External Drive not recognised

[Irish Paul]

I'd been having trouble with my external drive connecting via USB to my PC, and now the same problem with my MacBook pro...and Im about to tear my hair out!!

Sometimes when i connect it and power it up, it connects just fine, but then other times i hear it spin up, then nothing. The drive is still spinning but doesnt connect to the computer. Usually turning it off and back on, or changing USB ports resolves this, but after capturing footage to it perfectly well on my mac all day yesterday, I ejected and disconnected it properly and went to bed. This morning when I went to connect it - nothing. The drive switches on and spins up, but doesnt connect. Not even to my PC. Ive switched everything off, disconnected all the cables, tried different cables and im at a loss.

Any ideas?? I dont know the make of the drive as it was bought already in a casing. Is it repairable? Im tempted to throw it out the window now as i seem to spend more time fiddling about with it than working!!
https://forums.macrumors.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

 

[iMeowbot]

Im tempted to throw it out the window now as i seem to spend more time fiddling about with it than working!!

If a new USB cable doesn't fix it and it wasn't an expensive drive, the window plan is a good one. No warranty?

 

[Irish Paul]

The window is looking very tempting at the mo!! Im not a boffin on drives, but it was about £90 for 200GB 18 months ago, so im guessing it wasn't the best quality. It had to happen the day after I captured 4 hrs worth of footage to it though, wouldn't it!

 

[iMeowbot]

I suppose you could try buying another enclosure and transplanting the drive, but then you may still find that the disk is the part that died. That would leave you with two working, empty boxes

From there you could return the new box if it's unneeded.

If that 4 hours was your only copy, it might be worth the hassle...

 

[mad jew]

I don't think it's the disk causing the problems so unless the disk is unrelatedly broken (which it sounds like it isn't), then a new enclosure might help. Could you borrow one from a friend or mount this disk in a computer with a spare slot?

 

[Irish Paul]

I see..so you reckon its the case then? I suppose if it was the disk, it just wouldn't work at all, instead of connecting now and again - would it? Thanks for that, that's given me some hope! I've finally got it to connect this morning - but only after a lot of switching on and of, cable changing and swearing.

 

[iMeowbot]

I don't think it's the disk causing the problems so unless the disk is unrelatedly broken (which it sounds like it isn't)

Actually a failing controller board can fit those symptoms perfectly. DIY options for recovering from that one are pretty limited, so let's hope for the enclosure having a bad bridge or something.