Accidentally Used the Wrong Power Adapter for My Hard Drive—Now It Won't Turn On!
Asked by
CuriousTurtle92
I accidentally used the wrong power adapter for my 6TB Seagate Expansion Desktop external hard drive. I connected it to a power adapter that was rated for 12V 2A, instead of the correct one that outputs 12V 1.5A. There were no burning smells or anything unusual, but now the hard drive won't turn on at all. I switched back to the correct power adapter, but it still doesn't make any sounds or show signs of being powered. Is there a way to fix this? I have important data on it that I really need to recover.
Answers
Both adapters are rated at 12V and they have center-positive connectors, so they should be compatible. The issue could be with the second adapter being defective and possibly outputting more than 12V, but if it works fine with your other device, that’s unlikely. It’s possible your drive was on its last legs anyway, and the adapter mishap just highlighted a pre-existing issue.
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I get the feeling you're mixing up 'cable' with something like a power adapter or power brick. The actual cables are usually pretty standard. From what you've described, since the voltages matched, it's likely you didn't damage the drive. It might just be coincidental that the drive failed around the same time.
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It sounds like there might be another issue at play here. Usually, using the wrong power adapter, especially one that matches the voltage and has higher current rating, shouldn't cause any damage. You might want to double-check the polarity of the connectors just to be safe.
DataRecoveryDude: What else do you think could be wrong? I've never had a problem with it before, and it was only used a handful of times.
CuriousTurtle92: Yeah, the polarity is correct—maybe there's something else up.
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CuriousTurtle92: I meant power adapter—I'm still getting used to the terms, English isn't my first language.