Windows 10: HDD inaccessible

I have a HDD that is now inaccessible and would appreciate some advice before I take the next step.

My system has:
-main SSD (C which has the Win system and all frequently used programs.
-secondary HDD (D which has all data and infrequently used programs.

Briefly here is what has happened and what I have done:
-about 2 days ago, the D: drive occasionally became very slow to access and eventually froze File Manager. A reboot would restore functionality for a short while but the problem would return.
-I ran an "error check" on the HDD. It found and fixed errors but the above symptoms continued.
-I ran a "chkdsk" on the HDD. It found and fixed errors but the above symptoms continued.
-Ultimately, the D: is totally inaccessible. It does not appear in File Manager
-Checking "Disk Management", the HDD is shown as "Disk 1 unknown" and it gives me a window asking to initialize the HDD as either MBR or GPT.
-When I boot the computer, it used to boot in less that 30 seconds. Now the POST seems to take forever before proceeding to boot.

I'm inclined to initialize the HDD but I'm worried that this will delete all data on the HDD. (I do have a back up but it doesn't include hundreds of irreplaceable pictures from a recent vacation.)

Any advice before I proceed and screw this up any further?

:)

 

unlock hdd

Hi Johan,

It is possible that your
HDD was unreadable
causing the error message to appear. We recommend that you perform these troubleshooting steps and check if there are any changes:

• 
  Shutdown
  your
  PC.
  
• 
  Unhooked
  the
  HDD
  and
  turn on
  your
  PC.
  
• 
  Reconnect
  your
  HDD
  and
  restart
  your
  PC.
  

If the issue persists, we suggest that you contact your
laptop/computer's manufacturer
for further assistance.

Update us on how it goes.

Regards.

 

unlock hdd

 

HDD Corrupt ?

Hi,

There are many possible reasons this issue is happening. We'd like to ask few questions below:

• What is the brand name of you Hard Disk Drive?
  
• How old is the HDD?
  

Since you already tried multiple troubleshooting steps, we suggest visiting the manufacturer's website. Find and download a hard drive diagnostic software to help resolve the issue.

Let us know how it goes.