How to recreate file system in an external hard drive from scratch?

I've got a Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Elements 25A2. This is the way it introduces itself through the lsusb command. Unfortunately, I cannot format it. Through Gnome Disk Utility the command refuses to run and returns: “Error wiping device: Failed to probe the device ‘/dev/sdd’ (udisks-error-quark, 0)”. I tried various commands but they all failed: - sudo fsck /dev/sdd - sudo e2fsck -b 8193 /dev/sdd - sudo e2fsck -b 32768 /dev/sdd I want to recreate a file system because we can consider that the device is totally empty (and notice I haven't got any image copy). (base) avy@machine:~$ sudo parted -l Erreur: /dev/sdd : étiquette de disque inconnue #unknown disk's label Modèle : WD Elements 25A2 (scsi) Disque /dev/sdd : 2000GB Taille des secteurs (logiques/physiques) : 512B/512B #block's size (logical/physical) Table de partitions : unknown #partition table Drapeaux de disque : #disk's flags As far as I know, solutions like DDRescue are based on existing image of a file system (e.g. sudo ddrescue .img ), so I can’t use them. The hard drive itself seems "healthy" after SMART control: - sudo smartctl --health /dev/sdd → SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED - sudo smartctl --log=error /dev/sdd → SMART Error Log Version: 1 \n No Errors Logged So, I have a little hope to avoid throwing it in the trash. Here are the kernel messages relating to the drive: sudo dmesg --follow [ 444.527131] usb 2-4: Product: Elements 25A2 [ 444.527134] usb 2-4: Manufacturer: Western Digital [ 444.527138] usb 2-4: SerialNumber: 575855314533383859304150 [ 444.528739] usb-storage 2-4:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected [ 444.529073] scsi host6: usb-storage 2-4:1.0 [ 445.546672] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD Elements 25A2 1021 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6 [ 445.546937] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0 [ 445.547812] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] Spinning up disk... [ 446.570416] ........ready [ 453.738963] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] 3906963456 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.82 TiB) [ 453.739246] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off [ 453.739251] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 47 00 10 08 [ 453.739479] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] No Caching mode page found [ 453.739487] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through [ 456.492061] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 456.492069] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 456.492074] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 456.492080] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 456.492087] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 456.492096] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 459.561974] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 459.561982] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 459.561988] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 459.561994] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 459.562001] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 459.562010] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 462.747978] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 462.747986] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 462.747991] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 462.747997] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 462.748004] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 462.748012] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 462.748032] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed. [ 465.948181] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 465.948188] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 465.948192] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 465.948197] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 465.948202] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 465.948210] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 469.216369] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 469.216371] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 469.216372] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 469.216374] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 469.216375] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 469.216378] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 472.382131] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 472.382139] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 472.382145] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 472.382151] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 472.382157] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 472.382166] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 475.548568] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 475.548570] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 475.548571] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 475.548573] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 475.548574] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 475.548577] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 475.548611] Dev sdd: unable to read RDB block 0 [ 478.628200] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 478.628208] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 478.628213] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 478.628220] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 478.628227] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 478.628236] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 481.707768] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 481.707776] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 481.707782] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 481.707788] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 481.707795] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 481.707804] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 484.864341] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 484.864349] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 484.864355] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 484.864361] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00 [ 484.864368] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 24 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 484.864377] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 3, async page read [ 487.982899] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 487.982907] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 487.982912] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 487.982919] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 487.982925] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 487.982935] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 491.116325] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 491.116333] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 491.116339] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 491.116345] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 491.116351] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 491.116361] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read [ 491.116432] sdd: unable to read partition table [ 491.504986] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI disk [ 494.284826] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 494.284834] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 494.284840] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 494.284846] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 494.284853] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x80700 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 497.472400] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE [ 497.472408] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [ 497.472413] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error [ 497.472419] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdd] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 [ 497.472426] blk_update_request: critical medium error, dev sdd, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 0 [ 497.472435] Buffer I/O error on dev sdd, logical block 0, async page read ---------- Disclaimer: I won't accept answers such as "Buy a new hard-drive", "Use warranty" (all examples given are true stories). There's nothing of value in this hard-drive, I want to improve my IT skills and bring added value to Stack Exchange platforms.