Files Missing but Folders Appear I purchased this external hard drive and copied over music and other files a few days ago. After copying my files (more than 15,000 MP3s, etc.) today the folders are all on the hard drive but each folder is empty. Everything is missing and icons for Word and Excel documents appear but do not open. I am not using the supplied software; I just dragged stuff from my hard drive to the portable drive. Are there any solutions to retrieving the files? I tried unplugging the unit, but that didn't seem to help. Files Missing but Folders Appear I purchased this external hard drive and copied over music and other files a few days ago. After copying my files (more than 15,000 MP3s, etc.) today the folders... » Read More Files Missing but Folders Appear I purchased this external hard drive and copied over music and other files a few days ago. After copying my files (more than 15,000 MP3s, etc.) today the folders are all on the hard drive but each folder is empty. Everything is missing and icons for Word and Excel documents appear but do not open. I am not using the supplied software; I just dragged stuff from my hard drive to the portable drive. Are there any solutions to retrieving the files? I tried unplugging the unit, but that didn't seem to help. « Show Less
32461
I have the same problem. I also have not found a solution. I get a delayed write error and then all the folders etc are empty. I have searched for days for a solution (on mine, the contents ARE still there but aren't shown and can't be accessed unless there is a short cut on my desktop). If someone knows what to do, please help.
258045
I have found that if I unplugged the hard drive from my computer, and then plug it back in, the files appear on the hard drive again. So now I just leave it unpugged all of the time and only hook it up to my computer when I need to copy something over. I also called Western Digital back last year and they were willing to take it back and send me a new one, so if it's still under warranty you may want to try that.
775052
I dunno if it's a formatting thing, but I tried to plug in my portable 120GB external drive, and it blanked. My 1GB stick came up with a menu though, so there's gotta be a size limit somewhere, I just don't know where it it.
1577969
Well, a USB back up? SO you have turned it into a external hard drive? If so it most likley just needs to be configured into what you want it to do. Odd though, never had this problem with any hard drive I have ever worked with or bought.
127406
I had a similar problem on Windows 7 after using a USB portable drive on a trip with my XP laptop. I plugged it into my Win7 desktop and the device was recognized, but did not come up with a drive letter. Using the control panel disk manager, I found and error message that it was offline because of some kind of a resource conflict with another drive. I was able to correct the problem by using a right click in the disk manager to put it online. I think this is a Win7 bug, not a problem with the drive.
177414
I am running Mac OS10.10.1 I use two programs on a regular basis to keep my files in good order: Alsoft's "Disk Warrior" which corrects mess-ups in the file structures and Prosoft's "Drive Genius 4" which will also repair or rebuild your file structures, among other good things like defraging. You may have to drag that corrupted Excel file to your desktop first. Hope this helps. Barry B
2186110
Hi Lori,You say you're unable to view anything on the drive but its recognized. Could you explain this more fully? Do any folders show up on the drive or anything?
2244051
Did you assign a drive letter to the drive? Right-click on "my computer" in windows explorer, select "manage." Under "computer management" window you just opened, go to "storage" then "disk management." You should be able to find the disk you just dropped into the dock. Assign a drive letter if it doesn't have one already. It took me a while to figure out this problem after I dropped in a drive I just cloned. Hope this helps.
2912
Normally when you plug in you should see the files on the drive from my computer which you can transfer, delete or copy to, sometimes computers asks you if you want to backup to a storage device, you should choose no, other than that if you keep on getting this backup issue there are free software you can use to retrieve your files from hard drives.
225253
I store all my music on an external hard drive.....so when my computer went up.....I still had all the music there....reloaded iTunes on the new computer (although I did lose playlists, etc....but not any of the actual songs, videos or photos) and I was back up and running with not too much time spent......
1089816
I can only tell you about my experience - I was in the process of transferring files to the drive. The transfer stopped about an hour in, and my system no longer recognized the drive's existence. Rebooting did not help. I also tried the drive on other computers, and they failed to recognize the drive also. The return process was fairly painless and my refund was processed very quickly.
2043015
Thanks for the comeback, I accidently found the recordings in the "Record State" page this morning and was able to view them. my next task is how to save them for later viewing since it has erased them???? The FORMAT box is not checked and overwrite is disabled in the HDD page.
1318071
Mine is not working properly. when I save files over 128GB. The files disappear and I have only empty folders even though the drive shows that the space is being used. It is a waste of money.
1599691
As I answer, remember... my hard drive got wiped. Make certain you switch your hard drive to "slave" status if you haven't already. Otherwise, you should be OK.
438072
I just bought one of these a few days ago, and I bought a 2GB microSD card to go with it. When I plugged the device (with microSD inserted) into my computer, it shows up as TWO separate external drives ("disk" and "disk-1"). I then dragged files to them separately. But... when the device is removed, it displayes "refresh database, do not remove SD card" (or something similar) and thinks for about 30 seconds. After that, it appears that the two separate file systems are seen as ONE by the device itself.I am using Linux (Ubuntu 7.04). I'm not sure if it is different with Windows platforms. I just bought one of these a few days ago, and I bought a 2GB microSD card to go with it. When I plugged the device (with microSD inserted) into my computer, it shows up as TWO separate external drives ("disk" and "disk-1"). I then dragged files to them separately. But... when the device is removed, it displayes "refresh database, do not remove SD card" (or something similar) and thinks for about 30 seconds. After that, it appears that the two separate file systems are seen as ONE by the device itself.I am using Linux (Ubuntu 7.04). I'm... » Read More I just bought one of these a few days ago, and I bought a 2GB microSD card to go with it. When I plugged the device (with microSD inserted) into my computer, it shows up as TWO separate external drives ("disk" and "disk-1"). I then dragged files to them separately. But... when the device is removed, it displayes "refresh database, do not remove SD card" (or something similar) and thinks for about 30 seconds. After that, it appears that the two separate file systems are seen as ONE by the device itself.I am using Linux (Ubuntu 7.04). I'm not sure if it is different with Windows platforms. « Show Less
1495588
I am not sure how to retrieve it based upon my experience. You might take the computer to a store that has tech report and they might be able to find it on the hard disk. Obviously prevention is the best thing. I usually back up to an external drive and also I use Carbonite to have a copy on line.I hope that helps.DMI
327002
I have not recovered any deleted files from this device as of now. But it should be similar to recovering data from a regular flash drive. There are various software that can help you with this. But i would read reviews on internet before using anyone of them
1498479
When you connect to your computer, your computer should recognize the device as a "USB Device." In Windows, look in "My Computer." Once you connect, you should be able to explore the device/drive. DO NOT DELETE any of the files you find. If you are successful connecting, there will be a folder that contains .mp3 files - I was successful with adding files to that folder that were then usable. However, with all that said, the device itself is very difficult to use, especially if you are expecting it to function like an "iPod." I hope this helps.