External USB disk (time machine) won't mount or unmount... can't acces data

I have a recently bought FreeCom external USB drive for backups to Time-Machine.
And just today time machine gave an error “backup failed” and the disk appeared unmounted.
I tried mounting it.. but it wasn’t there. I disconnected it. Restarted the whole computer.
Now, it shows up in Disk Utility sometimes... but the actual volume of the disk is invisible.
Only the option “unmount” is available, but that fails. Neither can I "verify" or "repair" or anything.
I hear it starts up and shuts down, it semi-shows up in disk utility... what can I do to acces it again???
There are some important files on there (besides the backup) that I need.
(This disk has never travelled or fallen/bumped.. it always sits stationairy under my desk.)
Message was edited by: Inofaith

Oddly enough, I attempted to post an answer to your question earlier, but it seems to have not been posted.
Have you tried a different cable or a different USB port?
Have you tried the drive on a different Mac?
Does the drive get its power from the USB port, or does it have an independent power supply?
Does the drive have any security features?
Since I am not familiar with this particular drive, I looked it up, and see that there are several models, and I don't know exactly which one you have. So I will be guessing as to what could be wrong.
If the drive gets its power through the USB port and draws too much power, it could be overloading the USB port and the USB port will shut down rather than allow too much power to be drawn. If you shut down the computer, it can "reset" the USB hub so that it will work again. If this is a possibility, you could try a powered USB hub or powering the drive with a independent power supply. Mac USB ports are very picky about anything drawing too much voltage.
It's possible that you have a faulty USB cable, so it would be worth trying a different cable.
It's possible, although I think less likely, that the enclosure itself could be faulty.
If there is a security feature, it may need to be reactivated in order to connect with the drive.
Hopefully the drive and its data are intact. It sounds to me more like a problem connecting with the drive than a problem with the drive itself. The intermittent nature of the problem lead me to suspect a problem with the cable or the USB port, as the connection itself is what seems to be flakey.
Good luck!

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