Not sure how to recover a Hitachi external drive? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a complete guide to help you understand what can cause data loss and how to recover your data correctly and safely. Let’s get started!
If your external drive from this brand has failed and the files matter, see Bot’s external hard drive recovery, done in our own lab.
One of the biggest fears of anyone who uses external storage devices is losing everything stored on them. But like any electronic device, external drives can fail and put your data at risk.
Hitachi isn’t the best-known brand of storage drives today. Other brands, such as Seagate, ADATA, SanDisk, Toshiba and Samsung, are more widely used. Even so, Hitachi (whose hard drive business, HGST, is now part of Western Digital) has an important place in the market, and if you own one of its drives, you know it is a quality product.
So if you have a Hitachi external drive and you can’t access the files stored on it, this article explains how to get your data back safely. Read on!
What can cause data loss on a Hitachi external drive?
Regardless of the brand, data loss on an external drive can happen for many reasons. Errors, mishaps and careless handling, or a combination of them, can all damage the device.
To help you work out what may have affected your drive, here are the most common causes of problems with external drives:
- Viruses: Unfortunately, computers are often infected by viruses, and without a good antivirus to detect and remove them, they keep spreading. When you connect your drive to an infected computer, there’s a high chance it will be infected too.
- Improper removal: This is another very common cause of data loss. Before unplugging the drive, always click “Eject” so it can be removed safely. Unplugging it while data is being written can corrupt the file system.
- Errors and failures: Errors and failures are often unpredictable and have no single cause. The good news is that, although there are many possibilities, it’s often possible to fix external drive errors without losing your data.
- Mechanical failures: Very common in hard drives, mechanical failures affect the moving parts of the drive, such as the read/write heads and the motor. The symptoms (clicking, grinding or a drive that doesn’t spin) are easier to spot, but this type of failure makes do-it-yourself recovery impossible: turn the drive off and contact a lab.
- Accidents: Finally, there are problems caused by the user, even if unintentionally. A drive can be damaged, and lose data, after being dropped, getting wet, being exposed to humidity or to extreme temperatures.
How do I repair a Hitachi external drive?
If you have a Hitachi external drive, some problems can be solved with a few simple steps.
But pay close attention when you carry them out and, if the data is important, have a professional do it for you. This way, you avoid further damage and the risk of losing your data for good. If the drive makes unusual noises, skip these steps.
Here are 3 ways to repair your Hitachi external drive:
Check the cable and USB ports for problems
Sometimes the problem isn’t the Hitachi external drive itself, but the USB cable you use to connect it, or the USB ports, either on the drive or on the device you connect it to (a computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or game console, for example).
First, try connecting the drive to a different USB port. If that doesn’t work, try another cable and see whether the files can be read and opened normally.
If that still doesn’t work, try the drive with another cable on a different computer.
If none of these tips work, the problem is probably not the USB ports or the cable.
Update the drivers
If the first option doesn’t work, you can update your computer’s drivers to see if they are the problem. It’s a basic solution, but it often works:
- Search for “Device Manager” in the Windows search box and open it;
- Expand the “Disk drives” item;
- Find your external drive, right-click it and choose “Update driver”;
- Finally, wait for the update process to finish and try using your device again.
Fix file system errors
Another option is to fix file system errors on the drive. It isn’t complicated, and Windows has a built-in tool for it. If the problem is in the file system, you may be able to access your data again. Keep in mind that this tool writes to the drive: if the drive has physical problems or the data is important and has no backup, recover the data first.
The process is quite simple:
- Open “File Explorer” on your computer;
- Find your Hitachi external drive and right-click it;
- Click “Properties” and then the “Tools” tab;
- Finally, under “Error checking”, click “Check” and wait for the process to finish.
How do I recover data from a Hitachi external drive?
If you’ve tried all these options and still can’t access the data on your drive, it’s time to turn to a qualified specialist.
Today it’s easy to find companies that provide this service simply and safely, such as Bot Data Recovery.
We recommend that you don’t try “miracle” solutions or follow tutorials from dubious websites. Contact a professional as soon as possible to avoid causing more serious damage to your drive.
Tips for recovering data from a Hitachi external drive
Before you send it to a professional, follow a few tips that will make it easier to recover your data and prevent further damage to your Hitachi external drive.
Here are some recommendations:
- Noticed a problem with the data on your Hitachi external drive? Stop using it immediately so you don’t make recovery harder;
- Don’t save any files to the drive, especially not to the partition where the data is inaccessible;
- Only use recovery programs designed for your operating system; there are specific options for both Windows and macOS;
- If you do recover some of the data, save it to another drive, never to the same partition.
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Conclusion
Because hard drives have mechanical parts, it’s common for external drives to show errors when accessing data. Don’t panic: in many cases the problem can be solved, and with professional help the chances of getting your files back are much higher.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a reliable and experienced data recovery company to handle your device.
With more than 200,000 cases and more than two decades of experience, Bot Data Recovery can help! We specialize in professional data recovery and have recovered data from all kinds of devices.
Starting your recovery is quick and simple. Have any questions? Talk to one of our specialists and find the easiest way to solve your problem.
