external drive not recognised since update
 

Computer sees external western digital device with lsusb but not when I check sudo fdisk -l

Can find it in nautilus or in control panel - external devices either.

It suddenly stopped working and I think it may have been after ubuntu update. The feed reads

scsi7 : usb-storage 2-1:1.0
[ 733.972668] scsi 7:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD My Passport 0740 1003 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[ 733.973030] scsi 7:0:0:1: Enclosure WD SES Device 1003 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[ 733.983610] sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[ 733.987838] ses 7:0:0:1: Attached Enclosure device
[ 733.988048] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Spinning up disk...
[ 733.988200] ses 7:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 13
[ 742.972032] .
[ 750.049800] ses 7:0:0:1: Failed to get diagnostic page 0x8000002
[ 750.049807] ses 7:0:0:1: Failed to bind enclosure -19
[ 751.056057] ...............................................
[ 977.249068] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1157.252977] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1337.261014] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1337.261030] not responding...
[ 1517.269299] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1697.277209] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1877.285244] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 1877.285266] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] READ CAPACITY failed
[ 1877.285269] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[ 1877.285274] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Hardware Error [current]
[ 1877.285279] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Internal target failure
[ 2057.293281] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2057.293308] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Test WP failed, assume Write Enabled
[ 2237.297314] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2237.297340] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Asking for cache data failed
[ 2237.297343] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 2400.292093] INFO: task ata_id:2408 blocked for more than 120 seconds.
[ 2400.292098] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
[ 2400.292101] ata_id D c5c18cfc 0 2408 2049 0x00000004
[ 2400.292107] dc491c78 00000086 00000000 c5c18cfc dc491c1c c1284cf4 c1761fe0 c186dec0
[ 2400.292114] c186dec0 ec996601 00000208 f5805ec0 eaa99980 c1761fe0 00002460 00805ec0
[ 2400.292120] eaa99c84 00000000 dc491c50 c1038200 00000001 636904a3 dc7b8e00 ffffffff
[ 2400.292127] Call Trace:
[ 2400.292139] [<c1284cf4>] ? rb_erase+0xb4/0x120
[ 2400.292148] [<c1038200>] ? finish_task_switch+0x40/0xc0
[ 2400.292154] [<c152ced1>] ? __schedule+0x2f1/0x620
[ 2400.292159] [<c102fbf2>] ? resched_task+0x22/0x70
[ 2400.292163] [<c1038f16>] ? check_preempt_wakeup+0x176/0x210
[ 2400.292167] [<c152d4a5>] schedule+0x35/0x50
[ 2400.292171] [<c152d9cd>] schedule_timeout+0x22d/0x2a0
[ 2400.292175] [<c1032562>] ? check_preempt_curr+0x72/0x90
[ 2400.292178] [<c10325a8>] ? ttwu_do_wakeup+0x28/0x130
[ 2400.292182] [<c10347c8>] ? ttwu_do_activate.constprop.174+0x58/0x70
[ 2400.292186] [<c152d327>] wait_for_common+0xa7/0x110
[ 2400.292190] [<c1041aa0>] ? try_to_wake_up+0x190/0x190
[ 2400.292194] [<c152d467>] wait_for_completion+0x17/0x20
[ 2400.292200] [<c1061696>] wait_on_cpu_work+0xa6/0xb0
[ 2400.292203] [<c105f3f0>] ? do_work_for_cpu+0x20/0x20
[ 2400.292207] [<c106172f>] wait_on_work+0x8f/0x100
[ 2400.292210] [<c1061f08>] __cancel_work_timer+0x68/0x70
[ 2400.292214] [<c1061f20>] cancel_delayed_work_sync+0x10/0x20
[ 2400.292219] [<c12726ee>] disk_block_events+0x7e/0x80
[ 2400.292224] [<c11587c0>] __blkdev_get+0x60/0x3c0
[ 2400.292227] [<c1158b67>] blkdev_get+0x47/0x180
[ 2400.292230] [<c1158cf3>] blkdev_open+0x53/0x70
[ 2400.292236] [<c11273e1>] __dentry_open+0x121/0x2d0
[ 2400.292239] [<c1158ca0>] ? blkdev_get+0x180/0x180
[ 2400.292243] [<c1128a36>] nameidata_to_filp+0x86/0x90
[ 2400.292248] [<c11359a7>] do_last+0x327/0x660
[ 2400.292252] [<c1136bbd>] path_openat+0x9d/0x350
[ 2400.292256] [<c1136f51>] do_filp_open+0x31/0x80
[ 2400.292262] [<c1289e88>] ? strncpy_from_user+0x38/0x70
[ 2400.292267] [<c11426a3>] ? alloc_fd+0xa3/0xe0
[ 2400.292272] [<c153261f>] ? do_page_fault+0x22f/0x4a0
[ 2400.292276] [<c1128b21>] do_sys_open+0xe1/0x1f0
[ 2400.292280] [<c1101e04>] ? remove_vma+0x44/0x60
[ 2400.292284] [<c1128c5e>] sys_open+0x2e/0x40
[ 2400.292288] [<c152f2d4>] syscall_call+0x7/0xb
[ 2417.304976] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2417.305967] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2597.309010] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2777.317049] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2777.317073] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Unit Not Ready
[ 2777.317076] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Hardware Error [current]
[ 2777.317081] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Internal target failure
[ 2777.318038] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 15s
[ 2957.325205] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 2957.326448] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 15s
[ 3137.333243] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 3317.337279] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 3317.337307] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] READ CAPACITY failed
[ 3317.337311] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
[ 3317.337315] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Hardware Error [current]
[ 3317.337321] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Internal target failure
[ 3497.345314] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 3497.345339] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Test WP failed, assume Write Enabled
[ 3677.349225] sd 7:0:0:0: timing out command, waited 180s
[ 3677.349248] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Asking for cache data failed
[ 3677.349251] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 3677.349257] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk

Any help really appreciated! It's got all my music on it!

Is it is this WD Passport:

If so, it would appear to be sensed but not properly.

What does dmesg report?

Have you tested the drive with another computer to rule out drive failure?

Hi...thanks for replying. Yes, I tried the drive on a windows PC at work and it wouldn't mount. It is the WD My Passport.

This is what dmesg reports when I plug it in:

usb 2-1: new high speed USB device number 6 using ehci_hcd
[60141.041721] scsi8 : usb-storage 2-1:1.0
[60142.043751] scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD My Passport 0740 1003 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[60142.044246] scsi 8:0:0:1: Enclosure WD SES Device 1003 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[60142.047850] sd 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[60142.047977] ses 8:0:0:1: Attached Enclosure device
[60142.048895] ses 8:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 13
fiona@Mangwon:~$

Assuming that somewhere along the way you haven't reformatted it from the factory-installed file system (which was likely either FAT32 or NTFS) to a Linux file system, if it won't work on Linux and it won't work on Windows, my guess is that it no longer works and the timing with the Ubuntu update was coincidence. Hardware does wear out.

It might not hurt to test it with a third computer or to swap out the cable, though. (I have a WD Passport which has served me well, but it's getting up to five years old and I'm starting to think of replacing it.)

Another test under Linux would be to run fdisk -l (you may have to do this as root) and report what fdisk finds.

Edit: You might also try running an fsck on it. The link will provide examples.

Thanks a lot for your advice. I had another friend check it out on their windows system and the disk registers in control panel but not on 'my computer' so she couldn't open the contents.

This is what the report is on fdisk -l. Nothing seems to register. I am dealing with a corrupted disk then? Should I try the fsck on it? If I do will that potentially wipe other things on my computer harddrive?

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0000b515

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 39063551 19530752 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 39063552 214845439 87890944 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 214847486 234440703 9796609 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 214847488 234440703 9796608 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Thanks again for being so helpful.

I would suggest that you get another hard drive that is at least as large as this one, then try using photorec to recover your data files. If that is successful, you could then try reformatting and see if that helps.

It appears that it is formatted in an ext2 type file system and if that is true, then Windows won't be able to access it unless you get the third party software to do that.

Trying to run an fsck certainly couldn't hurt, though the prognosis is likely not very positive, given that fdisk does not see the drive. It is worth a try.

I would try the photorec thing first, though, to see if I could recover anything before trying additional diagnostics.