptop, it wasn't detected, and the indicator also remained off, however, I noticed a beep sound at intervals coming from the drive. So I'm not sure what went wrong with the drive. I purchased it a few months ago and it has 3 years warranty. I'm damn sure that drive is not mishandled while its usage so far. I have 40 GB of important data in the drive. So are these a symptoms of a crashed hard-drive? will it be possible to recover entire data on the drive. Please help me out.

Note: Due to weekend, the computer shop, from where I purchased the drive, will be closed, so once it opens, I'll take the drive there, but until then, I want to make sure if I will get my data back or not.

Update: Keeping the drive attached to the port turns on the indicator after a while, but the drive is still undetected.

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

It really depends on the problem. If it is really the internal drive, you may be out of luck, but...Chances are greater that it is the enclosure, especially based on your description.

When you go to the computer shop, they may have another base (the point of GoFlex is you can change the interface easily by changing the removable base, even to the same one) to test with.

At worst, although it may void your warranty, you can try taking the drive out of the enclosure and test it directly in a system. Drives are usually much less likely to fail than the enclosures are. If you do this, call Seagate and see if they will guide you, and even give you permission before you send it back. If they give you permission, you won't void the warranty. I have had companies give me permission in the past when I had to open them.

If I had to guess, I would still bet your data is there and fine, but nothing is 100%.

share|improve this answer
@Kush The warranty on that drive is 3 years, and includes all components: seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/… – KCotreau Jul 2 '11 at 15:29
Thanks, first time, I can't wait for Weekdays.... :-) – Kush Jul 2 '11 at 15:44
The drive has failed due to suspected over-power, went for replacement. :-( – Kush Jul 5 '11 at 9:28
up vote 1 down vote

It may simply be its power supply. This has happened a number of times to me. I replaced the power supply, and it came right back up.

share|improve this answer
+1 Excellent point...another simple thing he can try if the computer shop has a spare to test with. – KCotreau Jul 2 '11 at 15:08
Do they replace interface as a part of warranty coverage? if that's really a problem. – Kush Jul 2 '11 at 15:20

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.