Failing External HD

[weeba]

I've got a hard drive that is clearly on the way out.  It's a 3 TB drive, with ~750 GB used.  When plugged in, it shows 100% available, but is inaccessible.  When I use test disk, I can see the old file structure, and can browse, but I cannot copy any of the files off.  CHKDSK fails after ~10%.
 
What options do I have here?  Reformat and hope to recover the data afterwards?
 
edit: Turns out I have a 3 TB Seagate (giant bar).  Any recommendations for a 3 TB external as a replacement? Thinking http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E3RH63A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=78VSJNFHHRRK&coliid=I1HNKZSZK6MP0I&psc=1
 

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

I had an external HD drive fail. I was able to get data off in short sessions by unplugging it for a day at a time.

Formatting it and hoping to keep using it seems unwise.

Buy two new drives and use Crashplan to keep a backup for the inevitable failure.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Maybe boot up one of these rescue discs to try and write off data from external drive?
 
Alternatively, I once had an external drive that Windows PC gagged on. Attached it to an Apple PC and got all the data off it easily.

 

[weeba]

You got an Apple PC I can borrow?

 

[Harry Hooper]

You got an Apple PC I can borrow?

 
Legions of Apple fans used to send letters to PCMagazine and PCWorld complaining that "Macs are PCs too!" Apple's "Mac or PC?" ad campaign came later.
 
 
 
Edit: I've got an old iMac in a closet. Bring a few brews over.

 

[weeba]

Worth shoving the HD into the freezer for the night?

 

[wutang112878]

I actually had some luck before by taking a hard drive and sticking it in the freezer which helps keeps it cool if its physically spinning incorrectly and I believe it also makes the discs themselves easier to read when they are cold as opposed to warm but dont quote me on that.  I also do believe you want to wrap the hard drive and keep it air tight so you dont introduce a moisture problem.  Anyway, when I had this problem I put my HD in the freezer overnight then hooked it up, pulled as much of as I could until it failed and then just repeated that process.  If the freezing process actually works and you have an external enclosure and long enough wires, you might even try putting the enclosure (air tight again) in the freezer with your computer hooked up to it to keep it really cool.