Welcome to Cardiff Data Recovery, Wales’s leading experts in recovering data from physically damaged external drives. If your WD Passport portable hard drive is making a grinding or scraping sound, stop using it immediately. These noises often indicate head crash or platter surface damage, which can worsen with continued power cycles.
With over 25 years of experience, our engineers are trusted to perform wd passport hard drive recovery for businesses, professionals, and individuals who depend on retrieving vital data — including financial files, customer databases, and personal documents.
🔍 Problem Overview – Grinding Noise in WD Passport Drive
Grinding or scraping sounds from a Western Digital Passport external hard drive usually suggest one or more of the following:
- Read/write head crash
- Head stiction (stuck to platters)
- Scratched or scored platters
- Spindle motor damage
- Physical impact or drop damage
These issues cannot be resolved by software and require specialist intervention to avoid further damage to internal components.
🛠️ Step-by-Step WD Passport Hard Drive Recovery Process
Step 1: Initial Evaluation & Drive Isolation
- The drive is safely powered down and not used further to prevent platter scoring.
- Our engineers assess the condition of the enclosure, USB interface, and internals.
Step 2: Disassembly
- Heads, platters, spindle assembly, and actuator arms are visually inspected under magnification.
Step 3: Head Assembly Replacement
- If the read/write heads have crashed or are misaligned, a matching donor head assembly is sourced and installed.
- Matching is based on model number, firmware revision, and microcode.
Step 4: Platter Surface Assessment
- Using non-contact imaging tools, engineers inspect the platters for any signs of circular scoring or mechanical abrasion.
- Minor scratches can be bypassed with controlled read techniques. Severe damage may result in partial recovery.
Step 5: Sector-by-Sector Imaging
- Once the donor heads are installed, the drive is cloned using hardware-level imaging.
- Imaging is performed with multiple read passes, ECC correction, and head-skipping algorithms to extract as much data as possible without further damage.
Step 6: File System Extraction
- Once a stable clone is obtained, we reconstruct the original file system (NTFS, exFAT, or HFS+ depending on the OS).
- We recover folders, files, and directory structures with original metadata wherever possible.
Step 7: Data Delivery
- Recovered files are verified for integrity and delivered on a new storage device provided by the client or supplied by us.
🖥️ Supported WD Passport Models
We recover from all models in the WD Passport range, including:
- WD My Passport 1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 5TB (USB 3.0/3.1)
- WD My Passport Ultra
- WD My Passport for Mac
- WD My Passport SSD (SATA and NVMe variants)
- WD My Passport Wireless / Wireless Pro
- WD Elements (similar internal architecture)
Compatible across:
- Windows 11 / 10 / 8 / 7
- macOS (HFS+, APFS)
- Linux (EXT3/4)
⚠️ Important Note – Don’t Retry Powering the Drive
If your WD Passport is producing grinding, clicking, or scraping sounds:
- Do not plug it back into your computer.
- Do not attempt software recovery – this can worsen platter damage.
- Do not remove the drive from its casing unless you are a professional.
Every second the heads grind across damaged platters increases the risk of permanent data loss.
✅ Why Choose Cardiff Data Recovery?
- Over 25 years’ experience in advanced hard drive recovery
- Donor drive sourcing from global suppliers
- No recovery, no fee policy
- Fully GDPR-compliant handling of sensitive and financial data
- Free diagnostic assessment and clear reporting
- Critical 24–48 hour service available for urgent cases
We’ve successfully recovered data from WD Passport drives for accountants, solicitors, IT professionals, researchers, and countless home users across the UK.
📞 Contact Cardiff Data Recovery Today
Experiencing grinding or scraping sounds from your WD Passport drive? Time is critical — every second of operation risks permanent data loss.
Contact Cardiff Data Recovery today for a free diagnostic. We are your trusted experts in wd passport hard drive recovery — offering secure, fast and professional solutions when your data matters most.