# Old external hard drive not opening **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051 "2022-08-03T20:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/1 "2022-08-03T20:09:59Z")
I have an old Maxtor external hard drive, about fifteen years old, which hasn’t been used in a long time. I tried to plug it into my PC today, but it’s not opening. Initially, the drive appears in My PC, but I can’t see its contents, and File Explorer is unresponsive. Then the drive disappears from My PC. The drive appears to be working in that the fan comes on and it makes the same noises that it used to. Googling for solutions, the first result is for a data recovery software site. Googling for info about that site, some people say it’s good, while others say it’s a scam. Any ideas about what to do? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/2 "2022-08-03T20:27:05Z")
Open up Device Manager and open up the Disk drives section. The drive should be there initially if you see it in Explorer. But when the drive disappears from Explorer, does it also disappear from Device Manager? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/3 "2022-08-03T20:38:23Z")
It appears in Device Manager, but then Windows gives me a ‘USB device not recognised/has malfunctioned’ message and it then disappears from Device Manager. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/4 "2022-08-03T20:50:39Z")
Ok. There are a few possibilities, but the best case for you is that the box containing the drive has started malfunctioning. External drives are generally just ordinary desktop/laptop drives in an enclosure with a power supply and USB interface. If either of those are going bad, the drive itself may be fine. I assume you want to recover the data on the drive? The physical drive itself is worthless, and should have been replaced long ago. The only reason to go through more advanced steps is to recover the data; otherwise just toss the whole thing. Assuming you do want the data, the next step would be to disassemble the enclosure and extract the drive inside. Exactly how depends on the enclosure, but usually just amounts to unscrewing a bunch of things. Once you’ve extracted the drive, you can either connect it directly to your PC via internal cabling, or get a USB to SATA adapter like this: > **[Amazon.com: UGREEN SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Cable for 3.5 2.5 Inch SSD HDD SATA...](https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Cable-Adapter-Converter-Support/dp/B00MYU0EAU)** > > Amazon.com: UGREEN SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Cable for 3.5 2.5 Inch SSD HDD SATA III Hard Drive Disk Converter Support UASP Compatible with Samsung Seagate WD Hitachi Toshiba with 12V Power Adapter : Electronics Now that I think about it, 15 years ago it might have been parallel ATA (big ribbon cable). You’ll want to extract the drive first to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/5 "2022-08-03T20:53:17Z")
Incidentally, file recovery software _does_ work in some cases, but it won’t here. If the device disappears from device manager, the software has nothing to work with. Recovery software is only for when you have a flaky but at least semi-functional drive, or the filesystem has become corrupted, etc. Not for hardware failures that cause the drive to “fall off the bus”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/6 "2022-08-03T20:58:37Z")
BTW, can you provide the exact name and model number of the drive? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/7 "2022-08-03T21:07:19Z")
Thanks for the advice. It’s a Maxtor OneTouch III, 1 Terrabyte, about the size of two or more bricks. [![](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/1e83c6ac041487156fc92d6dab3e9f172e5c8f8d/hub/2005/12/27/cf1e81f9-61d3-41a2-9eb2-0965fc6ddae4/maxtor-onetouch-3-turbo-edition-hard-drive-array-1-tb-2-bays-2-10-hd-500-gb-firewire-800-hi-speed-usb-firewire-400-external.jpg?auto=webp&width=768) ](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/1e83c6ac041487156fc92d6dab3e9f172e5c8f8d/hub/2005/12/27/cf1e81f9-61d3-41a2-9eb2-0965fc6ddae4/maxtor-onetouch-3-turbo-edition-hard-drive-array-1-tb-2-bays-2-10-hd-500-gb-firewire-800-hi-speed-usb-firewire-400-external.jpg?auto=webp&width=768) I think I’d be able to manage extracting the drive and putting it through an SATA adapter, as you’ve suggested. I see there are various data recovery services where I live, but I also see they could cost hundreds of dollars, so it’s worth giving the SATA a shot. I’ve probably got most, if not all, the data backed up on other drives, but I can’t be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/8 "2022-08-03T21:20:40Z")
I’m not 100% sure it’s SATA, although I’d put odds on that given that it’s a 1 TB drive. You can get PATA/IDE adapters as well, so that’s not a problem, but you want to be sure before ordering. Or get a combo adapter like this: > **[Amazon.com: AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for...](https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S)** > > Buy AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5", Compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0, with External AC Power Adapter Included: SATA Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases Some external enclosures aren’t completely trivial to get into, since for strange economic reasons they’re often sold more cheaply than the bare drives and the manufacturers don’t want people to buy the external drives only to throw them away and use the drive internally. A beefy flathead screwdriver for prying is recommended in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/9 "2022-08-03T21:23:15Z")
I suppose I should add that it’s worth trying on a different PC first, and with a different USB cable. It’s possible the problem isn’t with the external drive at all. Cables do go bad sometimes. It’s not the most probable failure mode, but it’s an easy thing to rule out. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/10 "2022-08-03T21:35:57Z")
Someone takes one apart here: [https://www.erowid.org/devel/misc/archives/000083.shtml](https://www.erowid.org/devel/misc/archives/000083.shtml) I’ve tried connecting with a couple of USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male cable printer-type cables. It does also have FireWire 400 connectors, although I don’t have leads for these. [![](https://www.erowid.org/devel/misc/galleries/maxtor_onetouch_3/images/img_2167.jpg) ](https://www.erowid.org/devel/misc/galleries/maxtor_onetouch_3/images/img_2167.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/11 "2022-08-03T21:48:02Z")
Firewire is definitely an interesting experiment since it might bypass whatever is flaky about the USB connection. Won’t help if the PSU is on the fritz or there is some more general problem with the controller board. _Probably_ not worth buying a Firewire cable/adapter just to test that, but maybe you can find a friend with one. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/12 "2022-08-03T22:02:45Z")
Maybe it came with a Firewire cable. I’ll have to have a dig around and see. In which case, USB adapters are pretty cheap, so maybe worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/13 "2022-08-03T22:39:40Z")
Thanks for the tips. It’s going to be a few weeks before I’ll be able to make an attempt to tackle the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/14 "2022-08-04T01:33:02Z")
A FEW WEEKS??? you tease, you! Dan ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/15 "2022-08-04T12:49:28Z")
I’m not going to be in proximity to the drive, but I can provide an update when I get around to it if you’re interested! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/16 "2022-08-04T18:48:13Z")
That’s what I was going to say- pop the drive out and slap it in as an internal drive and see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Petek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/petek/32/1590_2.png) [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/17 "2022-08-05T05:36:39Z")
If all else fails, you could try the following: With the drive out of the enclosure, give it a firm (but not too firm) whack with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet. The idea is that an unused drive might have become “stuck.” This technique sometimes worked for me. Should be tried only as a last resort, though. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/18 "2023-03-22T16:53:41Z")
I got the SATA adapter and was going to have a go at disassembling the external drive. Then I wondered whether the replacement universal external drive power supply I bought was capable of powering the drive. Maybe the drive isn’t working because the power supply is not up to it? Here are the details. Replacement power cable: > [@](#): > > Input: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 0.7A > Output: 12V =-=-= 2000mA Maxtor external drive: > [@](#): > > +12V 3A =-=-= ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/19 "2023-03-24T17:26:54Z")
Yes, the power supply could be issue. I had some Seagate externals that wouldn’t work with WD wallwarts, but vice versa would. Given how thick it is, it’s probably two drives, adding to the power required. You best bet is to shuck the drive(s) and use an IDE or SATA to USB adapter. The USB interface in all externals, especially current models are prone to premature failure.9/10 times, bypassing it solves the problem. **DON’T SMACK THE DRIVE OR PUT IT IN THE FREEZER!** Stiction was a possible issue with older IDE drives, but is a thing of the past with newer drive technology. [https://www.pcworld.com/article/419677/that-old-freezer-trick-to-save-a-hard-drive-doesnt-work-anymore.html](https://www.pcworld.com/article/419677/that-old-freezer-trick-to-save-a-hard-drive-doesnt-work-anymore.html) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051/20 "2023-03-24T17:49:54Z")
As I recall, the freezer trick had to do with the angle of the head gap. The R/W head is on an arm, and as the drive gets warm that could cause uneven expansion in the arm, changing the angle of the magnetic head gap until it was no longer close enough to the original angle the patters were recorded at. Cool the assembly so the head is back to original orientation, and you can read the drive - until it heats up again. I imagine modern tech has created head arms that do not have a warping problem, particularly with massive capacity and tighter tolerances. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-external-hard-drive-not-opening/969051.md?page=2)