External hard drive can't be initialized, broken?

My external hard drive has stopped working. It is not displayed in the normal workplace, only in data management. The storage space is marked as "unknown".

I've already tried to initialize it, but it doesn't work due to a "serious hardware failure".

When you insert / remove the hard drive, the laptop makes the normal noise and the light on the Samsung hard drive is on.

I would like to try to solve the problem myself before sending the hard drive to a company that knows more about it.

The most important thing is that the files on it are not lost.

You could try to mount the HDD in a Linux live system.

Eg Linux Mint mate from here: https://sourceforge.net/...iles/19.3/

or Parted Magic from here (free): https://www.chip.de/...91033.html

Both systems also have the test disk and photorec for data recovery on board. These are without a graphical user interface.

In addition, you can take the HDD out of the housing and connect it directly to the SATA port.

Some HDD controllers could be made to work temporarily if you put the HDD in a freezer bag in the freezer for a few hours.

Look here: https://de.minitool.com/datentraegerverwaltung/datentraeger-nicht-initialisiert.html

Ok I only understand the train station, but I try to decrypt it and give it a try. I don't know it very well.

You can download the Linux systems mentioned and burn this ISO file to a DVD.

From this you can start the PC without installing anything on the internal HDD.

Is it a little clearer now?

It is normal for memory sticks and external disks to have driver-like software installed at the factory that can't be viewed or recognized from the outside. For this reason, I always recommend never formatting an external memory or external medium, because this usually also deletes the driver software. I once experienced this in old Windows times and never had any problems with this knowledge. Of course I don't know whether you have formatted it, but when I read it it was my first thought.

Google times after "EaseUs", in a simple version is a free partition manager. You can use it to make partitions, give them names, reshape them, resize them, give them reasonable formats; and finally view and use it again in the system.

You should only be very careful when formatting.