G-DRIVE Data Recovery – Every Model Since 2010

G-DRIVE is G-Technology’s single-drive range: 3.5-inch desktop drives for studio backup and archive, and 2.5-inch mobile drives that travel with photographers and camera crews. Over the years they have used FireWire, USB, eSATA, Thunderbolt and USB-C – and many older units are still storing work that was never copied anywhere else.

Inside almost every G-DRIVE is a Hitachi, HGST or WD drive – enterprise-class Ultrastar drives in recent desktop models. We recover these drives in our cleanroom when they fail mechanically, and we read them directly when the enclosure has failed.

G-DRIVE Models, 2010 to Today

G-Technology G-DRIVE hard drives (2010 – 2021) 12 entries

Silver aluminium enclosures with Hitachi, HGST or WD Ultrastar drives inside.

Era	Model	Drive	Notes
2010–12	G-DRIVE (FireWire 800 / USB 2.0 / eSATA)	3.5-inch	Desktop
2010–12	G-DRIVE mobile (FireWire / USB)	2.5-inch	Portable
2010–11	G-DRIVE Q / G-DRIVE mini	3.5-inch / 2.5-inch	Multi-interface
2012–13	G-DRIVE slim / G-DRIVE mobile USB 3.0	2.5-inch	Slim portable
2012–14	G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt / G-DRIVE mobile Thunderbolt	3.5 / 2.5-inch	First Thunderbolt models
2014–15	G-DRIVE ev / G-DRIVE ev ATC	2.5-inch	ev Series modules; ATC has a rugged, floating case
2016	G-DRIVE ev RaW	2.5-inch	Rugged bumper, ev Series
2016–17	G-DRIVE USB-C / G-DRIVE mobile USB-C	3.5 / 2.5-inch
2016–18	G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt 3 / G-DRIVE mobile Pro	3.5-inch / 2.5-inch	Thunderbolt 3
2017–18	G-DRIVE Pro with Thunderbolt 3	3.5-inch
2018	G-DRIVE ArmorATD	2.5-inch	Rugged, all-terrain
2019–20	G-DRIVE (USB-C, 0G1xxxx part numbers)	3.5-inch, up to 14TB

SanDisk Professional hard drives (2021 onwards) 4 entries

The SDPH part number includes the capacity – for example SDPHF1A-018T is an 18TB G-DRIVE.

Era	Model / part number	Capacity	Notes
2021–22	G-DRIVE – SDPHF1A series	4TB and up	USB-C desktop, Ultrastar inside
2021–22	G-DRIVE PRO – SDPH51J series	4TB and up	Thunderbolt 3 desktop, Ultrastar inside
2022	G-DRIVE Project	Various	Thunderbolt 3, with a PRO-BLADE SSD Mag bay
2021–22	G-DRIVE ArmorATD – SDPH81G-001T / -002T / -004T / -005T	1–5TB	Rugged portable, USB-C

How G-DRIVEs Fail

• Head failure after a knock – the most common fault in mobile and ev drives; the drive clicks, beeps or isn’t detected
• Enclosure or bridge-board failure – the drive inside is healthy, but the USB or Thunderbolt board has failed
• Power supply failure on desktop G-DRIVEs, or damage from the wrong adapter
• Port damage – FireWire 800, micro-B and USB-C sockets broken by cables pulled at an angle
• Bad sectors on older Hitachi drives – slow copying, freezing Finder, and files that won’t open
• File system damage – HFS+ or APFS volumes that won’t mount after an unsafe eject or power cut

ev Series Drives

ev Series drives are 2.5-inch modules that slot into a G-DOCK ev, G-SPEED Shuttle XL or ev Series reader. Because they are moved between devices constantly, they are especially prone to connector and head damage. We recover ev, ev ATC, ev RaW and ev SSD modules, with or without the dock.

Before you send your device – five things to avoid

• Switch the device off and leave it off – every power cycle can make physical damage worse
• Do not run CHKDSK, Disk First Aid, fsck or recovery software on a drive that clicks, beeps or is slow
• Do not open the drive or swap the circuit board – modern boards hold drive-specific adaptive data
• Do not reinstall the operating system or initialise the disk when prompted
• Keep liquid-damaged devices unpowered and bring them in as quickly as possible

Frequently asked questions