Hard Disk Repair | DataRecoveryUnion.com

In some cases, shutting down the system without properly unmounting the drive results in data corruption. If the OS stops the device while data remains in the drive cache, data can be lost or file system damage can occur. To avoid possible data corruption, it’s recommended that FireWire and USB drives be properly unmounted from the Mac OS prior to turning off the system.

To safely disconnect the drive, simply drag the drive icon to the trash. This will assure that all data is properly cleared from the drive cache before the drive is removed. At this point the FireWire or USB data cable can be safely removed and the drive and Mac system can be powered off.

Hard Disk Repair

Problems using a USB hard drive with a USB hub, PCI card, or PC card

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago4 years ago04 mins

Causes:

The BIOS and/or driver for the third-party device may be out of date.
There may be too many USB devices connected to the same hub or card, and they may be conflicting with each other.
Windows or Macintosh may have problems communicating with more than one USB device at the same time.
The USB hub or card may be defective and may need to be replaced.
The USB hub or card may not work well enough to allow for the fast data transfer rates that the drive is capable of.
The USB hub may require its own power supply.

Solutions:

Update the system BIOS for the computer/motherboard and the hub or card if possible. There may also be driver updates on the website of the device manufacturer that need to be installed.
Try removing some of the other USB devices connected to the same hub or card to see if the drive can be recognized. Also try moving the drive to a different input after first safely stopping the drive with the Windows system tray icon to prevent data corruption or loss. If that does not work, try connecting the drive directly to the computer’s USB input to determine if the drive will work when it is not connected to the hub or card. If the drive works correctly when connected directly to the computer, technical support for the USB hub or card should be obtained from the device manufacturer.
Install the latest service pack or update for your version of Windows or Macintosh to ensure that any operating system USB updates are installed and running.
If other USB devices will also not work when connected to the USB hub or card, technical support for the USB hub or card should be obtained from the device manufacturer.
If the USB drive works correctly when connected directly to the computer, but not when connected to the USB hub or card, and all the solutions listed above have been attempted, an incompatibility between the devices may exist and the drive should only be used when connected to the computer or another USB hub or card that can support the high-speed data transfer rate of the USB external hard drive.
Verify that you have the USB hub connected to it’s power supply and that it is running.

Hard Disk Repair

What file and partition size limits does the FAT32 file system have?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago4 years ago02 mins

FAT32 offers the best compatibility for PC and Mac operating systems, including cross-platform compatibility with the MAC OS X. However, FAT32 has inherent limitations in regards to file size, partition size, and performance.

Limitations under Windows, Mac OS 9, and Mac X:

A file cannot be transferred to a FAT32 partition if the file is larger than 4GB.
Apple’s Time Machine backup utility will not store data on FAT32 partitions.

Limitations under Windows 2000/XP/Vista:

A FAT32 partition cannot be created that is larger than 32GB.
A file cannot be transferred to a FAT32 partition if the file is larger than 4GB.
FAT32 file system performs more slowly than NTFS (Windows) or Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus, Mac).

Using an external hard drive with Windows:

Note: When using an external drive with Windows 2000/XP/Vista it is recommended that you reformat the drive to the NTFS file system.

Using an external hard drive on a Mac:

Note: It is recommended that you format the drive in the Mac OS Extended file system (HFS Plus).

Hard Disk Repair

Code 10 Error Message “This device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed”

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago12 years ago02 mins

Problem:
Code 10 status is displayed in Windows XP Device Manager for a USB or FireWire device.

Cause:
The device is not recognized or there is a problem with the device drivers. Commonly, the error message displayed will be similar to the following:

“This device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed” (Code 10)

Solution:
Upgrade the device drivers for this device. To resolve this error code, make sure the device is connected to the computer correctly. For example, make sure all cables are plugged in fully and that all adapter cards are properly seated. Follow the suggested solution button provided by Windows and update the device driver. It may be possible to remove the device and redetect it using the Add New Hardware wizard.

Note: If the solution above does not help, the drive may have failed. It is recommended that you try to connect the drive to a second PC running Windows 2000 or XP. If the same error message is shown in the Device Manager of the second PC as well, the drive has failed and needs to be replaced.

Hard Disk Repair

3 Ways to find the serial number of WD Drive

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago7 years ago02 mins

There are 3 ways to find the serial number of your WD drive:

Option 1 – If you are using Windows

Use Windows Data Lifeguard Diagnostics. The software can provide the serial and model number of the WD drive in your system. The software will work for all of the following types of drives: EIDE, and Serial ATA. It also works with many USB 2.0 and FireWire external drives.

Option 2 – PC Only

If you have not installed an operating system, use Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (floppy) or Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (CD). The software can provide the serial and model number of the WD drive in your system.

Option 3

The serial number is located on the label on the back or side of the drive. Please note that the location will vary according to the drive. It is usually proceeded by a “S/N:” or “SN:”. If you are unable to read the serial number, many customers have taken digital pictures of the label and enlarged it on their computer to make it easier to read.

Option 4

You can also check the box packaging on a retail-boxed WD internal or external drive. Usually the serial number is on the sticker that contains the barcode

Hard Disk Repair

Are USB or FireWire hard drives affected by Operating System and BIOS capacity limitations?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago2 years ago02 mins

USB and FireWire hard drives are not affected by motherboard BIOS capacity limitations.

The FireWire 1394a, 1394b, USB 1.1, and USB 2.0 protocols natively support 48-Bit LBA (Logical Block Addressing). The 48-Bit LBA standard is for addressing support of hard drives larger than 137GB. There may be an Operating System limitation related to drives over 137GB.

All Mac Operating Systems later than 9.0 support 48-Bit LBA natively.
For Windows 2000, Service Pack 3 (or later) must be installed to add 48-Bit LBA support to Windows.
For Windows XP, Service Pack 1 (or later) must be installed to add 48-Bit LBA support for Windows.
These Operating System updates can be downloaded from Microsoft’s Website.

It is important to note that the reported capacity of a large drive may often appear as less than expected. Please remember that, depending on the particular utility used, the capacity of the hard drive can be reported in either decimal gigabytes (where 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes) or in binary gigabytes (where 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). Highlighting your C: drive in Windows Explorer reports the drive capacity in binary gigabytes. For example, a WD2000BB hard drive’s capacity will be reported as approximately 186 binary gigabytes.

Hard Disk Repair

How does WD Sync encrypt your data?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago12 years ago11 mins

WD Sync password protects your synchronized data to ensure a high level security. All synchronized data is 128-bit encrypted (AES 128-bit encryption). This data cannot be accessed from outside the WD Sync program (the program must be run in order to access the data).

When run, WD Sync leaves absolutely no files behind, keeping your information secure, regardless of the system you’re using. You can use a public computer, a friend’s computer or a colleague’s computer without leaving behind any trace (cookies, temp & history files). With WD Sync, your personal files and Outlook/Outlook Express files remain on your Passport hard drive, and are not copied to the computers you visit.

Hard Disk Repair

USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or FireWire – What is the recommended solution for data storage?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago4 years ago15 mins

1. What is USB 2.0?

USB 2.0 is the industry standard peripheral connection type for most x86 computers (Windows based). This specification is rated with maximum transfer rate of 480Mb/s (60MB/s). Sustained transfer rate of USB 2.0 depends on many factors including type of device in use, data being transferred, and speed of the computer system. A normal sustained data transfer rate for USB 2.0 ranges from 10-30 MB/s. Only burst data transfers can reach the 480Mb/s rate.

What are the benefits of USB 2.0?

USB 2.0 is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
There’s no need for terminators, memory addresses or ID numbers with USB devices.
Various sorts of devices can plug into a USB port: external hard drives, digital cameras, printers, Zip drives, SuperDisk drives, floppy drives, mice, keyboards, etc.

2. What is USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 is the replacement connection type for USB 2.0. This specification is rated with maximum transfer rate of 4Gb/s. Sustained transfer rate of USB 3.0 depends on many factors including type of device in use, data being transferred, and speed of the computer system. Sustained transfer rates can reach speeds of 3.2 Gbit/s.

What are the benefits of USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
There’s no need for terminators, memory addresses or ID numbers with USB devices.
Various sorts of devices can plug into a USB port: external hard drives, digital cameras, printers, Zip drives, SuperDisk drives, floppy drives, mice, keyboards, etc.
USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, and USB 2.0 devices will work on a USB 3.0 port (both at USB 2.0 speeds)

3. What is FireWire?

FireWire is a high-performance connection standard for personal computers and consumer electronics. Originally developed for Apple computers, this connection has been implemented by x86 computers for some time now. FireWire can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices at transfer rates of up to 400 Mb/s (50 MB/s). A new FireWire specification, FireWire 800 (or FireWire B) has entered the computer market with transfer rates of up to 800 Mb/s (100MB/s).

What are the benefits of FireWire?

FireWire is “hot swappable,” eliminating the need to reboot or restart your computer when attaching a device.
There is no need for terminators, memory addresses of ID numbers with FireWire devices.
Though USB 2.0 is rated at a higher throughput speed (480Mb/s related to FireWire’s 400Mb/s), FireWire delivers faster performance for sustained transfer rates on external hard drives. This is because FireWire has lower overhead (less instructions that the CPU has to interpret related to USB 2.0).

Which connection type is better? USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or FireWire?

If you plan on transferring large amounts of data often, then USB 3.0 would be the best connection type for you.
If you are doing Audio/Video or are on a Mac, than FireWire would be a good choice as many of these programs recommend FireWire over USB 2.0, and Apple currently does not support USB 3.0.
If you want the versatility of connecting the hard drive to many different computer systems quickly and easily, and transfer rates are not that important, then USB 2.0 would be the ideal because it is compatible with both PCs and Macs, and most computers today still have USB 2.0 ports.

Hard Disk Repair

Slow transfer rates from my USB 2.0 drive in Windows

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago4 years ago01 mins

Problem:
A USB 2.0 drive appears to be performing slow data transfers.

Cause:
The drive may be running at USB 1.1 speeds.

Resolution:
Make sure that your system is configured to control the drive under the USB 2.0 specification.

Verify that you have a USB 2.0 host adapter or motherboard.
If the motherboard has embedded USB 2.0 ports, be sure the drive is connected to the USB 2.0 ports. Some motherboards have 1.1 ports in one area and 2.0 ports in another (they look the same).
Contact the motherboard or host adapter manufacturer to verify that the proper USB 2.0 controller drivers are loaded correctly.

Note: If you’ve checked with your motherboard or computer manufacturer, and have found that you only have USB 1.1 capability, you will need to install a USB 2.0 compliant PCI card (desktops), or a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card (laptops) in order to get USB 2.0 transfer rates.

Hard Disk Repair

Things you should know about external hard drives

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM14 years ago12 years ago01 mins

Depending on availability of parts during production, the internal hard drive in an external enclosure could be either SATA or EIDE.
They can only guarantee drive capacity. They cannot guarantee a particular internal hard drive model, data interface, rotational speed, or cache size in the external hard drive enclosure.
Dismantling any single-drive external enclosure to obtain this information will void the warranty of the hard drive.
Interface and cache of the hard drives inside the external enclosure does not affect the performance or the data transfer rate of the external hard drive unit.

Note: With the exception of eSATA and USB 3.0 external hard drives, USB 2.0 and Firewire 400/800 have yet to approach the transfer rates of the internal hard drives we use in our external enclosures.