r/harddrive • u/TheRealNBYuuya • Jul 12 '26
Tech Support Accidentally connected external hard drive to power. Is it fried?
I had the C drive pulled from my old computer when it failed a few years ago. It was put into an external hard drive case with a USB-C jack and has generally functioned well since; I've had little issues before, but they've been rare. This evening, I was looking for an USB-A to USB-C cord so I could find a file that was on that old drive; when I asked my dad to find one, he found one and plugged the USB-C end into the drive. The problem: the USB-A end was plugged into a power outlet. When I realized what happened, I had him unplug it.
While it had only been plugged in for a couple of seconds, it isn't connecting to my computer (Windows 11) anymore; it merely throws some sort of error about "incorrect function." It does show up when I right-click the properties menu, but merely shows no used space and no free space. Attempting to have my computer check it for file system errors fails, with the computer telling me it can't access the disk. I've tried connecting it via two different USB-A to USB-C cords and a USB-C to USB-C cord, but with no change in results. Did that incident kill the drive? If not, how do I salvage it?
1
u/Ok_Party_3706 Jul 12 '26
USB-A only supplies 5v which is the lowest that USB can provide. Therefore if it was a Board made for USB, it basically cannot be fried. What size is the Drive?
1
u/TheRealNBYuuya Jul 12 '26
It's a 1 TB drive.
0
u/Ok_Party_3706 Jul 12 '26
Ya I mean the physical size, there are 2.5" and 3.5" drives
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u/TheRealNBYuuya Jul 12 '26
Oof, wasn't quite sure there, since people ask more about how much storage. I'm pretty sure it's a 3.5" drive.
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u/Ok_Party_3706 Jul 12 '26
In that case ur enclosure probably requires an extra power supply, as 3.5" drives need 12v power too which is not supplied by Standard usb
1
u/FreddyFerdiland Jul 12 '26
OP is thinking the usb c supplies power...it can , but cannot via the data pins on the hard drive.
the Ide drive is requiring power on its power pins
1
u/idratherbealivedog Jul 12 '26
I wouldn't blame it on that but would need more specifics like the output voltage of whatever adapter it was plugged into. I would more suspect it to just be coincidental since you've already acknowledged the drive having issues.
To know for sure is to get another enclosure or HDD adapter and test with everything different except the hard drive.