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Can't access data on my usb mass storage

Last answer on Nov 16, 2009 12:37:52 pm GMT snoopy, on Oct 20, 2008 6:27:30 pm BST 
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Hello,

I have a 500GB Western Digital usb mass storage device with lots of data on it, and I have been using it without problems for several months. Now when I plug it in, the drive comes up in my computer as drive E as it usually does, but when i click it it asks me if I want to format it-when I click "no" I can't access the drive. If I format it again won't I lose all my files? The drive properties show 0kb for free space and 0kb for used space. What happened to the 300+ GB of files I stored on the drive? Is there another way to access the data on the drive? Thanks in advance for the help!

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1

xpcman, on Oct 21, 2008 8:15:29 am BST
  • +6

Do NOT format the disk - That will make it much much harder to recover the data.

I think you have a MBR (master boot record) problem - there is a fix.

Google MbrFix - download the program - burn it to a CD - boot from the CD (you might need to change the boot order in the BIOS to boot from the CD)

fix the MBR on drive 2 your E drive (((( NOT on drive 0 which is your C drive))))

   
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2

snoopy, on Oct 23, 2008 7:46:29 am BST
  • +3

Thanks for the help xpcman- I see that the Mbrfix program is for advanced users, unfortunately i am not quite advanced enough, so to bother you with another question.. did you mean I should run the command "MbrFix /drive <num> fixmbr Update MBR code to W2K/XP/2003" in the Mbrfix program (on drive 2)?

   
Reply to snoopy

11

var, on Aug 17, 2009 9:26:47 am BST

I have a 4 gb usb mass storage device with lots of data on it, and I have been using it without problems for several months. Now when I plug it in, the drive comes up in my computer as drive E as it usually does, but when i click it it asks me if I want to format it-when I click "no" I can't access the drive. If I format it again won't I lose all my files? The drive properties show 0kb for free space and 0kb for used space. What happened to the 4GB of files I stored on the drive? Is there another way to access the data on the drive? Thanks in advance for the help!

   
Reply to var

3

rOOfraBBit, on Nov 16, 2008 12:34:12 am GMT
  • +5

Try to run "chckdsk x: /f", without the quotemarks and where x is the drive. I think you have to do it in Safe Mode MSdos [restart, press F8, go for "safe-mode with command prompt"], or when in XP mode: right-click on drive X, open Properties, Tools-tab, click "check now". You'll get message is not possible, only after restart: it will be scheduled at next reboot - just reboot.

If your disk is just too old, funked-up, or qurwalized and you just want to try to save the data, then please do use special software (or some PC-freak near u) - don't let XP try to fix it! For

   
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4

rOOfraBBit, on Nov 16, 2008 12:38:20 am GMT

.."CHKDSK X: /f"... Dat moet het zijn...

   
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5

Sillver, on Jun 1, 2009 11:46:50 am BST

Hi, hope you dont mind me reviving this thread again.

I have the same problem as snoopy.... when i want to access my USB drive windows ask if i want to format.
I downloaded the MbrFix and tried the fixmbr function, but get the message: System cannot find the file.

Chkdsk does not work either.

Any suggestions on how to fix this problem? Thanks in advance for any help :)

   
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7

porterd1988, on Jun 10, 2009 4:35:32 am BST
  • +1

I had the same problem so I safely ejected powered off took apart the my drive, after taking the cables out a reconnecting it when I powered up the problem was gone. So check your cables

   
Reply to porterd1988

6

ae86, on Jun 9, 2009 8:27:06 pm BST

I'm on the same boat, I have a 500GB comstar external drive. I was in the middle of a chkdsk with the drive & the power at my house turned off, my laptop was fine but my external drive loss power (obviously) so now when i access the drive in windows, the name of the external drive change (looks like the default name) & I can't see any of my files. But it shows there's still data on that drive.

I tried redoing the chkdsk /f /r & other data file recovery programs & no dice. I couldn't fix the fdisk /mbr using command in windows, it gave me an error saying that it couldn't find fdisk or the command was valid (can't quite remember the exact error)

ANYONE HAVE SOME IDEAS?!?!?!
Thanks

   
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8

dazzer, on Jun 28, 2009 7:12:46 pm BST

Had the same prob, not sure if i over filled one directory but i had two external hard drives that my computer wouldn`t reconise after i had to do a 5 second push to shut down after nero 8 froze my computer, anyway kept asking for format, i got around it by copying(backup) to another directory, in right click options , then just formated and recopied back , simple without a lot of high tec mumbo jumbo

   
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9

rich, on Jul 18, 2009 2:02:08 am BST

Ya u have a WD 500GB HD, and one day i turned my Win XP on, and NOW 500 GB HD. it is a USB HD. so i opened
the box up, and found the WD 500 GB HD, to be a true SATA drive,, i tryed every thing i could think of. reload WIN XP, USB 2.0 drivers, checked device manager, till i was BLUE in the face. So now i have the WD 500 Gb HD. pluged into my SATA port.and it works JUST FINE..... But i lost 250 GB of music i had on it. i never formatted the HD.

   
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10

digifreak.., on Jul 19, 2009 6:47:11 am BST

I hav an Imation 320GB external USB harddrive. I just restarted my machine keeping the external drive connected. While booting, the machine took unusually long time to boot. I thought it was because of the external hard drive. I immediately removed it and the machine booted. But since then my external harddisk is not getting detected properly and whenever I connect it, it gives me a message that Disk needs to be formatted. I cannot risk losing the data on the drive. Please give me a solution on this as to how to get the data from this hard drive.

   
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12

 Jennie, on Nov 16, 2009 12:37:52 pm GMT

Hi,

Can someone help? My usb drive (Lacie 200gb) is giving me the same problem as the above users. It is asking me to reformat and I need the files on it.

What should I do? I don't have a CD burner so I cannot reboot from a cd with MbrFix.

   
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