WD My Passport drive does not spin up, is not recognized, or makes a clicking sound when connected to a computer Answer ID 1296 This answer explains what to do when a WD My Passport drive does not spin up, tries to spin but clicks, or is not recognized at all when it is connected to a USB or FireWire port on a PC or Mac..*.
Summary
WD Passport data recovery software is helpful when files were accidentally deleted, or a WD HDD, external HDD or SSD becomes inaccessible, corrupted, not responding and virus infected. Download the software and follow the guide to recover data from WD Passport internal or external hard drive. It's simple and easy.
WD Passport Data Recovery Software
'I have been using a WD My Passport external hard drive for two years. It's a backup drive that stores all my personal files. Recently, the system reminds me of hard drive not formatted error every time when I connect it the computer. And one time I mistakenly choose 'yes' when it asked me if I want to format the hard disk. The result is that the WD My Passport hard drive is formatted and I lost almost 500 pictures and 200 video files. Is there any program can help me recover data from WD My Passport hard drive after format?
Whenever your data is lost on a WD My Passport hard drive, please don't worry! It is possible for you to get them back with a fast and efficient data recovery program. EaseUS disk data recovery is a professional file recovery software that can help you effectively recover data from a WD passport with a few simple steps in all data loss cases.
How to Recover Data from WD My Passport Hard Drive
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is good at hard drive recovery and partition recovery. It supports 250+ types of files including pictures, videos, documents, emails and audio files. And, other than hard drive data recovery, this professional software also performs well with memory card recovery. Now you can download its trial version for the first try. The trial version uncovers all the data recovery features in the full version, including hard drive scan and files preview.
Step 1. Choose the WD hard drive to scan.
Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, locate the Western Digital hard drive and click 'Scan'. Let this program fully scan the WD hard drive and don't stop it in midway.
Step 2. Preview lost files in WD hard drive from the scan result.
You can choose to preview files like pictures, documents, videos or audio files from the scan result in 'Deleted Files', 'Lost Files'. Filter or Search also works to help you find lost WD hard drive files via file types, names and even extensions.
Step 3. Select and restore found WD hard drive files.
Choose the wanted files you'd like to restore and click 'Recover' them. Do not save the data to the original WD drive in case of further data overwriting.
For simple file deletion and hard drive formatting, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard performs so well, and the successful recovery rate is pretty high, up to 99.73%.
However, most of the time, many WD hard drive owners are facing more serious data loss issues, especially resulting from hard drive problems. As long as Window system detects your hard drive in the Windows Disk Management (to access Windows Disk Management, go to My Computer/This PC - Manage - Disk Management), no matter what state it is, you can still apply EaseUS software to resue files.
The commonly seen WD hard drive problems include:
Hard drive file system becomes RAW
Windows asks the hard drive is not formatted, do you want to format it now
Hard drive is not accessible, corrupted, damaged and bad sectors were found.
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As of 2018, Western Digital offers no shortage of external drives for Mac computers – from the My Book Essential to the My Book Pro and the My Book Studio, nearly 30 WD drives play nicely with Apple’s macOS operating system, as does the My Passport Studio model.
But with more than 262.5 million PCs shipped in 2017, according to data from Statista, there’s a good chance your Passport Studio will need to play nicely with a Windows computer, too. When it comes to cross-platform flexibility, you’ve got a few options for crossing the Mac and PC streams.
About eFAT and FAT32
Here’s something your My Passport for Mac Quick Install Guide might not tell you: Hard drives usually come formatted in two different ways, one catering to Windows and one catering to Mac. NTFS-formatted drives work with Windows computers, and HFS+ drives work with Mac.
However, by formatting your My Passport differently, you can ensure compatibility in a variety of different ways. Hard drives formatted to exFAT or FAT32 can read and write data on both Mac and PC operating systems, though FAT32 is limited to a 4-gigabyte-per-file size limit. Formatting your drive will erase all its data, so be sure to back it up before making the change.
External Drive for Mac to Windows 10
If you’ve got a WD external drive for Mac platforms and you want it to work on a Windows 10 PC, exFAT format is your best bet. To start formatting, connect your WD Passport to your Mac; then open “Mac HD” and click “Applications,” “Utilities” and “Disk Utility.” From the Disk Utility window, select the Passport hard drive.
Here, you’ll usually see two listings of partitions available on the drive – select the listing that is furthest left. Click the Disk Utility’s “Erase” button; assign the drive a name in the “Name” field; then hit “Erase,” and click “Done” when the erasing process is complete. Now, click the “Partition” button at the top of the Disk Utility and click “Format.” Choose “exFAT” from the drop-down menu that appears and click “Apply” to format the drive, which will take a few minutes. Once the formatting is complete and you get a message that says “Operation successful,” click “Done.”
To Windows 8 and Earlier
The external drive for Mac to Windows 8 transition makes use of Window’s built-in Disk Management software rather than the macOS Disk Utility, but you’ll still want to format your WD Passport as an exFAT drive.
To do so, connect the Passport to your PC, enter the Windows 8 Start menu and choose “Disk Management.” In the Disk Management app, right-click on the drive and select “New Simple Volume...” from the menu that appears. This brings up the New Simple Volume Wizard. Click the “Next” button until you get to the “Format Partition” window and choose “exFAT” under “File System” (you can also change the name of the drive under “Volume label” if you wish). Make sure the “Perform a quick format” box is checked, and click “Next” when you’re ready. Click “Partition” and then “Finish” to format the drive to a cross-platform compatible exFAT mode.
References (2)
About the Author
As the co-founder of an LLC, the owner of a small business and a partner at an S-corporation (all working in media), Dan is no stranger to small business. As a business writer, he's contributed to publications including Chron.com, AZCentral, Fortune, GlobalPost, MSN Money, GoBankingRates, Zacks.com, The Motley Fool and more.
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Ketchum, Dan. 'How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html. 30 August 2018.
Ketchum, Dan. (2018, August 30). How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html
Ketchum, Dan. 'How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC' last modified August 30, 2018. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html
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