If the drive is recognized by your computer but files are missing, these third-party tools offer free versions for data rescue:
: This utility specifically supports WD My Book series (including Essential and 3.0 USB models) for recovering photos, videos, and documents. Mybook Rescue Tool Free
: Use this to run "Drive Self Tests" to check for major hardware failures. If the drive is recognized by your computer
: A straightforward tool for Windows that supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems. It allows for quick and deep scans of external drives. Mybook Rescue Tool Free
: If your partition shows as "RAW," TestDisk can often rebuild the partition table and make your files visible again without needing to "recover" them to a new drive. Crucial Recovery Tips