Ive got the error “The specified I/O operation on \Device\Harddisk\DR0 was not completed before the time-out period expired.” when I plug in my external USB hard drive.

This error can be caused by the following:

Bad USB Port on Your Computer

Your computer may have a defective USB port. I’ve seen many people get this error when using their device either on their front USB port or on a USB Hub with many other USB devices. Simply try plugging in the drive into another USB port (preferably on the back side of your computer not the front) and see if that works.

You can also try plugging the hard drive (or whatever other device you’re having the problem with) into another computer.

Bad Enclosure on the Drive

If your problem is with an external hard drive then you may be the victim of a faulty enclosure (the case that houses the hard drive). In this case you need to either take the drive out and move it to another USB enclosure or make it a secondary internal drive in your computer.

Bad Operating System

Your error may be caused by a corrupted Operating System. The best way to find out if this is the case is to connect the drive to another computer. If it works then you know that it’s a problem with your computer, if it doesn’t then it’s a problem with the drive.

Bad Sectors on the Drive

And finally it could be bad sectors on the drive. To find out use a tool such as HD Tune to scan your hard drive (use the Full option). If you do find bad sectors you will usually need to use a Data Recovery tool to get your data back. After your data is safe try to replace the drive if it’s under warranty or throw it out if it’s not.

Having problems with your computer? Simply scan your computer for free to identify problem areas and solutions. Click here to start a free scan.

Seagate has admitted that a hand full of it’s customer have experienced hard drive deaths after applying a new piece of firmware.

Says the company:

“Seagate has isolated a potential firmware issue in limited number of Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives and related SATA drives based on this product platform, manufactured through December 2008. In some unique circumstances, the data on the hard drives may become inaccessible to the user when the host system is powered on.”

After ignoring the outcries for weeks Seagate has finally created a help site here for the affected users and will even offer free data recovery for those with extreme cases. It’s great to see a company (especially in the current economic climate) showing some honesty and taking responsibility.

Good for you Seagate!

The following post is completely taken from an article entitled “200 Ways to Revive a Hard Drive.” It appears that it is made up of Tech Rupublic users’ tips on how to get data off a failing hard drive. I found this document on a disc called “Tech Tools” and I reproduce here for all you guys to enjoy.

If you have a dead or failing hard drive these tips can get it back up and running temporarily so that you can get your data back. However read the disclaimer before trying any of these tips.

*DISCLAIMER*

These tips were not made by theFakeGeek.com or any person associated with the site. They are reproduced here on the site in the belief that it was the authors intent that the document is in the public domain. The methods and recommendations contianed in this post do NOT belong to theFakeGeek.com and are not being recommended. The information is made available for intellectual and theoretical use only. theFakeGeek.com and it’s agents and people associated with the site are not responsible for any results of following the methods outlined in the below file. The file below is hosted by the site for educational purposes only and the understanding that it is public domain.

By downloading the PDF listed below I understand and understand the above disclaimer and hereby state that theFakeGeek is not responsible for any damage caused by this information.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF.