Is my USB HDD kaput?

[stuartnz]

I tried a fresh install of the current daily on to my USB HDD (Western Digital Elements 1TB). I chose 'replace existing Linux installation' because I wanted it to overwrite the installation that got corrupted by the automatic update on reboot. All seemed to be going well until an unexpected error popped up and it said that the entire drive had to be reinitialised - this despite the fact that the Linux install was only in 350MB of the drive. I accepted the option to abort, as it said that reinitialising would wipe all the data, but then found that something had gone seriously wrong. First, my PC wouldn't boot with the USB drive installed. Then, after shutting the PC down and booting into Windows 7 64 Pro without the USB drive installed, I found that the drive was not recognised by Windows when I plugged it in. It first said "attempting to install the driver software failed" then the next time, listed it as unrecognised device, then subsequently, nothing at all. Now, the drive light is constantly flickering on it, but Windows 7 (and Vista on my laptop) just act like nothing's happened if I connect it.

I'm not worried about the data, as everything on it, bar a half dozen jpegs, is also on my main HD, but is there any way to get my drive back - in any operating system?

[Sylslay]

Is any noise from mechanical point of fiew?

Can You see the drive in windows / control panel/ smothing like "admininistrative tools-section hardrive"?

If you can see the drive in administrative tool, than only partitions can be wrong.

[stuartnz]

No noise that I can hear, but it was always quiet anyway, being only a couple of weeks old. It does not show up in Admin tools, either in Device Manager or Disk Management.

[Fitzcarraldo]

If you have a LiveCD or LiveDVD with GParted on it, such as SystemRescueCd or the SL GNOME LiveDVD, then boot that and see if you can re-partition the USB drive and re-format it.

[joeoden]

If you have no luck with what Fitzcarraldo has suggested and testdisk (from SystemRescueCd) can not restore drive then try the tools that WD supply from their support download page
http://support.wdc.com/product/download ... =3&lang=en
just move your mouse over each picture and click on the one that has your model and download Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows (seeing you have Windows) you might get away with a zero write if drive is recognised also have a read of some of the items from the Knowledge Base link for your model

[stuartnz]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. I did download the WD diagnostics tool last night, but it can't see the drive either. It is looking increasingly like a hardware problem. Happily, the drive is only 3 weeks old, so I'll contact the vendor about a replacement under warranty