Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

Using TestDisk to repair the filesystem
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ecable
Posts: 3
Joined: 22 May 2014, 07:09

Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

#1 Post by ecable »

I am trying to recover files from an external HD that is connected via USB on a Linux system. When I plug the drive in, I can feel the drive spin up. I run dmesg and I can see that the system recognizes that a drive was plugged in, but only goes through a couple of lines.

Here is what happens with the drive in question:
[ 1646.023029] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 9 using ehci-pci
[ 1646.155199] usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=13fd, idProduct=1617
[ 1646.155211] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0


Here is an example of a successfully mounted drive:
[ 1715.006662] usb 2-3: New USB device found, idVendor=1058, idProduct=0704
[ 1715.006675] usb 2-3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 1715.006682] usb 2-3: Product: External HDD
[ 1715.006688] usb 2-3: Manufacturer: Western Digital
[ 1715.006693] usb 2-3: SerialNumber: 5758453330384A584B313432
[ 1715.007229] usb-storage 2-3:1.0: Quirks match for vid 1058 pid 0704: 8000
[ 1715.007292] scsi7 : usb-storage 2-3:1.0
[ 1716.004436] scsi 7:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD 1600BEV External 1.05 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4
[ 1716.006380] sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg4 type 0
[ 1716.007725] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] 312581808 512-byte logical blocks: (160 GB/149 GiB)
[ 1716.008894] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off
[ 1716.008906] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 21 00 00 00
[ 1716.012432] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] No Caching mode page found
[ 1716.012444] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1716.016389] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] No Caching mode page found
[ 1716.016399] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1716.056223] sdd: sdd1
[ 1716.060440] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] No Caching mode page found
[ 1716.060452] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1716.060461] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI disk

So the system doesn't see the drive, and testdisk can't see the drive either. I know this isn't a test disk question, per se, but maybe someone has a suggestion on how to fix this issue.
The things that stand out to me are the zeros that are returned for the manufacturer, product and SN. Maybe this is a clue, but maybe not. Any ideas?

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cgrenier
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Re: Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

#2 Post by cgrenier »

Can you extract the disk from the USB case and connect it directly via SATA ?
Note that most WD MyPassport are USB connector only...

ecable
Posts: 3
Joined: 22 May 2014, 07:09

Re: Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

#3 Post by ecable »

I had removed the disk from the enclosure, and on a whim plugged it in via the USB again. It mounted properly, so I copied all the files off the disk. I would have to remove the USB card from the drive and I assumed it had a SATA port, but I never got that far. So for this disk, it will be taken out of service, but it doesn't appear that there is a way for force a mount in this situation is there?

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cgrenier
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Re: Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

#4 Post by cgrenier »

There was probably a bad connexion, it can explain why only the USB interface has been seen and not the disk itself.

ecable
Posts: 3
Joined: 22 May 2014, 07:09

Re: Linux repair attempt - external WD MyPassport

#5 Post by ecable »

I don't think it was just a one time bad connection. The drive was unmountable on a variety of win computers, and you couldn't even see it to try and assign a drive letter to force a mount. I was surprised when I plugged it into my linux box and it mounted the first time. At the time, I was an idiot and didn't copy the files immediately, figuring it would mount again. I then tried on a couple win machines and it wouldn't work. The second time I tried to mount it, is when I started having trouble on the linux machine and posted the dmesg logs where the drive wasn't properly recognized. The system clearly recognized that something was plugged in and there was power, but I tried many times and only got the same dmesg response. this time, all the proper information was returned and in was mounted correctly. I copied the files, of course. But I was wondering if there was a way to tell the system what the proper information for the drive should be and to have it mounted manually?

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