Catastrophic situation

[ripley]

So, guys (in its general meaning)
My 5To Hard Disc Drive which contains EVERYTHING i love has crashed yesterday night.I have passed several hours, litteraly and several solutions seen on YT or google, even recovery tools, but...
It powers on and the drives spin, but it's not recognized, neither by Disk Management nor by the BIOS.Most of the suggested solutions assume it's recognized and therefore has a drive letter assigned.But no, it doesn't appear anywhere.Do you have a miracle solution?Oh, yes, I've also checked the connections, tried it on the TV, and even swapped PCs.But nothing works. 5TB down the drain... I'm crying inside...
Miracle maybe... Some prayers...
Thanx

[Jazzy]

Ouf!

I had the same problem last year....

Had a new drive installed with all the shebag of re-installing all of programs and stuff.

A tech was able to recover data on crippled HD but.... $$$$$$$$ and transfered on a external disc.

Good luck buddy.

[bazzah]

Ouch Have you tried data recovery software?

[ripley]

QUOTE (Jazzy @ Feb 12 2026, 03:42 PM) Ouf!
I had the same problem last year....
Had a new drive installed with all the shebag of re-installing all of programs and stuff.
A tech was able to recover data on crippled HD but.... $$$$$$$$ and transfered on a external disc.
Good luck buddy.

Thanx Buddy. it is also why i never quit the physical media.

QUOTE (Bazzah @ Feb 12 2026, 05:40 PM) Ouch Have you tried data recovery software?

3 different ones, and also taskdisk, Diskdrill, Stellar data Recovery, Testdisk, and so on...
The problem is that none of them is able to find the disk.
Even Bios don't find it....
I think i will invest in a secure web hoster.
This will save me €200 every three years on equipment I know is unreliable, by definition and from experience (this is the fourth one to break down in five years), and I won't have to worry about anything anymore, except for the internet connection. I've lost all my PSD files... except for the Bond and Hackman ones (and I know that must make you happy).

[stampe]

I'm sorry to hear
We are talking internal disc, right? what brand is it and do you monitor temps?
I'm guessing you don't periodically check drive smart status with something like CrystalDiskInfo. (excellent free tool)

does the drive make noises (clicking, buzzing) ?
if it does, it has failed physically.
if it sounds normal, I would try it with an external sata-to-usb connection or a dock if you have one.

why don't you use ssd's for important stuff?

[ripley]

Thanx stampe.
CrystalDiskInfo is a wonderful tool yes.
And frankly, i have 6 External drives.
4 of 2To each, since 2018 and 2 of 5To.
The 5To since 2023.
Never have problems.
Temperatures are ok

The next one will be SSD. Even if they are expensive
and...
No bizarre sounds, i will try your solution then with sata-to-USB.
What's on this HDD deserves to be saved at all costs.

Thanx a lot Buddy. Maybe you have THE solution...

[bazzah]

QUOTE (ripley @ Feb 12 2026, 05:46 PM) I've lost all my PSD files... except for the Bond and Hackman ones (and I know that must make you happy).

Phew, everything is fine then!
Just kidding. I would consider SSD drives, instead of cloud storage. Or you could get yourself a little backup/media centre, like a synology.

[VincentLupo]

If it is an external drive then it could be that the drive is not actually receiving the power it needs. The drive may still spin up but it won't be recognized by the OS. This can be caused by the internal case components that control the power or it could be your power cable. Try another power cable. If that has the same results then you can remove the drive from the case and install it as an internal drive or use a docking station like Stampe suggested. I've run into this scenario quite a few times with external drives.

[ripley]

QUOTE (Bazzah @ Feb 12 2026, 09:03 PM) Phew, everything is fine then!
Just kidding. I would consider SSD drives, instead of cloud storage. Or you could get yourself a little backup/media centre, like a synology.

I have an ICYBOX too, but, even in direct connecting, it is not recognize

QUOTE (VincentLupo @ Feb 13 2026, 12:55 AM) If it is an external drive then it could be that the drive is not actually receiving the power it needs. The drive may still spin up but it won't be recognized by the OS. This can be caused by the internal case components that control the power or it could be your power cable. Try another power cable. If that has the same results then you can remove the drive from the case and install it as an internal drive or use a docking station like Stampe suggested. I've run into this scenario quite a few times with external drives.

Thanx Vincent.I tried 3 different cables, from different brands, on 3 different devices. It took me a good half hour just for that .And I can't take it apart because all the plastic is welded on, so to speak. But since it's already ruined, I can try to open it.[attachment=51276:Screensh...26_02_14.png]

[Speedz0r]

I break open mine when it was not working. Then plugged it to a USB SATA+PATA adaper and connected it to my PC via USB. I thought it might have been the power that as the issue, therefore breaking it free and giving it power via adapter or directly connecting it to the computer should give it the power it needs. However, it didn't work for me. It was a couple of years ago now, but the problem sounds very familiar. Mine might have died (turn off) after trying to boot up tho.