I think my external hard drive broke... am i right?

[trixstar]

So i have a Cavalry 500GB external HDD that i bought from bestbuy during boxing day. Today after i came home, i found it to be extremely hot. It felt burning to the touch.. I connected it to my laptop to see whether it was working but, the laptop only recognized it as drive G:, but the drive itself could not open, or load properly. I also found that the light on the drive was not consistant anymore and it would turn on for 2 seconds and off for like 5 seconds as if it was trying to read something.

Is my HDD fried? I still have the reciept for it. Could i possibly return it to bestbuy? It should have 1 year warranty..

[trixstar]

the site says that the warranty on the drive is 1 Year Limited. Is this best buy's warranty? can i return/repair/exchange it instore? or do i have to RMA it?

[TruE SkiLLS]

the site says that the warranty on the drive is 1 Year Limited. Is this best buy's warranty? can i return/repair/exchange it instore? or do i have to RMA it?

limited ususally means warranty.

[Realrena]

Dead or not, if you think it's problematic, or not working as you think it should, then just bring it back and ask them what they can do about it. Afterall, this is Bestbuy we're talking about, right?

[troyousity]

Unfortunately you have to rma it. Just an advice.....next time don't buy external hdds. Get an external enclosure and hdd seperately that way you'll have about 3 to 5 years of warranty on the hdd.

[trixstar]

Unfortunately you have to rma it. Just an advice.....next time don't buy external hdds. Get an external enclosure and hdd seperately that way you'll have about 3 to 5 years of warranty on the hdd.

bestbuy won't honour the 1 year warranty? if i rma it, i'm responsible for shipping right??

[7jaii]

bestbuy won't honour the 1 year warranty? if i rma it, i'm responsible for shipping right??

Coverage varies according to brand and if BB offered extended warranty on the unit. Generally, for FS/BB/Staples, once it passes the exchange date you're responsible for RMA. In fact, it's better to RMA because Staples & FS' internal policy states their technician needs to inspect and recommend replacement --> then they ship it for RMA and you wait 30-45 days (in some cases like laptops). They really know how to screw things up.

Best method is buy OEM HDD and install into quality external like Vantec3 eSATA. When you RMA, every company has very specific details regarding packaging - if you don't follow instructions they will void your claim (ie. receive no replacement).

RMA within Canada should be under $16. Replacement is usually "Refurb/Recert". If they ask you to ship to U.S. or Germany (Trekstor) then all bets are off...pretty pricy.

[trixstar]

oh great.. i don't think i'll waste my time + money to rma this. I already had to rma my shure earphones 3 times.. now this.. I'll just head to bestbuy to see what they can do about it. If they take long to rma it then so be it. I can wait. and if it's gone.. i'm just going to purchase a case and a drive separately. there goes all my torrent data, music, photos, work..

[7jaii]

there goes all my torrent data, music, photos, work..

Well wait a minute. I can help with data recovery but you must provide a duplicate drive so I can image your old HDD. Try BB and find out what they'll do for you --> but don't hand over the drive until you attempt to recover your data. Once it's out of your hands those files are gone forever.

PM me.


Kind of sounds like it is the drive thats messed up, but if it doesn't break the warrenty you might see if it works inside the computer (if thats even possible)

Almost all retail externals have a security tape. Once you break that without first qualifying for RMA then the warranty is Void - stuck with a dead drive.

[sulk]

Depending on the enclosure, it might be easy to take the drive out, and plug it into the computer internally.

Kind of sounds like it is the drive thats messed up, but if it doesn't break the warrenty you might see if it works inside the computer (if thats even possible)

[IronMac]

Here is my sugggestion:

First, smack the side of your head hard for being stupid enough to put all of those files in the external without there being a backup.
Second, decide whether or not to attempt a data recovery. You have to weigh how important those files are to you because once you open up the drive the warranty is void. You can kiss goodbye any sort of replacement.
Third, make sure to do proper backups from now on.

As for those of you who think that externals don't come with 3-5 years of warranty, my LaCie d2 Quadra comes with 3 years of warranty.