10 TB HDD only works in ONE SPECIFIC Enclosure?

[Dochartaigh]

TLDR: MY WD External drive died. I opened the WD enclosure and transplanted the HDD into a Sabrent external enclosure and it works perfect! Move that same drive into a Inateck enclosure and it does NOT work again! - what is going on?


My Western Digital EasyStore 10TB External drive died (got the "The disk you inserted is not readable by this computer" error). Literally only plug in this drive once every 6-months (it's my backup which goes in my fireproof, climate-controlled safe), and only has 239 hours of use. Tried 2x power & USB cables, and tried it on 2x different Mac's as well.

I removed the internal WD drive (HDD model: WD100EMAZ) from the WD enclosure and put it into my Sabrent SATA USB 3.0 External Enclosure. Had to reformat it (initially gave same error as above), but after that the drive seems to be perfect. S.M.A.R.T. status reads fine, Disk Utility First Aid runs fine, and I've put another 50+ hours on it copying over 8+TB and all seems dandy...

THEN, I buy a new Inateck SATA USB 3.0 Enclosure for it (the Sabrent enclosure doesn't even secure the HDD in the case - NOT a good permanent solution), and my computer will NOT read the drive again! (same error as above, and it gives me this error when I run First Aid on it). Put it back into the Sabrent enclosure and it works again (and NO First Aid errors or anything). Try another/different drive in the Inateck and that drive works (i.e. the Inateck wasn't DOA).

Any idea what is going on here? This is an expensive drive, with nearly ZERO use (and already tried to file a claim with WD... they won't let me w/out the paper receipt I don't have... plus I did rip it out of the enclosure...).

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Sounds like the drive is NOT dead... but maybe the WD enclosure is dead. I suspect the drive MAY be dying though.

If me, I put it in the Sabrent, copy all files on it to another disc while you can, consider freshly formatting it in Disc Utility and then trying it again as an empty, freshly-formatted drive in the WD and/or Inateck enclosures. If it:

• seems to be fine again, move the files back onto it (but keep a backup for a while) and then use it to see if it seems stable again.
• resumes not working in anything but the Sabrent, I may try it in the WD or Inatek on a PC. There is known bugs with macOS since BigSur with select external HDD enclosures. You may happen to have 2 that macOS just does not like at all. If it is fine with another Mac (running macOS before Big Sur) or PC, it's probably macOS. If so, no solution but waiting on Apple to debug the port software in macOS. Many hope they'll do that sooner than later. I've basically got a perfectly stable dual drive HDD enclosure temporarily retired because my new Mac can't maintain a stable connection to it but 2 older Macs (pre Big Sur) and a PC have no such issues.

In the meantime, you might buy yourself a new 10TB drive (not expensive bare bones: $80 refurb to about $150 new on Amazon as I type this) and then try it in each enclosure. If it works fine, the suspicion about the existing one dying goes up significantly. If it too exhibits the same behavior, enclosures are bad or again, modern macOS doesn't like them. Sorry.

One more option: if you have any other old HDD laying around, put it in each enclosure and see if it is stable. This would be a way to verify the enclosures without having to spend a nickel. Stable? Prob macOS or drive. Also not working? Prob enclosures but the 10TB drive may be OK.

 

[Honza1]

My best guess is that electronic on the HD is either failing or marginal at some specs. Voltage can be marginal, currents supported or whatever else can be close to specs and some enclosure electronics may be more forgiving than the other. Sometimes it is the chip sets used by enclosures, which is why buying WD drive is more reliable than random HD+enclosure combination. Lots of ways SATA communication can go wrong here.
I would not trust this HD with important data and surely not with my backups.
If you look on HD reliability reports, it is "U" shape profile. There are more failures early in use (like your 240 hours), then drives are more reliable and after many hours wear shows up in increase in failures. But all HDs fail eventually, as all electronics fails.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I removed the internal WD drive (HDD model: WD100EMAZ) from the WD enclosure and put it into my Sabrent SATA USB 3.0 External Enclosure. Had to reformat it (initially gave same error as above), but after that the drive seems to be perfect. S.M.A.R.T. status reads fine, Disk Utility First Aid runs fine, and I've put another 50+ hours on it copying over 8+TB and all seems dandy...

THEN, I buy a new Inateck SATA USB 3.0 Enclosure for it (the Sabrent enclosure doesn't even secure the HDD in the case - NOT a good permanent solution), and my computer will NOT read the drive again! (same error as above, and it gives me this error when I run First Aid on it). Put it back into the Sabrent enclosure and it works again (and NO First Aid errors or anything). Try another/different drive in the Inateck and that drive works (i.e. the Inateck wasn't DOA)."

The answer to your dilemma lies in the above two paragraphs.

 

[Dochartaigh]

Since I posted this I tried a few more things – I tried another known-working enclosure - a LaCie G-Drive. Same error upon plugging it in. Looked up the SMART status of the drive with Disk Drill program and it's all green/"ok", but again, still can't initialize? the drive and access it.

Mac's Disk Utility, when I click on the 'info' button that window sees it as 10 TB... but what is weird is the MAIN Disk Utility window thinks it's a 1.25 TB drive? And of course when I fun First Aid on it, it has this same error: com.apple.DiskManagement.error -69874.


Somebody else suggested I try the "tape pin 3" trick... which kinda makes sense because the other 10 TB drives INSIDE the Mac Pro needed that pin taped in order to recognized the drive. Tried it on the Inateck and LaCie enclosure and didn't help...


Also reset the SMC (which on this 2009 Mac Pro seems to be: unplug it for 15 seconds, plug it back in and wait 5 seconds, hit power button) to no avail.

Sounds like the drive is NOT dead... but maybe the WD enclosure is dead. I suspect the drive MAY be dying though.

If me, I put it in the Sabrent, copy all files on it to another disc while you can, consider freshly formatting it in Disc Utility and then trying it again as an empty, freshly-formatted drive in the WD and/or Inateck enclosures.

I have a feeling the HDD itself has issues - especially if it won't load in 2x other known-working enclosures. The WD enclosure might have had something to do with it, but who knows. This drive was also a 3rd backup so I thankfully didn't lose any data.

Also, at the beginning of this process (after the WD enclosure wouldn't boot, then I put it into the Sabrent enclosure) I DID have to freshly re-format the HDD in the Sabrent enclosure - and after that it seems to be fine. The problem is that it wants to ALSO be reformatted AGAIN when I put it into either the Inateck or LaCie enclosure... which very well might make it work again (as that worked in the Sabrent) - but all this still points to something being broke on the HDD itself, right? and meaning that it's a drive I can NOT trust... so might as well throw it away and be out $180+...

Oh, and the 2009 Mac Pro (which thinks it's a 2010 and has an upgraded Metal video card) is on Mojave - so none of those Big Sur and later external-hdd issues should be present.

OP wrote:
"I removed the internal WD drive (HDD model: WD100EMAZ) from the WD enclosure and put it into my Sabrent SATA USB 3.0 External Enclosure. Had to reformat it (initially gave same error as above), but after that the drive seems to be perfect. S.M.A.R.T. status reads fine, Disk Utility First Aid runs fine, and I've put another 50+ hours on it copying over 8+TB and all seems dandy...

THEN, I buy a new Inateck SATA USB 3.0 Enclosure for it (the Sabrent enclosure doesn't even secure the HDD in the case - NOT a good permanent solution), and my computer will NOT read the drive again! (same error as above, and it gives me this error when I run First Aid on it). Put it back into the Sabrent enclosure and it works again (and NO First Aid errors or anything). Try another/different drive in the Inateck and that drive works (i.e. the Inateck wasn't DOA)."

The answer to your dilemma lies in the above two paragraphs.

Thanks... I guess... but I made a post here about this issue asking for help because I do NOT know the answer to this!

Case and point is right now I have a seemingly working drive in the Sabrent enclosure – but I can't use that Sabrent enclosure long-term as the drive just flops around in a plastic sled (isn't secured by screws or anything). Even SMART status and Disk Utility First Aid says the drive is fine... so in theory it IS working now... but something is still amiss as it doesn't work in two other known-working enclosures - so that is the mystery right there I'm trying to find the answer to. If you can shed light on this mystery please do!

 

[Fishrrman]

"something is still amiss as it doesn't work in two other known-working enclosures - so that is the mystery right there I'm trying to find the answer to. If you can shed light on this mystery please do!"

I'll reckon that there are conflicts between the WD drive's controller board and the enclosures that don't work.

Also... some enclosures might not be able to handle a 10tb drive. Again, this could be something to do with limitations in the enclosure's circuitry.

That's why... if you find something that works... might just have to stick with it.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I have a feeling the HDD itself has issues - especially if it won't load in 2x other known-working enclosures. The WD enclosure might have had something to do with it, but who knows. This drive was also a 3rd backup so I thankfully didn't lose any data.

Also, at the beginning of this process (after the WD enclosure wouldn't boot, then I put it into the Sabrent enclosure) I DID have to freshly re-format the HDD in the Sabrent enclosure - and after that it seems to be fine. The problem is that it wants to ALSO be reformatted AGAIN when I put it into either the Inateck or LaCie enclosure... which very well might make it work again (as that worked in the Sabrent) - but all this still points to something being broke on the HDD itself, right? and meaning that it's a drive I can NOT trust... so might as well throw it away and be out $180+...

It could be undefinable storage controller incompatibilities, although, I would lean on caution. This seems similar to my own experience. From (IIRC) 2012 until 2020, I went through three Seagate HDDs, all being used as Time Machine backups. After only a couple of years, each one would eventually cause sporadic errors in TM backups. I would run DiskWarrior and Disk Utility, which always did find (and fix) directory and file corruption, and things would seemingly be back to normal (for awhile). Unfortunately, not only did the errors resurface but the drive would eventually/ultimately become entirely unmountable. Unwilling to believe a drive (or later, drives) were failing so quickly, rather believing the problem was probably software-related or occasional improper disconnects/shut downs, I went ahead and zeroed the drive(s) via Windows — that too was a temporary fix. To this day, I am still skeptical about, opposed to buying/using any Seagate branded drive.

P.S. So far, a WD Blue 2.5-inch HDD (WD20SPZX) hasn’t shown any issue, though it has only been a few years.

 

[Dochartaigh]

I thank everybody for their help to date... but something else now creeped up which leads me to believe it's a problem with my 2009 Mac Pro and/or its Mojave OS, and NOT these HDD's or enclosures:

That previously-100%-working Sabrent enclosure gave me the same error on that same 10TB drive it ALWAYS worked with!!! Also tried another 5TB drive (which worked in EVERY enclosure) and it didn't work on the Sabrent either (but worked fine in the LaCie enclosure it was originally in)... Wait a day, and/or reboot, and they'll sometimes work...

This willy-nilly, haphazardly, seemingly random behavior leads me to believe that the 2009 Mac Pro has something wrong when I plug in USB hard drives to any of its USB connections... as previously just 6 months ago ALL of these enclosures, and ALL of these drives worked on it!

It's also not my USB 3.X add-on cards either (tried 3x of those, from the recommended topic here) as it does it from the front USB 2.0 ports as well...

Making another topic as this is now a quite different problem in my eyes...

 

[Forum-User]

Relating to your original question, I experienced two external drive enclosures of the same model purchased a year apart where one could read a 10+ GB drive, but the other nearly identical enclosure could not read large drives (appearing as not full capacity drives) due to different firmware versions in the enclosure. In my case, the manufacturer (Vantec) sent me a new controller card for the older enclosure, which resolved it.
It is possible that your Sabrent enclosure is able to read large drives, while the Inateck works only for drives with 8 GB or smaller.

 

[Dochartaigh]

Relating to your original question, I experienced two external drive enclosures of the same model purchased a year apart where one could read a 10+ GB drive, but the other nearly identical enclosure could not read large drives (appearing as not full capacity drives) due to different firmware versions in the enclosure. In my case, the manufacturer (Vantec) sent me a new controller card for the older enclosure, which resolved it.
It is possible that your Sabrent enclosure is able to read large drives, while the Inateck works only for drives with 8 GB or smaller.

That's not it I don't think. These intermittently, i.e. randomly WILL work with all/every drive(s). For like DAYS at a time - or at least to copy 8TB of small files to two different drives (which takes forever!)... then you can unplug it, use another drive for a time, perhaps reboot and go back to that SAME exact enclosure+drive combo and it will then NOT work that time (on the built-in USB 2.0 and the USB 3.0 add-on card).... remove that HDD and try it another enclosure and it might (or might not) work... seemingly random.

It didn't used to do this with external drives, so I think it's an issue on the 2009 Mac Pro itself, or maybe with Mojave, which is why I started a new topic on it because the HDD's themselves and the enclosures seem to be fine... the computer itself just sporadically doesn't like each of them.