Weird mechanical HD

xSamuraix1x · 14 Jan 2019 at 21:27

Got a old WD green 1.5.TB drive which only seems to work when it's on its side at a angle, if positioned any other way it will not work, damaged discs? Anyhow, I need to pull off all the info befotr it completely dies. I have no USB 3.0 sockets, so, would buying a USB 3.0 internal device be ok? I have about 1tb worth of data I need to get back.

BlackBat · 15 Jan 2019 at 01:25

If you mean buying an external enclosure/adaptor that has a USB 3.0 interface then yes, as USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. If the HDD is 3.5" then make sure that the enclosure/adaptor has an external PSU, if the HDD is 2.5" it doesn't matter.

xSamuraix1x · 15 Jan 2019 at 01:34

Yes, it's a 3.5" internal hd. I meant those adapters you slot in on the motherboard that has 2 or more USB 3.0 sockets on them, then buying a external caddy that is USB 3.0 and then start transfering everything

bremen1874 · 15 Jan 2019 at 01:44

Why can't you connect it to the motherboard using a SATA cable?

BlackBat · 15 Jan 2019 at 02:35

Yes you could, but why? You're only doing this once, at least an external enclosure may be useful in the future, as soon as you update your motherboard the adaptor becomes redundant, all so you can transfer the data a little faster. If you're that bothered about speed, can you not just connect it directly to your motherboard and wedge it on its side by your PC whilst copy the data like bremen1874 asks? This would be the cheapest solution and you're only going to bin the drive after, but yes as I put before, you could buy a USB 3.0 PCI adaptor card and an enclosure (with an external PSU).

Vexr · 15 Jan 2019 at 02:42

Sling it in the freezer (sealed from moisture). Worked for me on an old dying HDD a few times over before I got diminishing returns with that method. The logic behind it is freezing the drive brings the read/write head back in contact with the platter. If, as you say, the functioning of your HDD is position dependent, then that may be a relevant work around.

If going the HDD caddy route is an option for you, then don't fret about USB 3. A USB 2 caddy would be perfectly fine for a one time pull off of data, just have to wait a bit longer. I used a CiT USB 2.0 3.5" HDD enclosure for a similar purpose (was transferring data between Sky Box HDDs) which cost about £15.