External drive problem - help!

[Peter.baw]

Depending on how desperate you are (the cost can be £700) if all else fails, you can go to a professional data recovery place.

Try the other solutions first; they're all good advice.

NEVER password-protect your back-ups on a local drive, the type where you plug it into your computer and ALWAYS have two backups of everything.

Good advice, I hope he gets the data back the main thing is does the drive show if so there is hope....
they have nothing to lose at this point permission's are changed if need be... assuming they don't want or cant pay to have the data recovered
As you say it's expensive...

Me, as soon as they get back into the drive i would be off to the shop or online to get another drive and try and copy
all the data to another USB drive... Or as you say copy to cloud Google Cloud gives you 15GIG free not a lot you can upgrade for little money

 

[Peter.baw]

See below... worth a shot and it saved me doing loads of screen shot's too.... as stated only do below if your sure what to do. I would try this option first once you know the drive is showing on Computer Management window in my first post, 2. Gain Permissions to Access Denied USB Drive​

Can you post the exact message your getting? also does the drive show in Computer Management window as in my first post
if so screenshot this too... it gives us a better idea on how to help you further if we can.

Good luck

​

2. Gain Permissions to Access Denied USB Drive​

If you don't have permission to access the protected USB or hard drive, you will not be able to open the drive and even get the "access denied" error message.

So, another choice is to gain permission for the inaccessible hard drive, USB, or file folders:

Step 1. Right-click the inaccessible hard drive, USB, or file folder, and select Properties.

Step 2. Go to Security, click Advanced and navigate to the Owner tab.

Step 3. Click on "Edit", and click your username under Group or username.

Step 4. Check all boxes in the Allow column and click OK, then click Apply to gain permissions to access your inaccessible device.

If you have important data, you can try to get all the problems fixed without losing any data;

3. Change Drive Letter to Access USB or Pen Drive​

The drive letter is assigned to a USB or pen drive automatically, if the drive letter is incorrect, the hard drive may become inaccessible. In this case, you can change the drive to troubleshoot.

Step 1. Right-click the inaccessible device and select "Rename" > Enter a new drive letter for your inaccessible device to see whether you can open the device or not. If it doesn't work, continue with the below tips.

Step 2. Right-click "This PC/My Computer" > Select "Manage".

Step 3. Click "Disk Management". Right-click on the target disk partition and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths..."

Step 3. On the Change Drive Letter windows, choose "Change" to modify the drive letter, then click "OK".

4. Edit Local Group Policy to Access USB/Pen Drive​

If your USB flash drive, pen drive, or external hard drive is restricted by Windows Local Group Policy Editor, you may encounter an access denied issue. Here is how to adjust Windows Local Group Policy:

Step 1. Click the Search button and type in gpedit.msc. Press Enter to open "Local Group Policy Editor".

Step 2. Click "Administrative Templates" to expand the System folder.

Step 3. Click System and Open the "Removable Storage Access" folder.

Step 4. Double-click to open "Removable Disks: Deny execute access", "Removable Disks: Deny read access", and "Removable Disks: Deny write access".

Step 5. Click "Disabled > OK" to change Windows Local Group Policy to access your USB drive.

5. Run CHKDSK to Fix Access Denied in Command Prompt​

The Command Prompt access denied error usually derives from insufficient privilege or write protection on the awaiting executing disk partition. For example, Diskpart has encountered an error, access is denied".

Step 1. Press Windows + X keys to bring up a black context menu.

Step 2. Choose Comand Prompt (Admin) to open the Command Prompt.

3. Type chkdsk g: /f in the Command Prompt and press Enter. Change the drive letter of the USB drive and replace it with the correct one.

 

[peasemold]

Update:
I managed to open the drive in SM and dragged off it all the bits I really wanted to save. I think that drive is FUBAR - I've tried it on three PCs - so I need a new one - or two.
Can I further search your knowledge and ask for recommendations for an external drive, at least 1Tb, that doesn't cost the earth, please?
Huge thanks to all who offered help, I'd have been stuffed without it!

 

[colinb]

Update:
I managed to open the drive in SM and dragged off it all the bits I really wanted to save. I think that drive is FUBAR - I've tried it on three PCs - so I need a new one - or two.
Can I further search your knowledge and ask for recommendations for an external drive, at least 1Tb, that doesn't cost the earth, please?
Huge thanks to all who offered help, I'd have been stuffed without it!

I recently bought a 1TB memory card for £6.00 or so. Unlike many chinese jobs, it does contain 1 TB. I also have 1TB waterproof and shockproof external USB drives that cost about £45.

 

[Tricky-Dicky]

Update:
I managed to open the drive in SM and dragged off it all the bits I really wanted to save. I think that drive is FUBAR - I've tried it on three PCs - so I need a new one - or two.
Can I further search your knowledge and ask for recommendations for an external drive, at least 1Tb, that doesn't cost the earth, please?
Huge thanks to all who offered help, I'd have been stuffed without it!

If you really want to preserve your data buy yourself a cheap NAS that way your precious stuff will survive if a drive fails.

 

[pjgtech]

Glad you got access to the drive.
I am a fan of large capacity usb memory sticks. I back up important data on a regular basis to one, eg: docs, photos, music, vids, etc and keep one of these usb sticks in a small fire box, so even if the house burns down, I will still (hopefully) have all my data.
I also have a spare laptop that has a copy of all the important stuff, plus I has a NAS box (Network Attached Server/Storage).
IMHO you can never have too many backups.

A guy I used to work with lost a whole years worth of Uni stuff, his dissertation, plus other stuff, etc due to a knackered hard drive and no back ups!

I've had many Sandisk usb memory sticks and none have ever let me down. Make sure you get the fastest speed that your laptop will support, eg: usb 3 rather than usb 2, etc. (I think usb 3.2 is now the fastest?) Plus USB C (new style oval connector) is faster than USB A (old style with flat edge).

Plus I also have a couple of external usb hard drives, one for a laptop and one for my PS4 console. Both are Samsung and seem to work fine. SSD drives are faster than old style HD's. I've had WD Black in the past very fast, and I think WD Blue are the ones that are supposed to be the most reliable? Western Digital (WD) "My Passport" portable type external drives seem to be good quality (about £50 for 1TB).
Cheers

 

[pjgtech]

I recently bought a 1TB memory card for £6.00 or so. Unlike many chinese jobs, it does contain 1 TB. I also have 1TB waterproof and shockproof external USB drives that cost about £45.

Wow, £6? can I ask where from and what make it was? are you sure it was not 1Gb rather than 1Tb, as that is very cheap!
Also bear in mind you want something that is reliable, so cheap is not always best, sometimes its worth paying a bit more to know its gonna work. I tend to stick to known good brands, Sandisk, WD, Samsung, Integral, etc

 

[Zenduri]

Update:
I managed to open the drive in SM and dragged off it all the bits I really wanted to save. I think that drive is FUBAR - I've tried it on three PCs - so I need a new one - or two.
Can I further search your knowledge and ask for recommendations for an external drive, at least 1Tb, that doesn't cost the earth, please?
Huge thanks to all who offered help, I'd have been stuffed without it!

Great news, glad SM worked!

Western Digital external SSD's are pretty solid if its just storing stuff in a draw. If you're not saving important/financial docs on the drive, just photos and videos etc. I would recommend creating a new GMail account then save anything to Google drive but just make sure you dont use that email for anything else so it remains "secure through obscurity". E.G. No-one knows it exists so no-one will try to access it. Also back everything up in 2 places that are unrelated so fi 1 fails it doesnt take both.

I recently bought a 1TB memory card for £6.00 or so. Unlike many chinese jobs, it does contain 1 TB. I also have 1TB waterproof and shockproof external USB drives that cost about £45.

I would seriously check that memory card. Considering 1TB memory cards are £160ish + you either got that 2nd hand from someone who didnt know what they had or you've been had as most of the 1TB memory cards report as 1TB and accept data like a 1TB but actually its just rewriting data over the same 32gb/64gb/128gb. Normally if you try to put anything larger than the actual capacity it will corrupt/ not be usable/viewable.

If that 1TB memory card is new and actually 1TB for £6 ill paint my nuts blue

 

[colinb]

I thought it might be too

Great news, glad SM worked!

Western Digital external SSD's are pretty solid if its just storing stuff in a draw. If you're not saving important/financial docs on the drive, just photos and videos etc. I would recommend creating a new GMail account then save anything to Google drive but just make sure you dont use that email for anything else so it remains "secure through obscurity". E.G. No-one knows it exists so no-one will try to access it. Also back everything up in 2 places that are unrelated so fi 1 fails it doesnt take both.



I would seriously check that memory card. Considering 1TB memory cards are £160ish + you either got that 2nd hand from someone who didnt know what they had or you've been had as most of the 1TB memory cards report as 1TB and accept data like a 1TB but actually its just rewriting data over the same 32gb/64gb/128gb. Normally if you try to put anything larger than the actual capacity it will corrupt/ not be usable/viewable.

If that 1TB memory card is new and actually 1TB for £6 ill paint my nuts blue

I thought it might be too good to be true! I have had other "drives" that behave exactly as you describe. They are usually very slow too.
It was an ali-express.
It claims to be a Lenovo original card, packaged as such. C4MA12141_05 is the reference.
So far it has behaved properly. Only when I get beyond 64G might I start to really believe it.
An offer for you. When/if it gets over 128G actually stored I'll buy the paint?

 

[Zenduri]

I thought it might be too

I thought it might be too good to be true! I have had other "drives" that behave exactly as you describe. They are usually very slow too.
It was an ali-express.
It claims to be a Lenovo original card, packaged as such. C4MA12141_05 is the reference.
So far it has behaved properly. Only when I get beyond 64G might I start to really believe it.
An offer for you. When/if it gets over 128G actually stored I'll buy the paint?

Well good luck with it but I think my nuts are safe £6 off ali express its a 99% chance its a dodgy memory card. it'll work fine up to its actual size but im fairly confident it'll never store 1TB properly.

You could test it by downloading and using "H2testW", select the card then write 100000MB test to it. Given its £6 i would say its 32GB max 64GB so it will fail when you try to write 100GB to it.

Edit: I dont think lenovo even make SD cards. If they did, then it was many many moons ago, probably before 1TB SD cards were even A thing as 1tb micros SD weren't around until 2019

 

[colinb]

Well good luck with it but I think my nuts are safe £6 off ali express its a 99% chance its a dodgy memory card. it'll work fine up to its actual size but im fairly confident it'll never store 1TB properly.

You could test it by downloading and using "H2testW", select the card then write 100000MB test to it. Given its £6 i would say its 32GB max 64GB so it will fail when you try to write 100GB to it.

Edit: I dont think lenovo even make SD cards. If they did, then it was many many moons ago, probably before 1TB SD cards were even A thing as 1tb micros SD weren't around until 2019

Good news! I can save money on paint.
I had another look. First time round it seemed to take just under 64G. I tried for another 32 and it fell over.
But I'm within 90 days so have applied for a refund. It wasn't worth the hassle as the price was £3.18....
My 1TB hard drives do however work OK and presently have over 300G on them.

 

[Zenduri]

Good news! I can save money on paint.
I had another look. First time round it seemed to take just under 64G. I tried for another 32 and it fell over.
But I'm within 90 days so have applied for a refund. It wasn't worth the hassle as the price was £3.18....
My 1TB hard drives do however work OK and presently have over 300G on them.

Least you can refund it and my balls are safe!

 

[OldStock]

For fast external storage I just get an NVME enclosure and stick a decent NVME in it.
That way you have two items that can be reused, or upgraded as prices come down for higher capacity, which is often not the case with "Desktop" USB storage drives (OK I have recycled a few but there are often little gotchas or size limits).