Lost ability to see HD-LB3 and access files

[ThrillerNstinct]

I am new here and have had this drive for several years.  This was my back up drive the first external drive I have ever bought.  Didn't exactly know they go bad...

Not sure what happened, if anything.  I just found I could not access my J:drive which was my Buffalo HD-LB3.  I can see it in devices and I can see it in Device Manager.

I can see this in the event log and I do not know how it happened:

"Device USBSTOR\DISK&VEN_BUFFALO&PROD_EXTERNAL_HDD&REV_0001\010960003AD9&0 was deleted."

What does it mean that my device was deleted?  Looks like I did it, whatever "it" was.

I show the drive is not initialized and I am lost at this point.  Can I save my drive or is my only option to perform a Data Recovery?

Any help is appreciated, but please do not be rude or condescending.  I see that happens on this forum.

Thanks in advance

[Texturtle]

It sounds like the partition information got deleted somehow. You may be able to recover with one of the free drive recovery software options offered by various companies, otherwise you'll likely have to engage a data recovery service.