Hi TS,
I've got quite a few Astone brands external harddisks, 1 and 2 tb. All were working fine until there was a time (a few months) I stopped using the disk (because I've already backed up the data into them and left it there).
Recently, tried to access some of the backedup data and realise the PC doesn't recognise the harddisk (the 2 tb one). It keeps prompting me to format the disk...
I've tried on a couple of other laptops and same result- it doesn't recognise the disk. Now I have to hunt for some data recovery service and waste time and money, plus loss of privacy. As its still under warranty, I wanted to look for the astone manufacturer, but guess what? 2 problems: First of all, I don't know who to claim warranty from, 2ndly, the receipt that I have is those thermal receipt and all the 'ink' has vaporised, leaving me a receipt that looks like a blank piece of paper...
So, my advice is for bros who buy stuff with warranty, do scan and keep a copy of the receipt, because 1-5 years is a long time and I'm pretty sure thermal paper receipts would become blank by then, and most manufactureres are laughing because they know at least 80% of customers won't be claiming their warranty because of these reasons: don't know where to claim, and receipt lost/ ink disappeared, etc.
I suspect the problem could be due to the fact that I left the hard disk in the room: I should have kept all backup harddisks in some kind of dry box to prevent fungus and dust. Hope others can learn from my experience and benefit from it..