It sounds like something in the drive's directories has become corrupted. It may take "some work" to get things back.
There is software out there called "Disk Warrior" which can rebuild bad directories, but I'm not sure if it will work in your case. it might, it might not. Bear in mind that you may try DW and still end up right back where you started - with an unmountable drive.
Going further, there is "data recovery software" that can be used to recover the data from corrupted disks when the directories are no longer accessible or usable. (Note: this is different than DiskWarrior, which only repairs/rebuilds directories).
Some names that come to mind are:
- DataRescue3
-Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery
- Disk Drill
- Nice to Recover
All of these can be downloaded from the developers' sites so that you can "try them out" before you commit to paying the registration fee.
That means, you can launch the app, "aim it" at your problem drive, and it will scan and report on what it finds. I believe they all will permit you to recover _one_ file for test purposes. It the app recovers that one file, there is a very good chance it can recover more, so you then pay your registration fee and get a registration code and the app will finish the job.
Be aware that you will almost certainly lose all pre-existing folder hierarchies and perhaps file names as well. That's standard operating procedure for file recovery software, but the consolation is that you get your files back.
Also, for the data recovery apps to do their job, you will need ANOTHER hard drive to serve as a "scratch drive" to which files can be recovered.
I would recommend something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=usb+sata+dock&x=0&y=0
(many items shown, they all work the same, pick one you like that's cheap)
.... in combination with a bare SATA drive from the vendor of your choice (perhaps you may even be able to scrounge around at university for an old one to use).
Although I don't have experience with this, it's possible that the latest versions of the data recovery apps have routines to repair damaged partitions that won't mount. If you can repair the partition map on the drive it may then re-mount with all your data otherwise intact.
There's no guarantee of that, however. I'm guessing that if the damaged drive won't mount on the desktop, the data recovery app may not be able to "see" it, so that you can "attack" the problem and get the files back.
I've been in this situation myself. My LAST RESORT was to completely re-initialize (yes, you're reading that correctly) the problem drive into a single partition which could be mounted on the desktop. Since the drive (even re-initialized and apparently "empty") could now be mounted, the data recovery app (in my case, DataRescue) could now "see" the drive and "get at" it. And that's how I got my files back.
You're thinking, "how am I going to get my data back after I've reinitialized the drive?". Remember what "re-initialization" actually DOES: it just erases the old directory and replaces it with a fresh one showing the drive as "empty". Re-intialization in itself does not "touch" the actual data on the drive (located in the drive's sectors) -- it just "marks them as empty", regardless, so that new data can be written over. But the "old data" remains there until you write new data over it.
Data recovery software is designed to "bypass the directories" completely and "go right to the platters" to locate, scavenge, and then re-assemble the data. And the app then saves the rebuilt data onto a fresh, "scratch drive" (that's why you need to buy another drive).
WARNING WARNING WARNING:
Do not, DO NOT choose to "zero out" the drive if you re-initialize it. This WILL "wipe the platters clean" and there will be nothing left to recover!
You want ONLY to replace the drive's directory!
Again, this is a radical, "last ditch effort" approach. But it DID work for me when all else seemed lost.
Final thought:
One does not keep files that are so valuable that you would "pay anything to get them back" on only ONE drive. That's what "backups" are for.
In the future, if you have stuff that is THAT important, you ought to have at least "one more storage location" for it. It could be another hard drive or even a flash drive. Something is better than nothing....
