External WD drive not recognised

[LostPenguine]

I purchased a brand new WD MyPassport external hard drive. It said I will have to format it to use it on Linux. That was acceptable to me. The problem is that the drive is not seen in gparted.
It is seen in lsusb as
Bus 003 Device 005: ID 1058:2626 Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

The dmesg reports -

Code: Select all

[  837.807285] usb 3-4: new high-speed USB device number 5 using xhci_hcd
[  838.004250] usb 3-4: New USB device found, idVendor=1058, idProduct=2626, bcdDevice=10.28
[  838.004257] usb 3-4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  838.004261] usb 3-4: Product: My Passport 2626
[  838.004264] usb 3-4: Manufacturer: Western Digital
[  838.004266] usb 3-4: SerialNumber: A very long alphanumeric string
[  838.005468] usb-storage 3-4:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[  838.006175] scsi host6: usb-storage 3-4:1.0
[  839.008101] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     WD       My Passport 2626 1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  839.008778] scsi 6:0:0:1: Enclosure         WD       SES Device       1028 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  839.010588] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[  839.010877] ses 6:0:0:1: Attached Enclosure device
[  839.011194] ses 6:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 13
[  839.011895] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Spinning up disk...
[  840.031176] .
[  847.011804] ses 6:0:0:1: Failed to get diagnostic page 0x1
[  847.011819] ses 6:0:0:1: Failed to bind enclosure -19
[  848.030734] ...............................................not responding...

From what I know the External drive is "locked" and needs to unlock. This is possible only on Windows.
I have read and implemented "How to unlock `WD My Passport Drive` on Linux" - https://blog.bestcoding.net/en/unlock-w ... ive-linux/

This gives the following error -

Code: Select all

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/bin/wdpassport-utils.py", line 457, in <module>
    main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "/usr/local/bin/wdpassport-utils.py", line 433, in main
    status = get_encryption_status()
  File "/usr/local/bin/wdpassport-utils.py", line 131, in get_encryption_status
    data = py_sg.read_as_bin_str(dev, _scsi_pack_cdb(cdb), BLOCK_SIZE)
py_sg.SCSIError

My questions are -
(1) Is the drive faulty and I need to return it?
(2) Is there anyway to salvage the drive?
Unfortunately I do not have access to a Windows machine.
Thanks,

[spamegg]

There is probably nothing wrong with the brand new drive. Make sure to get access to a Windows machine and check that it works there.

You might want to report the issue to the WD utils developers on Github:
https://github.com/0-duke/wdpassport-utils/issues

[LostPenguine]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry for the delay in responding. I am trying to get hold of a Windows machine but due to lock-down it is difficult. I will post my findings once I try that out.

[Moonstone Man]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry for the delay in responding. I am trying to get hold of a Windows machine but due to lock-down it is difficult. I will post my findings once I try that out.

A Windows machine won't help, it's a silly idea, especially on a Linux forum, to tell someone to use Windows. I have three of the same unit and they do not need Windows at all. If you can, install gparted and see if that recognises the drive but uninstall that software first and then try gparted.. If it is seen, create a new partition table on it, then create your preferred partition layout. If the drive is not seen by gparted it might be dead on arrival.

[LostPenguine]

Thanks for the reply. In my first post I have mentioned that the disk is not recognised in gparted. Perhaps it is DoA. I will give it a last try to format if it is recognised by Windows and most probably replace. Thanks,

[Moonstone Man]

... I have mentioned that the disk is not recognised in gparted.

Sorry about that. I missed it.

[LostPenguine]

UPDATE: The drive never worked even with the Windows machine. For namesake the Windows reports that there is WD "device" attached but refuses to read it as a drive. It never worked "out of the box" as expected. It reports drivers etc are latest. I found the WD support as much encouraging and useful as MS support - if not worse. I am returning the product. Thanks for all the support.

[ricardogroetaers]

I purchased a brand new WD MyPassport external hard drive. It said I will have to format it to use it on Linux. That was acceptable to me. The problem is that the drive is not seen in gparted.

Correct.
See product specifications at:
https://shop.westerndigital.com/pt-br/p ... 10BBK-WESN
Change the page language according to your country.

This unit comes from the factory with installed software, it is designed for Windows® 10 or Windows 8.1 operating systems. Requires reformatting to other operating systems.

[LostPenguine]

Update (Final): I received a replacement for my drive - same model and capacity. This drive was recognised instantly by the Windows machine. I was prompted to install drive software. I accepted but it was very slow. So I aborted the installation and proceeded on my original plan of formatting the external drive as NTFS - it is already NTFS but I wanted to remove any/all WD software and utilities that may or may not keep doing things I do not know/ like. Once the NTFS format was complete I did some basic testing by copying files between internal and external drive and opening from the external drive. Worked as expected. I "safely removed" the disk. Later, I started my Linux Mint machine and attached the drive to a USB Port for a lot of time there was no response so I removed the drive and attached to another port. This time the drive was recognised with a small delay. I opened the file on the external drive (WD pdf manual). It worked. So I again "safely removed" the drive and tried the first USB port again. The drive was recognised without any delay. Same test and it worked as expected.
So, in conclusion I believe the first drive that came to me was somehow faulty. Thanks everyone for all the support and kind words of assurance and encouragement in a nightmarish situation. Highly appreciated. Thanks, Regards,

[DarkMatter15531]

If you'd like my advice as an IT tech who deals with data backup and data recovery on a regular basis, you should avoid purchasing externals like mypassport and others that pack extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites. I can definitely say with confidence that these fail or become problematic more than any other drives on the market. An external should only have the functionality to pass data and power period. I recommend purchasing a decent quality hard drive enclosure and the hard drive of your choice to pair with it.

Also don't listen to people like that kaditcha-whatever he hasn't got a clue, trying a drive on windows is a perfectly good test. I've seen drives that wouldn't mount in Linux that ntfsfix could not repair and worked like a charm after being mounted in Windows and fixed there. Linux is superior yes that's why where all here, but Windows is a tool that is in your arsenal as well, don't be afraid (or too elitist) to use it when needed.

[Moonstone Man]

Also don't listen to people like that kaditcha-whatever he hasn't got a clue...

Except I was 100% correct.

[decrepit]

>>> ,Also don't listen to people like that kaditcha-whatever he hasn't got a clue, >>>

Oh brave man, do you know what a Kadaitcha Man is?

[LostPenguine]

If you'd like my advice as an IT tech who deals with data backup and data recovery on a regular basis, you should avoid purchasing externals like mypassport and others that pack extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites. I can definitely say with confidence that these fail or become problematic more than any other drives on the market. An external should only have the functionality to pass data and power period. I recommend purchasing a decent quality hard drive enclosure and the hard drive of your choice to pair with it.

Definitely appreciate your advice as a pro. I have already learned my lesson about these extra software/ tools bundled with the external drive. Question is: Now that I have formatted it to remove all the software is it still a problem? I hope post formatting it is just a piece of hardware able to store data and nothing "smart" about locking and auto back ups etc. Any suggestions for hard drive enclosures? Is something like this https://www.amazon.in/ORICO-2577U3-BK-E ... 07222HQKP/ okay? I do not like this MyPassport drive even at the basic level of its built. If I keep my hand on it I feel not just spinning but all sorts of jerks and mechanical vibrations. I would rather go with your suggestion the next time. Actually I did not know these type of enclosures are available at all. Thanks once again. Regards,
p.s. I got a lot of flak in choicest of words on Reddit for asking similar question that mentioned Windows. I like Linux for its free as no-cost and free as freedom ideology but no stock trading software is available for Linux (India). I found this forum to be much more helpful and sympathetic in that regard. Grateful.

[DarkMatter15531]

>>> ,Also don't listen to people like that kaditcha-whatever he hasn't got a clue, >>>

Oh brave man, do you know what a Kadaitcha Man is?

Don't know, don't really care either.

[DarkMatter15531]

Definitely appreciate your advice as a pro. I have already learned my lesson about these extra software/ tools bundled with the external drive. Question is: Now that I have formatted it to remove all the software is it still a problem? I hope post formatting it is just a piece of hardware able to store data and nothing "smart" about locking and auto back ups etc. Any suggestions for hard drive enclosures? Is something like this https://www.amazon.in/ORICO-2577U3-BK-E ... 07222HQKP/ okay? I do not like this MyPassport drive even at the basic level of its built. If I keep my hand on it I feel not just spinning but all sorts of jerks and mechanical vibrations. I would rather go with your suggestion the next time. Actually I did not know these type of enclosures are available at all. Thanks once again. Regards,
p.s. I got a lot of flak in choicest of words on Reddit for asking similar question that mentioned Windows. I like Linux for its free as no-cost and free as freedom ideology but no stock trading software is available for Linux (India). I found this forum to be much more helpful and sympathetic in that regard. Grateful.

If you got the mypassport working then it should be ok but i'd recommend keeping an eye on the SMART data from time to time to see if it starts getting errors then back up your files to something else quickly.

If you want my best recommendation for enclosures check these guys out. They are durable, easy to swap drives quickly, and the sata connector is very robust. I've bought dozens of them and can't praise them enough. The one you suggested is fine but you have to be careful with some enclosures because the circuit boards with the micro-B usb 3.0 are known to be very weak and repeated connecting/unconnecting of the cable can snap the port right off the PCB and youd have to resolder it on.

[DarkMatter15531]

Also I forgot to mention that if you want to check the SMART data on the hard drives you can use Gsmartcontrol or HDsentinel.

[Moonstone Man]

If you'd like my advice as an IT tech ...

Definitely appreciate your advice as a pro.

Except that it's all bunkum. The drives in MyPassport do not have "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites". They are stock standard SATA HDDs with a rudimentary, plug-on, removable USB interface that simply translates block commands into ATA commands. "purchasing a decent quality hard drive enclosure and the hard drive of your choice to pair with it" is only going to involve you in needless expense due to some random dude's uneducated opinion.

If you were to dismantle that external drive, you would find it contains a stock standard WD Blue drive. Some models have a white label but they ae still standard WD Blue drives, and the white label has "not for resale" printed on it because the drive can be removed and resold as a stock SATA drive, which it is. There is also absolutely no business sense whatsoever in a manufacturer building drives with "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites" for external devices when they don't sell all that many, compared to bare drives, and have so many standard drives coming off the assembly line. So, it's just made-up bunkum. All of it, including the suggestion to watch the SMART values. Not all USB/SATA interfaces are capable of reporting SMART data, and since the drive is a stock standard HDD, one would never be inclined to watch its SMART values unless it was getting on in age or showing issues.

[DarkMatter15531]

Except that it's all bunkum. The drives in MyPassport do not have "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites". They are stock standard SATA HDDs with a rudimentary, plug-on, removable USB interface that simply translates block commands into ATA commands. "purchasing a decent quality hard drive enclosure and the hard drive of your choice to pair with it" is only going to involve you in needless expense due to some random dude's uneducated opinion.

If you were to dismantle that external drive, you would find it contains a stock standard WD Blue drive. Older models had a white label but they were still standard WD Blue drives, and the white label had "not for resale" printed on it because the drive could be removed and resold as a stock SATA drive, which it is. There is also absolutely no business sense whatsoever in a manufacturer building drives with "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites" for external devices when they don't sell all that many, compared to bare drives, and have so many standard drives coming off the assembly line. So, bunkum. All of it, including the suggestion to watch the SMART values. Not all USB/SATA interfaces are capable of reporting SMART data, and since the drive is a stock standard HDD, one would never be inclined to watch the SMART values of any drive unless it was getting on in age and showing issues.

LoL I see I'm still living rent free in your head. You have no idea what your're talking about as usual so stay in your lane little man. I see that you spent the whole day researching big words and you prolly took apart one of your hard drives so you can spout off what it looks like but at the end of the day your just pretending to know what your talking about. If you'd like to keep prancing about smelling your own farts that's your prerogative but your not fooling anyone who has real IT expertise. Case in point just this week I had to RMA a brand new 1TB Samsung EVO that worked for one bulk data transfer then developed a ton of bad blocks and lost some of the data that was transferred and would not report an accurate usage value. Good thing I checked the SMART data instead of just re-transferring the missing data into good blocks and giving it to the customer only to have it fail more as he was using it. I can keep this going with you forever kid but you should save yourself the considerable embarrassment and quit while your ahead.

[Moonstone Man]

Except that it's all bunkum. The drives in MyPassport do not have "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites". They are stock standard SATA HDDs with a rudimentary, plug-on, removable USB interface that simply translates block commands into ATA commands. "purchasing a decent quality hard drive enclosure and the hard drive of your choice to pair with it" is only going to involve you in needless expense due to some random dude's uneducated opinion.

If you were to dismantle that external drive, you would find it contains a stock standard WD Blue drive. Older models had a white label but they were still standard WD Blue drives, and the white label had "not for resale" printed on it because the drive could be removed and resold as a stock SATA drive, which it is. There is also absolutely no business sense whatsoever in a manufacturer building drives with "extra functionality in their firmware for interfacing with manufacturers software suites" for external devices when they don't sell all that many, compared to bare drives, and have so many standard drives coming off the assembly line. So, bunkum. All of it, including the suggestion to watch the SMART values. Not all USB/SATA interfaces are capable of reporting SMART data, and since the drive is a stock standard HDD, one would never be inclined to watch the SMART values of any drive unless it was getting on in age and showing issues.

LoL I see I'm still living rent free in your head. You have no idea what your're talking about as usual so stay in your lane little man. I see that you spent the whole day researching big words and you prolly took apart one of your hard drives so you can spout off what it looks like but at the end of the day your just pretending to know what your talking about. If you'd like to keep prancing about smelling your own farts that's your prerogative but your not fooling anyone who has real IT expertise.

I like how you just used your extensive technical expertise to address and then destroy the argument that was made.