External Hard Drive been using 1 year 2day Windows can not see it

[2Design]

EXTERNAL hard drive

1. Tried different cables
2. Different usb port
3. hooking up to a different computer

Windows does not know it is there

Light comes on
Hear some click on start but no platter boot up
Fan runs

No back up of the last 1 year - yes NOT good

Any ideas on fix to get data

[struggle4progress]

1. You might try another power supply for the disk, in the hopes that

what you're seeing in enough intermittent current to spin the fan but not enough to spin the disk

Beyond that, your options depend on how wealthy, reckless, or handy you feel. If you feel wealthy, you take it to a pro. If you feel reckless, you try some of the stuff you find by websearch -- like putting the drive in the freezer or banging on it; I haven't tried any such extreme measures and so will merely say you can find websites that say such things sometimes work -- but, of course, you can also find websites about alien abductions or humans living with dinosaurs. if you feel handy, you try to figure out whether you think the problem might be with the hard drive motor or logic controller and try to replace one of those

My lawyer tells me to add that I don't really know jackshit about this

[hobbit709]

2. Had three of those lately.

One mine, two were customers. Pried the case open, removed the drives and plugged them into a SATA port on the Motherboard. All were recognized by Windows when booting up. Evidently the little interface board from USB to SATA inside the external case crapped.

[BlueJazz]

3. Good advice, hobbit709....A customer of mine experienced the same symptoms.

I just took the case apart, hooked it up straight and life was good. :)

[canetoad]

4. Yep, agree with the gang

External drive - more likely that the electronics have broke. Take the drive out and hook it up to another computer, chances are it works fine.