I have an older Seagate external hard drive that seems to have gotten damaged during my move last year. It doesn't show up on any of my computers and just makes some noise without doing anything. I took it to a shop, and they quoted me $1000 for data recovery, which seems outrageous. I'm not even sure what's on it, but I remember there are probably some photos from when I worked at a magazine. I tried using Disk Drill, but it didn't find anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? I need to pick up the drive today since I want to avoid that high recovery cost.
2 Answers
From what you've described, it might not be recoverable without professional help, especially if it’s making strange noises. I'd recommend making regular backups in the future to avoid these situations—maybe use multiple flash drives or external drives. Just a heads up, Seagate's quality has really dipped over the years, especially around 2010 when that model was made, in case that's part of the issue.
What model of Seagate HD do you have? And what kind of noise is it making? Really it could help diagnose the issue. Sometimes drives click or whir when they're failing, which isn't a good sign. Getting the model might help others give you more relevant advice.
Yeah, if it just beeps when plugged in, that could indicate it’s struggling to read. Good luck with it!
Sounds like it might just be making a clicking noise. I had a FreeAgent that did that. When you get it back, try listening for any humming or clicking when you plug it in.