I dropped a WD Easystore external hard drive while it was connected. Windows detects the drive, but it won't open or read any files. It spins up, the actuator arm clicks several times, and then the drive stops responding. Does this sound like damage that can be repaired manually, or is professional data recovery the only realistic option? I have an older backup from about a year ago, and I previously used OpenSuperClone to copy data from that backup to this drive, but I'd rather recover the newer files if possible. Would OpenSuperClone help with this kind of physical failure, or could repeated attempts make things worse?
1 Answer
The clicking after a drop strongly suggests physical damage, often involving the heads, actuator, or platters. Don’t keep plugging it in or repeatedly trying recovery software—if the heads are scraping or failing to initialize, each attempt can worsen the damage. OpenSuperClone is useful for drives with readable sectors and some bad sectors, but it can’t repair a mechanically damaged drive. Since you have a backup, restore from that and treat professional recovery as optional unless the missing files are worth a potentially large fee.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload