WD external disk starts spinning and stops after a few seconds. lsusb sees it, but it is not detected in devices

Harpine · 07-25-2022, 07:17 AM

Hi there !

I have trouble with my WD external disk, "My Passport for Mac" - 2 TB.

Info about my linux version:
Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS
Kernel: Linux 5.4.0-122-generic
Architecture: x86-64
I deactivated the automount function with systemctl stop udisks2.service

I was copying all the data from the WD disk and it suddenly stopped working (after copying ~ 800Gb). Then I tried to restart my computer and to plug again the WD disk. It starts spinning and stops after a few seconds. The LED is ON, starts flashing as the disk starts spinning and then stays constantly ON again when it stops.
Just to precise, the external temperature during the copy process was the one indicated as working range by WD.

When I plug it in, the command lsusb shows me:
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 1058:2628 Western Digital Technologies, Inc. My Passport 2628

I can't detect it using the command ls /dev/sd*

When looking at /var/log/syslog, this is what happens when I plug the disk:

Code:

scsi 1:0:0:0: Direct-Access     WD       My Passport 2628 1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
scsi 1:0:0:1: Enclosure         WD       SES Device       1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
sd 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
ses 1:0:0:1: Attached Enclosure device
ses 1:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 13
[sdb] Spinning up disk...
Failed to get diagnostic page 0x1
Failed to bind enclosure -19
.not responding...

I tried to change USB port, but the same thing happens. An external SSD disk can be read from both USB ports.
Changing computer gave the same result too.

I tried to let it rest the whole night, but it didn't help.

I can't afford to bring my disk to professionals. I don't have any other copy of these data (I learned from my mistakes, this won't happen in the future anymore !), so I really want to try the maximum to get this data back.

Do you guys have any idea on what I can try to save the maximum number of data from this disk ?

jailbait · 07-26-2022, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harpine

When looking at /var/log/syslog, this is what happens when I plug the disk:

Code:

scsi 1:0:0:0: Direct-Access     WD       My Passport 2628 1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
scsi 1:0:0:1: Enclosure         WD       SES Device       1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
sd 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
ses 1:0:0:1: Attached Enclosure device
ses 1:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 13
[sdb] Spinning up disk...
Failed to get diagnostic page 0x1
Failed to bind enclosure -19
.not responding...

Do you guys have any idea on what I can try to save the maximum number of data from this disk ?

The peak power requirement for a hard drive occurs when the hard drive spins up. That is where you are consistently failing. The amount of power put out by a USB port is marginal for powering up USB hard drives. That is why you should buy external hard drives with two cords, a power cord that plugs into the wall and a USB cord for data transfer.

I don't know of any way to increase the power supplied by the USB cable. You can reduce the resistance of the hard drive motor and thus reduce the power consumption peak of the motor by cooling down the hard drive. I suggest that you try putting the hard drive and the USB cable in the refrigerator and cooling them down to just above freezing temperature.

computersavvy · 07-26-2022, 05:55 PM

It would also help if you were to use a powered USB hub to connect that drive. Then you are not relying on the USB power available from the PC/laptop but instead have an independent power source for the external drive. This has been recommended for external USB devices for ~20 years.

David Roesch · 07-26-2022, 07:04 PM

Hi Harpine,

First of all- I have to agree with jailbait and computersavvy regarding their suggestions about using a self-powered external drive enclosure rather than using an enclosure which relies on the computer's USB port to supply power (and I would go one step further and suggest that any such external enclosure should also include an integrated cooling fan; the power requirements of which USB-powered external drive enclosures just can't supply.)

And regarding jailbait's comment "don't know of any way to increase the power supplied by the USB cable."
The answer is that you can't; that voltage is determined by the power supply and is fixed.

All of the above aside though- in my 20+ years of working as a computer tech, I've usually found that for problematic external drives, it isn't the drive itself that fails, but rather the electronics in the enclosure that do.
If you have the option, crack open the case of the external enclosure, pull the drive out, and put it in to either another external enclosure (they're pretty cheap) or install the drive into a desktop system if you have one available. There's a pretty good chance that once you've done so, you'll find the contents of your drive to be intact.

Harpine · 07-29-2022, 07:57 AM

Hi everyone,
Thank you a lot for all your responses, they are very very helpful and encouraging.

Next time I'll buy a self-powered external drive (with an integrated cooling fan), thank you for the advice !

I already tried to put the disk in the refrigerator but unfortunately it didn't help, the same thing happened

I am going to buy another external enclosure and keep you updated !

Have a nice weekend

computersavvy · 07-29-2022, 07:19 PM

Note that I suggested trying a "powered USB hub". I would also add that it should be a USB 3.0 hub and rated for the maximum power you can get reasonably. It is not necessarily that the drive is bad, nor that its enclosure is bad, but may only be the power available from the PC is inadequate.

Just so you are aware, often the rating for power on a USB port is the maximum power for all ports that share that particular USB controller. Thus, a USB 3.0 port that is rated for 1000 MA may have to share that with up to 4 different ports. Very easy to overload the power demand if the user is not careful.

frankbell · 07-29-2022, 08:20 PM

How old is this device?

Harpine · 07-30-2022, 07:25 AM

I bought the device in November 2020.

About the powered USB hub, I think it should not be the problem as we are using a USB C port which should power it enough and it worked before. But I'll keep the option in mind in case the other solutions won't work.

Thank you and have a nice afternoon !

Harpine · 08-05-2022, 08:50 AM

Hello there,

Just to keep you updated, I opened the external enclosure, and found out that the USB port is directly welded on the disk PCB

(there is not electronics in the enclosure)
So I couldn't try anything with a new enclosure (that has a SATA connector).

I am actually thinking of trying to replace the whole PCB but this seems risky as I am not a microelectronics specialist... And I would also have to find the right PCB number. As the device is 1.5 years old, I don't think buying a new disk (same model) would help as the PCB (and thus its number) has probably changed since then.

Have a nice weekend !

computersavvy · 08-06-2022, 01:24 PM

Buying a new disk would give you a new disk that should work out of the box. Also would eliminate the headache of trying to fix this one.

Probably would be good to buy one that is SSD now instead of spinning rust. There are many with very reasonable prices today.

Harpine · 08-07-2022, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by computersavvy

Buying a new disk would give you a new disk that should work out of the box. Also would eliminate the headache of trying to fix this one.

Probably would be good to buy one that is SSD now instead of spinning rust. There are many with very reasonable prices today.

Yeah but I still hoped to recover the data from the old disk...
But yes, to save my data, I already bought a SSD, no more hard disk for me !!😅