Hardware problem: I/O error

luta

Is there a fix for an I/O error when trying to initialize an external drive.

Drive doesn't show in My Computer but shows as uninitialized in Drive Management, when I try to initialize I get the error it can't be performed because of an I/O error.

Albert

Howdy.

What kind of drive are you connecting, how are you connecting it externally, and is it anew drive or an old drive you know to work?

luta

New drive four months old, WD My Passport SE - usb connection to a W7-8GB-i7 laptop.

Been working perfectly then suddenly didn't show up. Tried it on another laptop, same problem. Uninstalled re-installed drivers etc, no luck still I/O error.

Under warranty so I can get it replaced it's just that I have some stuff on it I would like to keep. Nothing too important that I can't live without though.

macnavarra

have you tried a firmware update yet supose this is you´re Drive--->http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmar...sential&os=WIN

luta

Yes have tried that, it finds the drive, I click update and then get the message

'Firmware update failed on specified drive, close and try again' tried a few times still same message.

Thanks guys, I've tried everything I can think of, was hoping someone may have had success with a fix but it looks as if it'll have to go back for replacement.

cholla

From the Disk management help Vista:
Initialize New Disks
Backup Operator or Administrator is the minimum membership required.

To initialize new disks

In Disk Management, right-click the disk you want to initialize, and then click Initialize Disk.

In the Initialize Disk dialog box, select the disk(s) to initialize. You can select whether to use the master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) partition style.

Note
The disk is initialized as a basic disk.


Additional considerations
New disks appear as Not Initialized. Before you can use a disk, you must first initialize it. If you start Disk Management after adding a disk, the Initialize Disk Wizard appears so you can initialize the disk.

I should have read better . I think you may have done the above. Try a new USB cable.

__________________
cholla pronounced ˈchȯi-yə click on cholla to hear

luta

lol yes cholla, tried all that before I asked here, usb cable is fine,surely the drive wouldn't show up in disk management otherwise would it???

cholla

The cable is a guess but if you have a different one why not give it a try.
Cables can do strange things.
Since you have tried it in two laptops it's probably not your computer or OS.
If you have access to a desktop you might give that a try.
Is this drive powered via USB cable or does it have it's own power transformer ?
Can you hear or feel the drive spin ?

__________________
cholla pronounced ˈchȯi-yə click on cholla to hear

luta

usb connection, when plugged in I can hear the 'clunk' noise as it connects but I don't get the auto play box that usually comes up as it used to BUT it shows up as connected when I click the 'Safely Remove Hardware icon' very strange indeed!

Can hear/feel it spin up when plugged in, a very quiet drive, although it does seem to whir a bit longer, also the blue light comes on.

I think I've tried everything I can so far so will email WD support and expect to get told to send back for replacement. Just a pity some of the stuff on there I hadn't got around to doing a second back up.