Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

I have also posted this to Vista section but if any: My TOSHIBA external HDD stopped working. It failed to copy data and I had to force restart due to system hang up! I found then it isn't even detected. I tried on my friend Laptop XP no success! It just put on green light and shows that there is USB device (at bottom right corner), but nothing!

I guess someone can help on this!
Thanks,
Steve

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Good troubleshooting direction here. is correct that a mechanical drive can fail, and gave the right isolation idea (move the disk out of the enclosure). The most useful next steps are focused, low-risk checks that separate "drive problem" from "enclosure or cable problem" and protect data if recovery becomes necessary.

Start with simple isolation: try a different USB cable and a direct port on a desktop (not a hub), and confirm any external power brick is connected for 3.5" enclosures. Then inspect the system: Device Manager for driver/USB errors and Disk Management for disks that are present but Offline, Uninitialized, RAW, or without a drive letter. Assigning a letter or bringing a disk online can make it usable again without reformatting. If the OS shows no disk at all, test the bare drive in a known-good enclosure, a SATA-to-USB adapter, or connect it to a desktop SATA port (observe ESD precautions and note that opening an enclosure can void warranty).

Listen and feel: a healthy drive will spin smoothly. Clicking, grinding, or repeated start/stop cycles indicate mechanical failure — stop normal use to avoid further damage and consider imaging the drive with read-only tools before attempting repairs. Silent but electrically dead symptoms usually point to enclosure or PCB failures; swapping the bridge board or using a different enclosure often restores access.

When replacing an enclosure, match the interface (SATA vs PATA) and size (2.5" vs 3.5"), choose a powered enclosure for 3.5" drives, and prefer well-known bridge chipsets and UASP/USB 3.0 support for speed and reliability. If the data is critical, professional recovery is the safest route.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

maybe the HDD just died...

commented: Same thing I told him in the other post, but I always like to add some troubleshooting advice when I suspect dead hardware. +2
Member Avatar for OlyComputers

+1 to Jbennet, if it doesn't work in any computer it has to be an issue with the external itself.

Try pulling it from the enclosure and hooking it up internally so you know if the problem is the drive itself or the enclosure. If you're not comfortable with this anybody who works on computers should be, so ask a friend.

Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

Thanks Guys,
I'll give a try!

Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

Yah, I used my friend's casing and the HDD worked! Thank God that it survived!
I'll buy new casing.
Thank you guys

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