A strange case of a deleted answer

Question

Something strange has happened to me.

In the post Unable to recover hard disk drive after failed formatting due to sudden power outage, the user asked for ways to fix his failed WD disk.

I have posted an answer detailing free tools by WD for analyzing and repairing their disks. The poster has indicated that this answer was his last hope and criteria before junking the disk, when suddenly the answer was deleted by a moderator without explanation.

Now a deletion by a moderator of an answer is a very serious matter, since only a moderator may undelete it, the community having no voice in the matter besides a discussion on Meta. The answer in addition becomes invisible to all users having less than 10K reputation. In utter incomprehension, I improved somewhat the answer and flagged it, asking the moderator to undelete, but nothing happened in two days of waiting.

I am very puzzled. I have scrutinized the explanations in Why and how are some answers deleted? and can see none that applies to my answer. The format of the answer is one I have used in hundreds of other answers, and it is certainly not link-only. The answers that were left on the post are all saying that this is logical for such an old disk, but do not offer any tools to verify its status.

So I ask the community: What is so unacceptable about my answer that it merits delete on sight without explanation?

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Edit: Following the derisive answer by Journeyman Geek, detailing the required components in an answer, I list below the three mandatory conditions found in his link, with his added rule as fourth. Below are the rules and an image of my deleted answer with the required parts clearly indicated.

I would like Journeyman Geek to explain why he thinks those are not present. If he thinks the answer is not enough, that is really for the poster to judge. I do not criticize his answer, as he shouldn't criticize mine.

1. Title of the product with a link to the download/main page.
2. Give a brief overview of HOW to use the product OR in cases where it's too long, link to the product's manual pages.
3. Give any personalized information to the OP regarding how the recommendation solves his/her question.
4. consider talking about the use of these tools to fix the issue, rather than simply dumping names and descriptions in an answer.

Answer 1

Just a few observations about the answer.

• The first link is labeled wrong. The link goes to Data Lifeguard Diagnostics but it's labeled Universal Firmware Updater. In the question, the OP lists having already tried that unsuccessfully. So that recommendation isn't for a helpful product.

  It looks like you may have initially posted your answer before the OP disclosed that they had already tried the product. But you edited it later and left this in, and it's the first half of the answer.

• Ignoring that it isn't a helpful product, true, there are instructions at the link. But there are none in the answer; it's a link-only recommendation (plus a brief description of the product). If the link goes, the answer contains nothing of value regarding that product.
• You frame it as a speculative potential diagnostic rather than a solution to the problem: "It is not specified what repairs can this utility effect, but it would at least be interesting to know if it can detect the drive."

So to me, the first bullet is low-quality padding that doesn't provide a solution and doesn't qualify as an answer, even if the OP hadn't already reported that it didn't help.

• The second bullet is also link-only (plus a brief product description), to a once-removed link at that, and there is no issue (like extremely long instructions) that justifies only a link.

  The link is to a general download page for a bunch of stuff; it isn't a product-specific link. The reader must find the product on the page and expand the product link to see the short instructions. There is no reason why the answer could not contain the instructions (a simple copy and paste), and the actual download link.

  If you wanted to leave the current link as potentially helpful other tools, it could remain as a supplement (with a description of why you've included it).

• the second bullet does identify what the product does, and how it relates to the problem. The image, though, adds nothing but documentation of a caveat, illustrating that the reader might need a USB enclosure.

Is it deletion-worthy?

The bar for what qualifies as an answer is pretty low. A low-quality answer is still technically an answer. In the post's current form, you're splitting hairs to justify that it technically meets the absolute minimum definition of an answer. Is that really the bar you're shooting for?

If the second bullet was expanded to address the link-only issue, I would consider it an answer, and that can easily be fixed. Do that and I'd say you would have an argument for it being undeleted.

Answer 2

Detailing would be... charitable.

2 screenshots, 2 blocks of copied links and some blurbs copied right off the website of the tools do not an answer make.

You might want to consider reading this

Also consider talking about the use of these tools to fix the issue, rather than simply dumping names and descriptions in an answer.

So nothing strange about it, the answer didn't meet quality standards.