WD MyBook Won't Power On

Question

A friend of mine recently gave me an old WD MyBook mirror edition external harddrive. It's a 2Tb drive (2 1Tb drives inside) so it's quit a bit of space to be handed for free. Problem is, it doesn't power on unless I've removed both drives, but what good is it then? As soon as I plug in a drive it shuts off. If I plug in both drives after turning the case on & connecting it to the computer, the case begins to emit that wonderful smell of overheating electronics.

I've tried Googling this problem, but haven't had any luck. SE has always had answers to my questions before so I wanted to start here. Originally tried over on the main SE, but they suggested moving here. It might be bricked, but I wanna exhaust my options before giving up.

What are the power ratings for the enclosure and the hard drives ? — Tim G., Aug 25 '16 at 02:18
I'm not sure about the enclosure, it's not labeled on the back. The drives themselves (both are WD Caviar Greens) say: "5V : 0.70A 12V : 0.55A" — Kigali, Aug 25 '16 at 02:22
Is there a power brick or something like that for the enclosure that would have the rating? — Tim G., Aug 25 '16 at 02:22
That could be one of the issues then... the new cord might not be the same as the original. — Tim G., Aug 25 '16 at 02:24
The enclosure is toast, use the drives in another generic enclosure(s), they are cheap. — Moab, Aug 25 '16 at 03:15

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 25 '16 at 08:36

Try testing the drives one by one in your system and check their condition by running a diagnostic tool from the manufacturer (WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic since the drives are Western Digital ones ) or simply check the raw values of the S.M.A.R.T. status. This may enable you to exclude them as potential causes of the issue.

The power supply that you are using may not be appropriate for the device. Check the power requirements of the device AND the drives and make sure the power cord can supply enough power safely. It is recommended to use an official power supply with this device as others may cause damage.

Contact our support if you have specific questions or feel free to reach out to me with the model number (NOT the serial number) of the device and the drives.

WD MyBook Won't Power On

1 Answers1