I recently set up a new desk and organized all my cables. After turning on my laptop, I started hearing a beep every minute. Initially, I thought it was my laptop, but it turns out it's my external HDD, which is quite old and contains all my family photos and videos from since 2000. The HDD's light is blinking as well. I'm worried it might be malfunctioning due to its age. Can I still recover my files from it if it fails?
3 Answers
It sounds like you might have some damaged cable connections, which can cause that beeping noise from the HDD. Just make sure everything is plugged in securely. If it's a malfunctioning drive, though, it really could be a bad sign. Just keep an eye on it!
I'm not completely sure what your issue is. Is the drive still working? If so, I would recommend not using it until you can get a new one to transfer your files to. But since it's not showing up at all, that's definitely concerning.
Sorry, I should've mentioned that the HDD isn't recognized by the PC at all. I did get a new external SSD, but I mainly want to use it for games.
Do you know the brand of your hard drive? Sometimes the beeping is a way to indicate faults or errors. If you listen closely while it’s on, you can often hear the drive parts moving. If Windows isn't recognizing it, maybe check the Disk Management Tool. If you can get it to work again, back up those precious files ASAP!
It’s a Maxtor HDD. I’ll try out these steps and let you know how it goes, thanks!
Yeah, I thought the beeping might indicate a malfunction too. Hope it’s just a cable issue!