Corrupted External Drive: unable to format

Running Windows XP with SP3 on internal hard drive - AVG and antimalwarebytes loaded and current.
Maxtor 750 GB external drive was being used mainly to store RAW images.
Recently, I noted that Picasa was having problems accessing the drive, and images were appearing corrupted when running Picasa. Eventually messages appeared that the external drive had corrupted files. I ran chkdsk, and also through My Computer right clicking on the drive, and then choosing the tool to fix the drive, achieved nothing. Then I tried to format the drive, having given up any hope of recovering the files on it. The format process returns the message that it cannot be formatted. Where do we go from here?

I have run Seagate's tool for checking the drive, and it has passed both the short and long tests, however it continues to be unformatable by Windows.
Using the suggestions contained in: http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=213051&NewLang=en
Windows' Administrative tools for disk management shows the drive as unreadable.

Any constructive advice would be welcome - there must be something I haven't done which will either sort out the corruption or allow me to format the drive, I hope!

 

What is the model of the drive? Look up the downloads for the drive's model at Seagate. They should be able to "set-up" the drive.

If you cannot format a drive, delete/remove the partition and remake it.

Matt

 

Matt, Thanks for your response.
It is a Maxtor OneTouch4. I have already downloaded the software from Seagate/Maxtor into my p.c. but as the maxtor drive is not being recognized by Windows as being attached any more, I am not sure now how to proceed. They come pre-loaded with the maxtor running software, and if that has been corrupted, and you cannot access the drive from your p.c., I am not sure how I could go about deleting partitions, and so on.

Someone, elsewhere else, suggested that the drive could be fine but the USB casing may need to be replaced. I suspect that the drive has been showing signs of failing (drive write errors etc.,) for some time.

Any ideas?

 

The Maxtor software will have a security system that locks the drive if the software is not used to access it. Uninstall and reinstall the software that came with the drive. For this very reason, I prefer not to use the software and just don't put any sensitive files on it (you might want to burn/backup those on CD/DVD, but it sounds like you just use it for standard storage). I back up the files (they should already be backed up) uninstall the software, then put them back on the "plain" drive.

If the USB interface has failed, you should be able to open the drive and put the HDD into another external enclosure. If the HDD has a SATA interface or is 3.5 inch IDE, you would be able to connect it into a desktop computer that has those connections. Check all avenues with Maxtor software first, I have a feeling that might be your problem.

Matt

 

Having disconnected the entire drive for an hour or so, and then reconnected it, it now shows up as a drive on windows, but needing formatted. Using the Windows Disk management tools it is showing as having nothing at all on it, so before attempting to reformat, I will probably send it off for attempted data recovery.
You mention the software which "came with the drive ". The software which came with the drive, did so literally - i.e. already installed, not separately. The only separate software is the maxtor manager software which governs backup frequency and folders to be backed up. Am I missing something in your suggestion?

 

TonyT - Thanks for the tip.
But the program is unable to read the boot sector on my maxtor external drive.

 

It seems to be the same as the One Touches I have worked on.

Is it a One Touch 4 Mini? At the Seagate website they say

When I could not access one of those, I installed the software for a One Touch Lite
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=e621783de3444110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD
It worked and is still working now. [Note: Reboot after uninstalling and again after installing the new software. Although, I was getting it running on a new computer, so I didn't need to uninstall.] They say to email them if you want the actual software for the One Touch Mini.

Have you tried connecting the drive to another computer? You might try setting it up on another computer.

If you were happy to format the drive, why do you want to send it for data recovery? Seagate recommend their SeaTools utility.
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=0ed72c9e46914110VgnVCM100000f5ee0a0aRCRD
Data recovery will probably be SUPER expensive, because the data is encrypted.

If you have exhausted most avenues, in SeaTools, choose to update the MBR (just make sure you have the correct drive selected).

They don't mention the utilities MaxBlast or DiscWizard, but those are the drive setup utilities. You can try them if you are happy to reformat.

Matt

 

Matt, thanks for your input - If all else failed I would consider a quick format, from which recovery of data is still possible I believe?

i365 would charge £500 for data recovery and DATLABS about £200. I would hate to lose the imagery but at these prices I would put it down to one more of life's lessons!

At the moment I can't access the drive to do anything when all it reports is that it needs formatting. I can't load any software on to it in its present state surely?

I have hooked it up to another p.c. which does not recognize it.

Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly previously. Whilst the drive remains in a state where the message is that it needs to be formatted to be accessed, nothing can be loaded on to it prior to that - as in seagate's replacement software for it. The Seagate Diagnostic Tools were applied and it passed those tests, both quick and long, so there appears to be nothing physically wrong with the drive itself.

I believe that post a Quick Format data would still be recoverable, but someone with more knowledge than me would be able to confirm or refute that.

 

The software installs onto the computer.

 

If you mean the Maxtor Manager software, that has installed onto my p.c.'s hard drive.
It recognizes that there is a maxtor drive attached, but under Drive Information, shows 0 bytes capacity, 0 bytes free space, and a bunch of squares for the file system.
It recognizes the model correctly, but again is showing a line of squares for the partition details, and for the free space.
With Windows, My Computer, the G Drive is showing as "Not Formatted- do you want to format it now? "

Do you have any further suggestions?

 

TonyT
PC Inspector File Recovery finds the drive with the external HDD on it.
It reports "Bad parameter in Boot Sector: Bytes per sector (0) = 0 ! "

 

Tony

I have downloaded and run test disk, and after running the analyze portion,it came up with this:
Disk /dev/sdc - 750 GB /698 GiB - CHS 91202 255 63
Partition Start End Size in Sectors

Then there is a large blank space, before:

Structure: ok.
Keys A: add partition, L: load backup, Enter: to continue

At this stage, what should I be doing?

 

I ran test disk, and after about two hours, the Analyse portion found no partitions, reported that
structure: ok
Keys A: add partition, L: load backup, Enter: to continue

What next, at this point?

 

Thanks Tony, I will have a look at that.