Western Digital My Passport external hard drives are widely used by photographers, designers, and businesses for secure storage and backups. However, when a drive spins up but is not recognized by the computer, it often indicates firmware corruption, PCB failure, or file system damage, preventing access to critical data.
This case study details how we successfully recovered business files for a local photography and design company from a WD My Passport hard drive, after the drive became unrecognisable despite spinning up normally.
As Cambridge Data Recovery, with 25 years of experience, we used firmware repair, PCB diagnostics, and deep file system recovery techniques to restore lost business data.
WD My Passport Drive Spinning but Not Recognized
A local photography and design company contacted us after their WD My Passport external hard drive stopped being recognized, with the following issues:
- The drive powered on and made normal spinning sounds, but did not appear in File Explorer or Finder.
- Disk Management in Windows showed the drive as “Unknown” or “Unallocated.”
- Attempts to connect the drive to multiple computers and cables failed.
- The drive contained client photography projects, Adobe design files, and business invoices.
Since further connection attempts could worsen firmware corruption, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the WD My Passport hard drive arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and software diagnostic. Our findings:
- Firmware corruption detected – Preventing the drive from initializing properly.
- Potential USB bridge failure – The My Passport series uses an encrypted USB-to-SATA bridge, which may have failed.
- No mechanical failure detected – Meaning a logical repair and direct data extraction were possible.
Since WD My Passport drives have built-in hardware encryption, we prioritized firmware restoration and direct file system recovery.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Hard Drive to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve recoverable data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the WD My Passport drive.
- Used specialized recovery tools to extract readable data despite initialization failures.
2. Repairing the Firmware & USB Bridge Issues
Since the drive was spinning but not detected, we:
- Repaired the corrupted firmware to allow proper drive recognition.
- Bypassed the faulty USB bridge by connecting directly to the SATA interface.
3. Extracting & Verifying Photography & Design Business Data
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered client photos, Adobe Photoshop (PSD), Illustrator (AI), and Lightroom files.
- Repaired corrupted business invoices and project documents.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our firmware repair and deep file system recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the photography and design company’s lost data, including:
✅ Client photography projects and high-resolution image files
✅ Adobe design files (PSD, AI, INDD, Lightroom catalogues, etc.)
✅ Business invoices, financial records, and client contracts
The company was able to continue operations without losing any critical project files, ensuring business continuity.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading external hard drive data recovery specialists in Cambridge and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ WD My Passport firmware failure repair
✔ USB bridge bypass & encrypted file recovery
✔ Photography & design file restoration
✔ Secure & confidential data retrieval for creative professionals
If your external hard drive is spinning but not being recognized by your computer, showing as “Unknown,” or preventing access to critical design and photography work, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.