What is wrong with my external drive?

[Nor'Easter]

I have Dish network, and got a good deal online on a 2 TB external drive. After the fact, I learned they don't advise using a drive bigger than 1 TB, why I am not quite sure. Yet, when I got it, it recognized it, let me format it, and in a few months I had only about 700 GB left. The way I tape shows, I need the 2 TB and then some!

now, after an update, the damn thing doesn't pull up anymore! I either get that it does not recognize it, or it acts like it is going to work and then when you click on "Manage Device", it freezes with a black miniscreen, which after a long pause just pulls up the TV station I was previously viewing. And I cannot abort this (get back the full screen) without pulling the plug on the external drive.

If it does pull up and I click on "send to device" instead of managing it, I can send to it and it does so sucessfully and gives the proper amount of GB left, but it won't pull up! It seems like the external now thinks it is another Dish Receiver! How do I correct this and watch or at least salvage/transfer what is on it?

thanks in advance!

 

[SpasticGramps]

I think there's a short between the keyboard and the seat.

 

[Bionic]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that's why they don't recommend using a device with your specs?

 

[Nor'Easter]

OK HAHA
now that the jokes are out of the way, any serious answers? It was working since I got it, every once in a while I had to try twice before it recognized it but for the most part problem free for at least a couple months until now. Any way to fix it or at least retrieve info on it? It is in some kind of Dish Network format so not everything recognizes it. I tried attaching it to my Mac and it says it is in an unsupported format or something like that. I try attaching it to the old 2002 PC I have, and it does not pull up a new icon like it does with my other external drive. Yet it said new hardware and recognized it at first. This is so frustrating, I have so much good stuff that I don't want to lose.
Surely, users of this forum are obviously computer users, and someone must be knowledgeable enough to help me! THANKS

 

[Nor'Easter]

anyone? come on now someone must know something! It's not like it didn't work right from the start, it worked for 2 months or more. any helpful ideas please?

 

[Nor'Easter]

ok at least 6 more people have viewed this page and still no ideas? I can send one program to the device, but I try any more and I get an error message. And I still cannot access it. please help me!

 

[Donald Trump]

that hard drive doesn't give a damn about you

 

[Nor'Easter]

ok I guess no one cares that is too bad, I think I am fairly well-liked here and thought someone would take the time to answer my question fully and honestly. I guess I was wrong. thanks

 

[Hammerhead]

I Have hd many USB drives die on me. It always ends up being the connection of the HD.Take the HD out of the case and inspect the conection. I had 1 1tb HD that had a terable conetion so I had to buy another case for it and it fixed the problem.

 

[Donald Trump]

well, it's not really about if you're liked here or not I don't think? I don't think many of us here know how to help you with your tech problem. You could try some computer forum site that would perhaps be able to help you better.

hope you get it fixed.. would be a drain to lose all your files.

 

[Hammerhead]

I can help if he answers some questions

 

[Nor'Easter]

yeah man I will answer questions, if I can! Actually I have 2 external drives that shit the bed, and getting sick of them dying on me and losing stuff, and would like to retrieve the stuff if possible. The fist external drive was used just for backing up pics and docs from my old pc. This drive suddenly started clicking/churning and not working over a year ago. Now, this other external drive was used strictly for saving TV shows from the Dish TV DVR. It worked for a few months, then all of a sudden you cannot access it. I would rather not get a 3rd drive as this is getting expensive and annoying. Well it would be a 4th drive if I got a new one, as I have one working one that is used for the old PC, taking the place of the PC one that died. I would like to transfer info off of the dead drives, or revive them if not dead. Any help or ideas would be great! thanks

 

[Nor'Easter]

Oh actually I have 2 working and 2 "dead" drives. The working ones are one for a Mac laptop and one for the old pc. I still like to use the old pc for "works" files and I find the pc office format and keyboard easier than the mac. Can I transfer from one external drive to another?
(btw, I don't know what tech websites exist, but I have stumbled on a few before and don't know 90+ percent of wtf they are saying, so you will have to dumb it down a bit! Some 5 year olds prob know more than I do!)

 

[Hammerhead]

1st when you power on the unit does the green light come on and can you fell the HD spinning. Put your hand on the top it should feel like its spinning. If it is thats good If it is not that is bad and you can not do anything to fix it yourself.

If it is spinning open the outer cover and inspect the usb connection on both sides. Should be a sata connection. Remove the connection and inspect it look for bent tabs inside the sata side of the conector. if thats fine wipe the HD gold fingers with a Q-tip and some IPA.

Reconnect the USB connector to the hd you do not need to put al the screws back at this point. Plug the usb into your computer and turn it on. If it recognizes the HD you have a bad USB connection. You will need a new cover with a sata connection on the inside and a powered usb on the other. External HD are getting very cheap. I got my 1TB for 60$ I got the smal one the size you use for laptops. 3.5" I think.


Hope that helps

 

[Nor'Easter]

ok man I have to get back to you on that as not in the right state now to fiddle with electronics. The TV external is a 2 TB WD, and has no on/off button and a while light in back. That comes on, there is spinning, although not always but helps when the wires are jiggled. Sometimes when I connect it, it says unsupported device or something to that effect. Other times, it says "do you want to manage device?" (in other words, it seems to work), but when I do it freezes and eventually just pulls up a mini box of whatever channel I was watching and shows that "live" programming. I can send to it if I only send one thing at a time, but then I still can't access it.

The other external, the pc one, is in a bag and not in working condition right now. I will get back to you on any other info, and thanks!

 

[Hammerhead]

Ya sounding like you hava bad conection you will need to inspect that. With HD ther no bandaid its fixeed or its dead sorry