I could restore & reformat but not without losing all data on the drive.

I followed his lead, though, and, as I wrote in the comments on his review, was able to repair this on my own and recover all my data (after wasting a week and $127 to not have it repaired by the local computer shop) using a t6 screwdriver ($6 at a local hardware store), a SATA to USB cord (under $20 at an electronic shop) and a dental hook I picked up at the pharmacy (part of a $6 dental set at CVS).

It saved my data right before my computer crapped out on me

I chose this product because of it's alleged ease of use and stability with the mac OS, but it's turning out to be just like almost every other dual platform product I've ever used - temperamental & risky, which is not what I want for my important data & back ups.

The primary reason I purchased it was because it was shock-proof and wanted to keep my data safe

I recommend purchasing the data recovery plan which is inexpensive and a good "just-in-case" back up to your back up

I clicked on the warranty and Transcend Elite data management from the drive menu in Windows, and it was all done in under five minutes

I'd sure hate to lose some important data because I was too cheap to spring for the extra few bucks for a drop tested and fortified portable drive!

I'd sure hate to lose some important data because I was too cheap to spring for the extra few bucks for a drop tested and fortified portable drive!

Do not trust this brand for important data storage

Have not used the built in backup feature yet but still filling it with irreplaceable data

After this anxiety-inducing but small step, I connected the SATA to USB cord from the drive to my laptop, the computer was able to read the drive, and I recovered all my data

My data is worth the extra heft

["How to recover data from a hard drive (stuck heads: buzzing, clicking, etc)" by "

Fast data transfer

, I'd really hate to lose my data or need to download stuff over again, especially over a slow internet connection

I know quality on hard drives has declined significantlythe past few years because cheap productionn is top of the list for manufacturers, but the time wasted is more frustrating than the poor quality being sold we're expected to use and trust with our valuable data.

I use this as a Time Machine backup and for extended storage of non-critical data