WD 1TB External HDD not working on USB 3.0, But works on USB 2.0

[Hashir Zahid]

As the title says, My WD 1TB External HDD is not working on USB 3 port, I mean the light is on I can feel it vibrate, But it isn't getting detected..

It was working fine a few days ago, Until there was a power surge and this problem started.. Since I had 2 USB 3.0 Ports, I plugged it in to the other one it it worked after plugging in and out several times..

Now there was a sec power surge and the same thing is happening again on the 2nd port! I tried plugging the drive in both USB 3.0 ports, But the HDD light just keeps on, Where as it's supposed to be blinking..

Now you might think that the problem is in the HDD, But it cant be since the HDD works fine on a usb 2.0 port..

And the usb 3.0 ports are fine because my mouse and keyboard work on those ports.. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[ffg7]

try re-installing the usb 3 drivers to see if that corrects the problem.

 

[Hashir Zahid]

try re-installing the usb 3 drivers to see if that corrects the problem.

I did, I mean I went to device Manager, And then uninstalled every freakin Human Interface Device AND Universal Serial Bus Controllers..

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there Hashir Zahid,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
As you are facing some HDD related issues, I would advise you to back up the most important data stored on the drive.

Apart from that, I would have said that this was drive related issue, if there were no two power surges and the USB 3.0 ports stopped working one at a time. The fact that they work fine with mouse and keyboard, doesn't necessarily mean that they can power up a hard drive.

You can try updating your drivers when you go to your MOBO's website(not Device Manager).
Is the drive recognized somewhere when connected to the USB 3.0 port? In case it is recognized by Device Manager in some way, you can Uninstall it -> Unplug it -> reboot system -> plug it back in and wait to automatically reinstall drivers.

If these two does not work, then I guess you need to just borrow an external USB 3.0 drive from somebody and attach it to your system. In case the drive behaves the same way, then I guess there may be something wrong with the port.

About the drive, I would say that you can test it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool. The results should tell you if there is something wrong with the drive. Something simple as just changing the USB cable will not hurt. Again, you can attach it to another system that supports USB 3.0 and see whether the issues you are facing are drive or USB port/driver related.

WD's DLG tool: http/products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=Z3Z2yN

Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

 

[Hashir Zahid]

Hi there Hashir Zahid,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
As you are facing some HDD related issues, I would advise you to back up the most important data stored on the drive.

Apart from that, I would have said that this was drive related issue, if there were no two power surges and the USB 3.0 ports stopped working one at a time. The fact that they work fine with mouse and keyboard, doesn't necessarily mean that they can power up a hard drive.

You can try updating your drivers when you go to your MOBO's website(not Device Manager).
Is the drive recognized somewhere when connected to the USB 3.0 port? In case it is recognized by Device Manager in some way, you can Uninstall it -> Unplug it -> reboot system -> plug it back in and wait to automatically reinstall drivers.

If these two does not work, then I guess you need to just borrow an external USB 3.0 drive from somebody and attach it to your system. In case the drive behaves the same way, then I guess there may be something wrong with the port.

About the drive, I would say that you can test it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool. The results should tell you if there is something wrong with the drive. Something simple as just changing the USB cable will not hurt. Again, you can attach it to another system that supports USB 3.0 and see whether the issues you are facing are drive or USB port/driver related.

WD's DLG tool: http/products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=Z3Z2yN

Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

Thanks for such a detailed reply! The drive is not recognized when connected to any USB 3.0 port, But will work on usb 2.0 port.. The light does go on when plugged in the usb 3.0 port, And it does spin and everything, But it just doesn't get detected.. On the usb 2.0 port, The light blinks, I think this tells that the device is readable? I dont have any other usb 3.0 HDD that I might be able to plug in to check if the port is the problem, Neither do I have any other laptop/PC that has a usb 3.0 port... I'm running the test now, I'll post the result later.. BTW, I have also tried this method:

https/technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958122.aspx

With no luck..

 

[D_Know_WD]

Also, you can consider WyomingKnott's point in this thread as well: http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/269131-32-external-works
Though, the easiest way to do so is: different cable, different external drive connected to your USB ports and your HDD connected to another system.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

 

[Hashir Zahid]

Also, you can consider WyomingKnott's point in this thread as well: http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/269131-32-external-works
Though, the easiest way to do so is: different cable, different external drive connected to your USB ports and your HDD connected to another system.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

I guess I'll have to do that.. But the good news is that my MoBo is under 3 years warranty (2 yrs 11 2 weeks remaining ) and HDD still has 3 years warranty left outta the 4 years.. I guess either way I'm safe!

 

[Hashir Zahid]

Also, you can consider WyomingKnott's point in this thread as well: http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/269131-32-external-works
Though, the easiest way to do so is: different cable, different external drive connected to your USB ports and your HDD connected to another system.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

I don't know why, But the drive now works on the USB 3.0 port.. Here is what I did:

Downloaded Elementary OS
Booted it live using a USB drive
Took my HD off the USB 2.0 port and plugged it in the USB 3.0 port
It still didn't get detected, So I restarted to my normal Windows 8.1.
As the computer was booting up, It just started working..

This is really strange, Maybe the USB Port is dying?

 

[ffg7]

where are your usb3 ports located, on the front, back or both?

 

[Hashir Zahid]

where are your usb3 ports located, on the front, back or both?

Back Panel.. But it works now.. For some strange reason.

 

[ffg7]

windows did a hiccup.

 

[Howard_2]

Hi there Hashir Zahid,

Sorry that you are facing some issues with your WD drive.
As you are facing some HDD related issues, I would advise you to back up the most important data stored on the drive.

Apart from that, I would have said that this was drive related issue, if there were no two power surges and the USB 3.0 ports stopped working one at a time. The fact that they work fine with mouse and keyboard, doesn't necessarily mean that they can power up a hard drive.

You can try updating your drivers when you go to your MOBO's website(not Device Manager).
Is the drive recognized somewhere when connected to the USB 3.0 port? In case it is recognized by Device Manager in some way, you can Uninstall it -> Unplug it -> reboot system -> plug it back in and wait to automatically reinstall drivers.

If these two does not work, then I guess you need to just borrow an external USB 3.0 drive from somebody and attach it to your system. In case the drive behaves the same way, then I guess there may be something wrong with the port.

About the drive, I would say that you can test it with WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool. The results should tell you if there is something wrong with the drive. Something simple as just changing the USB cable will not hurt. Again, you can attach it to another system that supports USB 3.0 and see whether the issues you are facing are drive or USB port/driver related.

WD's DLG tool: http/products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=Z3Z2yN

Let me know how this goes,
D_Know_WD

I've just read this ... A load of rubbish . I bought my external drive a while back and it has always failed when trying to connect via USB 3

I suppose it's too late for me to send my drive back now isn't it ?

 

[Hashir Zahid]

I've just read this ... A load of rubbish . I bought my external drive a while back and it has always failed when trying to connect via USB 3

I suppose it's too late for me to send my drive back now isn't it ?

Haha, dude, I fixed it! Simple fix is disconnect your Hard Drive, Turn Off your PC, turn it on and go to BIOS settings, only then plug the drive back into the USB port! Thats How I fixed my issue, hope it works for you as well!

 

[KBT]

Change the cable. i had the same problem and i have changed my cable that came with the external. then it works fine till now.

 

[Hashir Zahid]

Change the cable. i had the same problem and i have changed my cable that came with the external. then it works fine till now.

Like I said in my previous post, all I had to do was disconnect the drive, turn the computer on and go to BIOS settings, plug the drive back in and peww, the drive magically appeared and started working again Never had the problem after doing that!

 

[Rajat_8]

I'm facing the similar problem with my WD Elements 2 TB HDD. It's not getting recognised in usb 3 but is working normally on usb 2. The led light is on but not blinking on usb 3.
Moreover I tried with Seagate external HDD and it got recongnised to both USB 2 and 3.

 

[ffg7]

Rajat_8, start your own thread as hijacking another member's thread is a forum rule no no. you can link to this 1 but starting own thread won't cause any confusion compared to staying in this thread.

 

[hashir2k]

I'm facing the similar problem with my WD Elements 2 TB HDD. It's not getting recognised in usb 3 but is working normally on usb 2. The led light is on but not blinking on usb 3.
Moreover I tried with Seagate external HDD and it got recognised to both USB 2 and 3.

Do as I have done. Plug out your external hard drive and turn off your PC. Then turn the computer on again and go to BIOS settings. Once there, plug the drive back in and the drive will magically appear and start working again.

 

[Christian_113]

Hi,
I don't normally post but this was a real annoyance for a while so when I got the fix, I thought I'd help someone else avoid the hassle. I tried a bunch of different suggestions that didn't work so I won't bother outlining here what I did that didn't work. The fix that worked for me is to update my DRIVE's Firmware. Plug 'My Passport' into a USB 2.0 port and then google 'WD Passport USB 3 drivers' . Go to the WD website and select downloads on the page with the drive on it (should be the page you land on when you click the link). In the downloads section, you'll find a link to WD Universal Firmware Updater for Windows. Download to your computer, extract and run. this will update the firmware on your Passport. Now unplug passport and plug into USB 3.0 port and it will be recognised (sound produced when you plug something into the usb port)- funny thing is, you may still not be seeing the drive in your file explorer. If this is the case, go into your device manager and uninstall the driver for USB Mass Storage device (It's under Universal serial Bus Controllers). Unplug your passport and then plug it back into the USB 3 port and the drivers should now reinstall and the drive should show up in the root of your file system. Hope this helps

 

[adshidi]

Hi Christian_113

tried to install and then uninstall, but that didn't work.Instead, monitor went black, and I have to force shut down, and after uninstalling, the "USB mass stoage device" gone missing. How to bring it back? Should I take firmware update once again in order to run My Passport on USB 3 port? I ve been using My Passport for the last two years and this particular problem cropped up just two months back.Can using it without partition be the reason?