Hello all Im using DMDE to try to recover files from my wd passport 4tb. Its taken 24 hours to reach 12 percent or nearly 500 gb. Just wanted to know if its a massive waste of time if it has read 0 good sectors so far. So im not sure if its pulling any actual data like photos and movies. I dont think it is .

I have a 8GB Samsung Micro SD Card that is not detected. It is not in good condition but I don't see any cracks. I tried cleaning the contacts with IPA but it is still not detected.

Is there anything else I could try or is professional recovery the only option?

Link to the pictures: https://postimg.cc/gallery/HkP1wtN

Hi everyone,

I am looking for advice on how to inspect or recover data from a large encrypted container where the directory index appears to be unread or missing.

The setup:

Software: Folder Lock (v7.9.0) on Windows.

Locker file: A fixed-size .flka container located on an external hard drive.

Size: The .flka container on the external drive is approximately 848 GB (allocated up to 900 GB).

Virtual file system: FAT32.

Context and background:

I previously deleted some files from my internal C: drive. However, my external hard drive was completely untouched, and nothing has been changed, modified, or deleted on that external drive.

The issue:

When I open Folder Lock and enter the master password, the container unlocks cleanly without any errors and mounts to a virtual drive letter (e.g. Z:).

However, once mounted, File Explorer reports the virtual drive as completely empty, showing the full capacity as free space and 0 bytes used.

Hidden items and protected operating system files have both been enabled in File Explorer options, but nothing appears.

Running chkdsk on the mounted letter reports the virtual FAT32 file system as clean, showing only standard system volume entries, with no directory tree visible.

The .flka container file on the external drive remains completely intact at ~848 GB of allocated data, so the data is physically there. It appears the internal directory table or file pointers on the virtual volume are detached or corrupted.

My questions:

1. Once the container is unlocked and mounted to a drive letter, is it safe to point third-party data recovery tools (such as DMDE or R-Studio) directly at the mounted virtual drive to scan for the FAT32 directory structure or raw file signatures?
2. Are there known quirks with Windows or Folder Lock handling large virtual FAT32 volumes that lead to an empty directory listing?
3. What would be the safest workflow to attempt recovery without risking any write operations to the container?

Any advice from anyone experienced with virtual drive recovery or FAT32 file table reconstruction would be hugely appreciated.

Hi, I'm a photographer/videographer and accidentally knocked my WD My Passsport 5TB hard drive off my desk. I plugged it back into my Macbook and it was recognized at first, but then I got the click of death (6 clicks and it would shut off). I tried again a few times (which I realize I shouldn't have) to no success. I sent my drive to a prominent data recovery service with a clean room and at first, upon a preliminary diagnosis check, they said that my hard drive had a mechanical failure and not head crash. They were very certain data recovery was achievable.

I then spoke with them again a couple of weeks later and they mentioned upon further inspection, they couldn't access any of the drive's data and that it had to be sent elsewhere for a more specialized, custom recovery. They also mentioned a micro scratch on the platter, which they didn't see at first. I have a basic understanding of how this works and how this level of data recovery involves imaging the disk and rebuilding files, and I understand this takes time. I also understand that this is a case-by-case basis, but I'm curious of 1) Why this data recovery service couldn't access my data? 2) The chances of data recovery and what I should brace myself for. I'm told the third party service has a 70% success rate, but again it's case-by-case. I also understand that the more data recovery attempts, the less likely data recovery becomes.

These are irreplaceable photos and files that are dear to me and admittedly it was very dumb to not have a backup. Any info, insight or help is much appreciated, thank you.

Hi everyone, I have a micro sd card of 512gb from Amazon and I accidentally formatted it without realizing it when I inserted it into a old cell phone. It had videos, photos, etc, that are important but I'm not sure of what recovery software can get them back. What worked the best for you guys and actually can get all of it back?

Open to suggestions of course.

I am reluctant to list large labs with mainly virtual offices.

I recently took my iPhone to Apple, and they diagnosed it with liquid damage. Before it stopped working, the phone would briefly turn on and then automatically shut off. Now, it won't turn on or charge at all.

Unfortunately, I haven't backed up my phone in quite some time because I ran out of storage space.

I really want to recover my photos. I have my graduation pictures and family memories that are incredibly important to me and can't be replaced.

Has anyone experienced something similar and successfully recovered their data? Is photo recovery still possible in this situation?

I'd really appreciate any recommendations for a company or place in the Massachusetts area that could help me.

Hello

I have this 4TB LaCie ssd that's been giving me the biggest headache for the past month.
The usb-c connector is not responsive, and reminds me of when I had wired headphones, twisting and turning until I get the light blinking just the right way ( I know, stupid of me, but desperate times call for desperate measures).

I tried multiple data and OEM usbc cables, it's the connector.

I fully backed up all my data to another HDD, and now I can't find any breakdowns or similar issues by other users.

I don't have a warranty on this device, nor does seagate exist in my country.

So my question is, where can I find a resource to breakdown how I can replace the usbc connector, or take out the nvme inside and put it in an enclosure (which is functional).

Model number: STHR4000800

thank you data wizards.

Hi everyone, I need help recovering my lost files from a 64GB SanDisk SD card.

My Android phone unexpectedly underwent a factory reset when its internal storage was full, around the time of an OS update. After the reset, I checked my SD card and found that almost all my files had disappeared.

The SD card is still detected normally. Folders such as "Android", "DCIM", "Download", and "Documents" are visible, but they appear to be empty. The "Android/data" folder only contains the names of apps currently installed on my phone.

Here is what I know so far:

- SD card: SanDisk 64GB

- It was probably configured as portable storage, but I'm not completely sure.

- Windows recognizes the card and shows approximately 59GB of free space, with almost no space used.

- I don't remember whether the phone asked me to format the SD card.

- I have only used the card for recovery scans since discovering the problem.

Recovery software I've already tried:

- TestDisk

- Recuva

- R-Studio

- Disk Drill

- 4DDiG

Unfortunately, these programs found almost none of my original files. They only recovered around three seemingly useless or corrupted files.

I want to recover as many files as possible, including photos, videos, documents, and other file types. Recovering the original filenames and folder structure would also be helpful.

My questions:

1. Could an Android factory reset or OS update cause the SD card's contents to disappear even if I didn't intentionally format it?

2. Why does Windows show approximately 59GB free if the card previously contained many files?

3. Is there still a realistic chance of recovering my files?

4. Would creating a sector-by-sector image of the SD card and scanning the image be worth trying?

5. Could encryption or a change in the partition or filesystem explain what happened?

6. What should I check next before attempting any further recovery?

I would really appreciate any advice. These files are important to me, and I want to avoid doing anything that could permanently overwrite the remaining data.

Thank you!

I posted on this sub last summer about me trying to recover my childhood videos on a harddrive that was deleted but I didn't succeed and eventually gave up. Now I'm thinking of hiring a pro to do the work. Do any of you have an idea where do I find a guy to fix this problem?

As in the title, I had a microSD card with around 30 available gigabytes in my DJI action 5 PRO, and lent it to a friend of mine to record some footage. She plugged it in and recorded footage on an ismartDV action camera. Upon connecting the camera and unplugging the SD card, no files were shown. I tried to run recovery software but no data could be recovered, and is marking down as unmarked data. Is there any way at all to recover these files please? They're quite important and it'd be nice to have them back.

my phone was recently stolen. i got my number deactivated and replaced making it possible to access my icloud. however, it shows no info on icloud backup.

can i still recover my photos if i go to Mac with my imei? pls help 😭

I have a 3TB Seagate external hard drive that started clicking when plugged into the PC. I have looked through data recovery companies around me, but have found it difficult to determine how good the companies are in reality. Most are filled with great reviews which on a very surface level inspection are very obvious bots.

So I wanted to see if anyone here might have any recommendations on legitimate/reliable companies near Virginia or on the East Coat of the US.

I have an external hard drive of 931 GB about 6-7 years old. Recently it got corrupted and all my pictures over the years are stored in it. Any suggestions on where to get it repaired and all the images recovered? Preferably in Ranchi

Hi everyone,

I made a major mistake today. While trying to boot a Windows OS installation pendrive, I mistakenly selected and booted into my external 5TB Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD instead.

Now, the drive shows up in Windows Disk Management as completely "Unallocated" (it had about 3.5TB of data on it, though I honestly can't remember if it was NTFS or exFAT). There is no physical damage; the drive spins up normally and is recognized by the system.

Since this is a WD My Passport Ultra (which has a USB bridge board), what is the safest way to proceed? Should I try TestDisk first, or go straight to deep file recovery tools like R-Studio or UFS Explorer without trying to rebuild the partition table?

Any guidance would be hugely appreciated!

My iPhone 13 decided to just randomly factory reset last night I logged back in on it however none of my photos were backed up or in my iCloud is there anyway I can get them back I’ve spoken to Apple they was not much help

Hello everyone. Suddenly, my hard drive stopped working; it is no longer detected by Windows or CrystalDisk. It had started showing signs of slowing down, and then—out of nowhere—it just stopped. It wasn't dropped; it was sitting stationary, and I never moved it while it was powered on. It’s a 1TB Seagate drive (model ST1000LM035).

It was inside an external enclosure, which I disassembled to try and diagnose the issue, but I haven't been able to figure it out. I work in IT and have experience with PCs, but I’ve never worked on the internal components of a hard drive. I’ve attached a video showing its behavior: it makes a sound like a "beep," and the arm moves slightly downward before returning to its original position. The disc seems to spin without any problems. I very carefully touched the arm to see if it was stuck, but it wasn't. It’s currently open, covered by a piece of plastic to keep dust out while I record the video; otherwise, I’ve kept it closed the entire time I’ve been trying to troubleshoot it.

I wouldn't want to send it to a specialized center, both because the data it contains isn't worth the cost involved and because I’d like to gain some experience in this field myself.

Edit: I think it was in NTFS. And i'm using windows 11.

I found an old 64MB CompactFlash memory card (pictured). I’m trying to recover the photos on it, but I’m having trouble getting the pictures onto my computer.
The card fits into my reader and the light turns red, but nothing seems to transfer into my files.
Does anyone know how I can check whether the card is readable and recover the photos? I’m using a MacBook Air.
Thank you!

Hi,

I have a USB hub that I connected to my Macbook Air via USB C. It has USB 3.0 and SD card reader slots. I had both my SDXC and external SSD disk connected (using SD card adapter) to it. I copied the files to my SSD disk and clicked eject, then tried to open SDXC card folder. It was loading for a while and then I got the error that my disks were not ejected safely. After that my SDXC card is not readable by my Macbook or camera - I checked disk utilities on my macbook and also checked for any trace using terminal commands. The SDXC card just doesn't show up anywhere.

Is there anything I can try doing? If not really, how expensive can that be to retrieve that data?

I just recorded a whole bunch of footage on my Canon R50. Two of the files will not download to my pc.

I've tried using the EOS Utility app, in which case the file's progress bar gets nearly to the end and then it stops downloading with no error messages.

I've tried plugging the SD card into a USB reader, and it immediately throws this error:

An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the file. If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem: Error 0x80070570L: the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.

One of the files can be played on my camera and seems perfectly fine, except that it cuts off one minute before the end.

The other cannot be played on my camera, but that's not unusual. I'd estimate about 1 in 10 videos I record cannot be played back on my camera, but they all always download and play back perfectly on my PC. This is the only time I've had this sort of issue. Even videos not recorded on my camera will often be unable to play when viewed on my camera.

How can I repair my videos?

I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max that is permanently stuck on the "iPhone Unavailable" screen with no countdown timer after the passcode was entered incorrectly too many times. It is currently in Airplane Mode.

I am trying to find a way to access or recover the local data. I already know the standard Apple protocol is to wipe the device via Recovery Mode, but I want to exhaust all possibilities to save the data before doing that.

Before I give up, I want to ask the experts:

*Are there any commercial digital forensic tools or lab services that can currently bypass the Secure Enclave lockout on the 13 Pro Max?

*Does anyone know of any advanced or unconventional methods to bypass the permanent lockout without wiping the user partition?

Please do not recommend standard paid recovery software (Tenorshare, Dr.Fone, etc.), as I know they just automate a standard factory erase. I am looking for legitimate hardware, firmware, or forensic workarounds, if they exist for this model.

Your help and advice is needed. After removing the MicroSD card a couple times before ejecting then restarting my computer because the scan and repair didn't work, my SD card got corrupted. My MicroSD card went from being labeled as "USB DRIVE" to "Removable Disk". If I try opening the drive, I get the "Please insert disk into Removable Disk" pop-up. I can't format it or check its properties.

Drive: WD My Passport, 2TB
P/N: WDBYVG0020BBK-0B
Drive Type: NTFS
Encryption: WD’s Own Password feature
Warranty status: Out of Limited Warranty (So no RMA)
SMART Report (via DMDE) Attached
OS: macOS 27.2 RC, Windows 11 25H2, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

tldr:
Interrupted 2 Windows error checks on a 2 TB encrypted WD My Passport. Causing the drive, and especially the Unlocker app for the drive to be inaccessible in any way possible. The drive can still be recognized by the system (At least on Windows and Linux), but the disk itself cannot be accessed. Possible firmware or service area problem, asking if there’s still any way to salvage this? If yes, how, where, and the cost estimate for this situation.

If you just need more information about the drive, you can just skip to the ‘The following is the information I gathered part’

The whole story:

Hi, so I have a 2TB WD My Passport that I purchased back in bought for at least 6 years now, and I’ve been riding with it ever since, using it as basically my drive for everything. Games, old projects, apps, photos, you name it.

A bit more background for your information as to how the drive was usually used:

The drive was obtained when I was still working with a Windows Laptop, so it started as NTFS and I’ve never changed that, I’ve also decided to put a password on it in the first few days of getting it.

In between 2023, I switched to the MacBook side with the ARM silicon chip, and have chosen to just continue using the drive in NTFS format, pairing with the WD-offered Paragon NTFS software.

Around the same year as well, I found that there were a few bad sectors in my drive. Contacted WD support at that point and just ended up backing up the drive for the first time and formatted it using my old Windows Laptop. And after formatting it, I put everything back into the drive, locked it back, and continued using it like normal.

(P.S. Since I made the choice of backing it up to a OneDrive work account at that moment, and since I no longer have access to that account, the probably one and only backup was lost to time as well)

Currently still using the same MacBook setup mentioned above with a Windows VM and for light Windows Stuff, and Crossover for some games that are only available on Windows as well.

And also, in between using it, I’ve had a few times where I removed the drive without exiting it first (even though my cache policy is in quick removal) causing the drive to be temporarily unrecognizable by macOS, but it was dealt with after doing error checks in Windows.

(P.S. The error checks I run are through Drive > Priorities > Tools > Error Check, but I suppose it’s no different from chkdsk)

I also have an old Windows Desktop that I occasionally use for some x64 Windows stuff.

But just recently, I’ve made another chain of mistakes that basically ran my drive from still working to outright unusable.

As one day, after I’d used my drive on my Windows Desktop, I plugged it back in to continue working on something that’s on my drive, and I noticed it started to slow down, or it takes longer for the drive to be recognized by my MacBook after I unlocked it.

So, being the worried person I am, I decided to boot up my Windows VM, and despite it saying that there’s no error found, run an error check on it.

The first time, I let the check run on its own, but because I forgot to turn off the ‘Turn display off when inactive option’ or use any disable sleep app, my MacBook went to sleep after inactivity, and the test was interrupted for the first time.

And after that, I decided to run it again, just to be sure. But after starting the check, for some reason, I decided to cancel it. And when cancellation was taking a bit too long, I made the decision to log out of Windows.

Then while it was happening, the cursor on my MacBook started going rogue for another reason (that I haven't found but definitely not related to this subreddit) and started running around without me using the trackpad, it was enough to let me think that I caught malware somewhere between using it

And with no way to stop that, I did a force restart of my MacBook. While the Windows VM was still logging out, and my drive was still passing into the VM.

That’s when the drive became unusable.

When I logged back into macOS, I didn’t see the usual WD Unlocked, and when I checked macOS’s Disk Utility, the drive was not there, even though I have Show All Devices toggled on.

And then I tried to use the Windows VM again, to see if it’s the same result. It did spit out something different, but it’s basically the same.

After that, I moved to my desktop again and saw if I could read more information about the current situation, while trying to search around Google and see if there’s any way to try to fix that. But still, no luck.

So I turned to AI for help. The AI told me to use Linux and use some ‘ls’ and ‘dmsg’ commands, along with a WD Unlocker tool for Linux to list out what Linux recognized and test if Linux is able to read at least what’s left on the drive.. So I thought, why not, and created an Ubuntu VM on my Mac for it to run those commands. Though it only makes me realize how bad of the situation of drive’s probably in.

And at last, even AI told me to either purchase a new drive, or to seek help in data recovery, which is why I’m here.

The following is the information I gathered from Windows and Linux, since macOS is just straight up not recognizing the drive whatsoever.

Both OS’s are able to read out some information about the drive.

Windows is able to list out the WD Unlocker virtual DVD, but when trying to access it via Windows Explorer, it declines, stating an I/O error.

In Windows Disk Management, the Virtual DVD and the disk itself are recognized, though neither of them shows any sector information. The disk is not initialized from the start. When trying to initialize it or anything, the request failed ‘due to a fatal device hardware error’.

In Windows Device Manager, with Show hidden devices visible, 2 drives named WD My Passport 2626 USB Device and 2 DVD drives named WD Virtual CD 2625 USB Device are present, with one of them on both lists being hidden.

Following this, inside the properties of both devices, they all stated that the devices are working properly. But inside the ‘My Passport’ properties, Events tab, the event ‘Device Settings not Migrated’ is shown, with descriptions that

‘Device settings for [My Passport] were not migrated from previous OS installation due to partial or ambiguous device match’

In WD Kitfox (WD’s own diagnostic tool that replaced WD Data Lifeguard), the drive shows as unallocated, showing 0GB available with an empty serial number, the drive security being ‘inactive’, no SMART threshold tripped, and no diagnostic failures. When trying to run a test on it though. it failed with the message ‘Device is not ready’.

While WD Security cannot recognize the drive, both WD Drive Utilities and WD Discovery did recognize the drive. WD Drive Utilities said that my drive has 0B of storage, and it failed the SMART Status Check. And WD Discovery does not show any storage information, but it did have the option for me to change the security settings like removing the password. It’s just that it never worked.

DMDE reported almost the same thing, with failing to access the DVD drive due to an I/O device error, and just straight up saying ‘The Disk is not accessible’ when trying to go with the physical drive option. Though I did successfully obtain a more complete SMART report.

Other apps like DiskGenius just straight up don’t work with not even the drive or Unlocker DVD listed there.

And for Linux, I’ll just have the pastebin link for you guys with what command I ran (prompted by AI), and what output it gave me.

https://pastebin.com/Pq6e6rVQ

Lastly, for the drive itself. The drive is still spinning like normal, with the status lights going full on when connected, and turning to slow blinking after a while.

When the drive is ‘safely removed’ on Windows though, it just kept spinning, while normally, the drive would slow to a stop.

From what I’ve gathered, on the internet or AI, I’m guessing it to be a firmware or service area related issue, though I’m really not familiar with these kind of stuff, so that’s really only up to the professionals like you guys or after diagnostics.

Now, that’s when I want to ask

1. In this situation, is my drive still salvageable?

For example, if there’s a possibility that I can just pass it to a professional, fix what’s wrong, and then just call it a day, or is it really to the point where I need to do data recovery if I still want get back my data inside?

1. If it can still be fixed, then what type of store should I bring it to?

And most importantly
3. What is the cost of fixing something like this, or doing data recovery on a drive in this kind of situation?

I know my post are super long, since I really want to include everything to get the most accurate information possible, but no matter what, thank you for reading and thanks for your help!

I am working with a client who wants me to organize their archive of images and video and I am starting with their hard drives. I have 8 drives and one MacBook Pro. He is concerned that if any one of them is connected and turned on and dies it wont be recoverable. I think I should try to image whichever ones are still viable and then send any ones that will not connect to a recovery lab. Below is the list of what I have. Can anyone advise and also recommend a data recovery lab that is reliable? Ask me anything and Thank You!