Portable hard drives are a convenient storage solution, but they are also vulnerable to physical and logical failures. This case study details how our team successfully recovered critical academic data from a WD Elements Portable HDD that froze when plugged in due to bad sectors or failing read/write heads.
Our client, a lecturer from Queen’s University Belfast, urgently needed to recover years of research and teaching materials. As Ireland’s oldest and most experienced data recovery specialists, we applied cutting-edge techniques to retrieve the lost data and restore access to vital information.
The Challenge: WD Elements HDD Freezing on Connection
The lecturer contacted us after noticing their WD Elements portable hard drive would completely freeze when plugged into a computer. The symptoms included:
- Drive not recognised or taking an unusually long time to appear.
- Freezing and unresponsiveness when trying to access files.
- Clicking sounds, indicating potential mechanical failure.
Given the importance of the data, the client had attempted multiple computers and cables but found no improvement. DIY recovery software was ineffective due to the extent of the bad sectors and possible read/write head issues.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
Upon arrival at our facility, we conducted a full hardware and software diagnostic of the WD Elements HDD. The results revealed:
- Severe bad sectors – Large portions of the drive were unreadable due to media degradation.
- Failing read/write heads – The drive’s internal heads struggled to read data, likely due to wear and tear or minor head misalignment.
- Partial firmware corruption – Some drive microcode was failing, preventing smooth operation.
Because the HDD was still spinning, there was a high chance of recovery, but immediate action was required to prevent further degradation.
The Recovery Process
1. Stabilising the Drive in Our Cleanroom
To prevent further damage, we first cloned the drive sector by sector using specialised imaging tools capable of bypassing bad sectors.
2. Head Replacement and Controlled Data Extraction
Since the read/write heads were failing, we performed a head swap in a cleanroom environment. Using a donor drive with matching specifications, we carefully replaced the heads to restore full readability.
3. Firmware Repair and Logical Data Reconstruction
After stabilising the hardware, we addressed the firmware corruption and extracted the data. Our team then:
- Reconstructed corrupted files
- Verified data integrity
- Restored the drive’s logical structure
The Results: 99% Data Recovery Success
Despite the initial symptoms suggesting catastrophic failure, our advanced techniques allowed us to recover 99% of the lecturer’s data, including:
✅ Research papers and academic documents
✅ Lecture notes, presentations, and coursework
✅ Personal files and media
The client was extremely satisfied, as the recovered data represented years of irreplaceable work.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the most trusted data recovery specialists in Ireland and the UK. Our team specialises in:
✔ Hard drive recovery (HDD & SSD) – any make or model
✔ RAID, NAS, and server data recovery
✔ Flash drives, memory cards, and chip-level recovery
✔ Cleanroom head replacements and advanced imaging tools
If you’re facing a hard drive failure, freezing issues, or data loss, don’t risk further damage with DIY attempts—let our experts handle it.