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Asked: 2021-12-08T01:04:03+00:00 In:

Solved External HDD Not Recognized After Wiped With DBAN Utility

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I have an external USB HDD (s/n: WD1200U017-002). I wanted to lend it to a friend, but before I lent it out; I wanted to make sure that ALL information was wiped from the drive.

I used Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN) hard drive wipe utility (boot disk), using the quick DOD wipe (5 pass write). It completed successfully after a few hours.

I then moved the drive to a windows PC. It wasn’t recognized at all. I checked the Disk Manager utility in Windows, and it too didn’t recognize the drive. It doesn’t show up in Hardware Manager either. So I’m not sure if I deleted a hidden partition on the drive or something like that.

I tried plugging it into a Linux PC, but it didn’t recognize the drive either.

So what would I need to be able to see this drive again? Once I can see it again, I’ll be able to partition/format it.

I’m thinking of trying a Win98 boot disk with Fdisk? Any other suggestions?

Are you classified as human?

Negative. I am a meat popsicle

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    1. Best Answer
      The external drive CANNOT show up in Computer and Windows Explorer in Windows 7 or Vista (or in My Computer and Windows Explorer in XP) unless it has had a software file system installed on it that Windows recognizes – FAT, FAT32, or NTFS – on at least one partition, that file system has been Formatted, and it’s been assigned (a) drive letter(s) in Disk Management.

      Similar applies for ANY operating system.

      “Even if the hard drive has some issue the enclosure should show up in Device Manager as a mass storage device.”…. under USB Controllers, and under Disk Drives as a USB device

      “When viewing Windows Disk Management you should expand the screen to full. The drive may be showing at the bottom of the list. Even if you wiped the drive it should still appear in Disk Management.”

      If it doesn’t show up in Disk Management and Device Manager…….

      – the external drive MUST be plugged into a USB port that can actually supply 500 ma of current

      – the external drive may NOT be detected correctly when it’s plugged into certain USB ports

      Troubleshooting USB device problems including for flash drives, external drives, external memory card readers.
      See Response 1:
      https://computing.net/answers/ha…
      ….

      In addition to the info there….

      For some desktop mboards you can have problems when an external hard drive is plugged into one of a pair of USB ports on the back of the case that are connected to the same USB controller, if there is another device plugged into the other USB port for the pair, because the pair can’t actually supply 500 ma per port – they can only supply 500 ma in total. Usually those pairs of ports are one above the other, not beside each other. If you have two devices plugged into such a pair of ports, try plugging one of them in elsewhere on the back of the computer.

      For MANY laptop and netbook mboards similar applies. The built in USB ports often cannot actually supply 500ma per port – they supply 500 ma in total for two ports that are close to each other. In that case, the external drive should work fine if it’s the ony thing plugged into the USB ports built into the laptop or netbook, or if you have more than two ports, the only thing plugged into two ports close to each other.

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