Hi, I'm running Eeebuntu 3.0 on a EeePC, and tried to transfer my files over right after installing. Unfortunately, my netbook overheated or something, crashing it completely and making me reinstall the OS, but now the external hdd won't work.

I plugged the drive into a windows computer, and got a delayed write failure and all my data was gone in explorer, but nothing seemed to change in my computer where it still claims the harddisk has 34 gigs of data in it. Thinking windows would be a horrible choice with all that automation, I'm trying to solve this in eeebuntu, and can't even boot into the drive anymore... help?

fdisk -l does not show the drive either

dmesg:

[ 9899.808108] usb 5-4: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 28
[ 9899.942374] usb 5-4: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
[ 9899.943691] scsi17 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
[ 9899.957263] usb-storage: device found at 28
[ 9899.957278] usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
[ 9904.974762] usb-storage: device scan complete
[ 9905.042749] scsi 17:0:0:0: Direct-Access DMI External HDD PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 CCS
[ 9905.049180] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Very big device. Trying to use READ CAPACITY(16).
[ 9905.059358] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] READ CAPACITY(16) failed
[ 9905.059375] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9905.059395] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Use 0xffffffff as device size
[ 9905.059420] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] 4294967296 512-byte hardware sectors: (2.19 TB/2.00 TiB)
[ 9905.060433] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[ 9905.060450] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 34 00 00 00
[ 9905.060462] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 9905.069177] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Very big device. Trying to use READ CAPACITY(16).
[ 9905.074834] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] READ CAPACITY(16) failed
[ 9905.074851] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9905.074872] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Use 0xffffffff as device size
[ 9905.074900] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] 4294967296 512-byte hardware sectors: (2.19 TB/2.00 TiB)
[ 9905.075894] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[ 9905.075914] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 34 00 00 00
[ 9905.075927] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 9905.075954] sdc:<6>sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9918.337552] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[ 9918.337572] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[ 9918.337589] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[ 9918.337605] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[ 9926.722670] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9926.722690] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[ 9926.722708] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[ 9926.722725] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[ 9926.722740] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[ 9927.006275] ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 83
[ 9935.273286] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9935.273306] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[ 9935.273324] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[ 9935.273340] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[ 9935.273356] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[ 9943.819546] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9943.819566] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[ 9943.819583] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[ 9943.819600] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[ 9943.819616] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[ 9952.328418] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[ 9952.328438] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[ 9952.328455] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[ 9952.328472] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[ 9952.328488] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[ 9952.328534] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed.




After those messages loops for a while it seems to give different but somewhat similar messages like these:


[10047.006478] ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 83
[10054.724935] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10054.724955] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10054.724972] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10054.724989] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10054.725005] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10068.717701] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10068.717727] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10068.717751] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10068.717775] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10068.717797] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10068.717831] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 1
[10068.717850] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 2
[10068.717868] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 3
[10077.182438] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10077.182458] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10077.182475] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10077.182492] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10077.182509] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10088.072181] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10088.072200] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10088.072218] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10088.072234] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10088.072250] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10096.617594] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10096.617620] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10096.617643] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10096.617667] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10096.617688] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10105.151319] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10105.151338] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10105.151356] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10105.151373] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10105.151389] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10105.151417] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 1
[10105.151436] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 2
[10105.151453] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 3
[10113.534693] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10113.534713] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10113.534730] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10113.534747] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10113.534763] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10122.147819] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10122.147839] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10122.147856] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10122.147874] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 4294967288
[10122.147891] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 536870911
[10130.647471] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10130.647497] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10130.647520] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10130.647544] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 4294967288
[10130.647565] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 536870911
[10139.241573] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10139.241592] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10139.241610] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10139.241626] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10139.241642] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0
[10139.241671] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 1
[10139.241689] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 2
[10139.241707] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 3
[10147.652446] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[10147.652466] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[10147.652483] sd 17:0:0:0: [sdc] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
[10147.652500] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0
[10147.652516] Buffer I/O error on device sdc, logical block 0



I have no idea how to interpret these messages and if anyone could help me please try!

Plugging it into windows was a bad move. Windows will write to any disk that is connected - creating folder for restore data, atleast. This makes data recovery a bit tricky.

Delayed write, in my experience, indicates a faulty USB connection (also). You should try using another drive enclosure.

IF with a new enclosure the files do not show up, try running testdisk and photorec. They have file recovery capabilities.

I'm hesitant to take apart the external hard drive, since the warranty will be void if so. However, this is the test disk log that's generated after a while of testing:

TestDisk 6.10, Data Recovery Utility, July 2008
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org
OS: Linux, kernel 2.6.28-12-netbook (#43 SMP Mon Apr 27 14:51:59 MDT 2009)
Compiler: GCC 4.3 - Nov 7 2008 10:55:40
ext2fs lib: 1.41.4, ntfs lib: 10:0:0, reiserfs lib: none, ewf lib: none
Warning: can't get size for /dev/mapper/control
Hard disk list
Disk /dev/sda - 8069 MB / 7695 MiB - CHS 981 255 63, sector size=512 - ATA ASUS-PHISON SSD
Disk /dev/sdb - 32 GB / 30 GiB - CHS 3924 255 63, sector size=512 - ATA ASUS-PHISON SSD
Disk /dev/sdc - 2199 GB / 2048 GiB - CHS 2097152 64 32, sector size=512 - DMI External HDD

Partition table type (auto): Intel
Disk /dev/sdc - 2199 GB / 2048 GiB - DMI External HDD
Partition table type: Intel

Analyse Disk /dev/sdc - 2199 GB / 2048 GiB - CHS 2097152 64 32
Current partition structure:

Partition: Read error
Ask the user for vista mode
Allow partial last cylinder : No
search_vista_part: 0

search_part()
Disk /dev/sdc - 2199 GB / 2048 GiB - CHS 2097152 64 32
file_read(6,16,buffer,34(0/1/3)) read err: Input/output error
file_read(6,1,buffer,34(0/1/3)) read err: Input/output error
file_read(6,1,buffer,35(0/1/4)) read err: Input/output error
file_read(6,16,buffer,32(0/1/1)) read err: Input/output error
file_read(6,1,buffer,32(0/1/1)) read err: Input/output error
and then a few hundred more lines of this....

does that mean it IS the usb's problem? the best bet would be to dismantle it and plug it in sata?

Try a different USB cable.

When you plug power to the external drive, listen to it. If you hear a click every second or so, that is an indication that the hard drive is bad.

Another possibility is that the power supply for the external drive is bad. Some external drives such as LaCie have power blocks that supply both 5V and 12V. You could have a power block where one of these is bad, and the drive seems normal listening to it but isn't communicating properly.

What steps did you take with testdisk?

From what the log lists, it seems that the partitions are not being read. This could indicate an MBR corruption. I think testdisk has a way of rectifying this error. Please read the manual at the site or that which came with the app.

From the logs, it seems that testdisk is continuously accessing the disk, so this may not be a connection problem.

Your error messages indicate that you have had a drive failure. This is not totally deterministic; basically you have a cable failure (least likely), a USB interface failure (substantial likelihood) or an actual drive failure (also a substantial likelihood).

If changing the cable doesn't fix it (probably won't but try anyway) then you have to disassemble the drive. If this voids your warranty, then you have to balance the value of the data (and the possibility that it is just the interface that is bad) against the value of the warranty (USB drive replacement, probably).

I bought an external box to put my spare laptop HDD. It has a SATA/USB 2.0 interface and when I plug it in I get the same error. I know the HDD is good because if I put it back into my laptop it works fine.

DMESG:
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.616348] usb-storage: device scan complete
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.619872] scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access FUJITSU MHZ2160BH G1 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.620747] sd 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.623585] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors: (160 GB/149 GiB)
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.706278] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.706289] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 38 00 00 00
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.706296] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.709955] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.709964] sdb:<6>sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled sense code
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740110] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740120] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740131] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740143] end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 0
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740151] __ratelimit: 15 callbacks suppressed
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.740157] Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 0
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770216] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled sense code
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770225] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770233] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770243] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770254] end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 0
Jul 23 11:13:19 paul-laptop kernel: [ 910.770263] Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 0