Re: Passport drive won't access files properly

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

It is possible that your device is drawing too much power from its USB hub.

In Device Manager,
check Universal Serial Bus controllers / USB Root Hub(s)

under properties/Power tab
you will find the power drawn from each port, make sure that the total for that hub is less than the max of 500 ma.
(check when having problems, and when not having problems)

Michael



"rh0000" <rh0000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:3B567936-9416-4F9A-B27B-8EE950D133F5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My apologies. By mistake I cut and pasted the email I sent Western Digital,
who made the drive, as well as the message I meant to post. My error may have
arisen from the fact that I was struggling with Internet Explorer, as Firefox
3 (which I normally use) wouldn't let me sign on to the Microsoft forum.
Anyway, the text I meant to input now follows. Does anyone have any
suggestions?


USB external drive won't access files properly

I have a Toshiba Satellite A100 laptop, running Windows Vista Home Basic. I
have a Western Digital “passport” external hard drive, which has no separate
power source, as it draws its power through the USB port. Sometimes the drive
works okay, but I often have huge problems in accessing files on the drive.
Opening a folder can make Windows “hang”. Opening a Word or audio file can
make Word or the audio software crash. Copying files often fails and in the
process may make Windows explorer stop working. Recently I tried to copy a
33MB file from the external drive to my laptop, and while it did this it took
over an hour. So all sorts of things can happen, none of them pleasant.

Problems can happen whether the external drive is the only peripheral
plugged into a USB drive (apart from an external mouse, which I always use),
or whether the external drive is one of a number of peripherals plugged into
my laptop - either separately or via a USB hub (either powered or unpowered).

Does anyone know what is going on and how I can make my USB external drive
usable? I have two other external drives (powered by their own power source)
and these work perfectly. Why, much of the time, does this drive limp along
so badly as to be virtually unusable?





"Curious" wrote:

Whose passport drive did you buy? None of the peer to peer members of this
newsgroup sell drives.

"rh0000" <rh0000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:AD08AEF0-AFFD-42D5-8F9D-B8B28F0E3DD3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I have a Toshiba Satellite A100, bought in March 2007 and running >Windows
> Vista Home Basic. I bought your Passport USB drive in April 2008. Right
> from
> the very start it has given problems, to do with not being able to > access
> files because my PC freezes, or files taking a very long time to be
> accessed.
> When I plug the drive into a USB port, it can take several minutes in
> order
> to access a file contained within a few nested folders. If the file is > a
> word
> document, or an audio file, for example, attempting to open the file > can
> cause the word processing or audio software to stop working completely.
> Attempting to copy a file from my laptop to your Passport drive, or > vice
> versa, often fails and in the process may cause Windows explorer to > stop
> working. Yesterday, though (after several attempts) I was finally able > to
> copy a file from your drive to my laptop, it took over an hour to copy > a
> single file of 33MB. So all sorts of things may happen, none of them
> pleasant. The troubles don't arise all the time, but they do arise most > of
> the time, and they happen whether your Passport drive is the only
> peripheral
> plugged into a USB drive (apart from an external mouse, which I always
> use),
> or whether your drive is one of a number of peripherals plugged into my
> laptop - either separately or via a USB hub (either powered or > unpowered).
> Do
> you know what is going on and how I can make your drive usable? I have > two
> other external drives (powered by their own power source) and these > work
> perfectly. Why does your drive limp along so badly as to be virtually
> unusable?
>
> model number
> WD3200ME-01
>
> serial number
> WXH208970242
>
> Reference number given for the above question on Saturday 26 July 2008
> 080726-000894
>
> ********************
>
> version for windows communities, pcw forums, toshiba forums
>
> USB external drive won't access files properly
>
> I have a Toshiba Satellite A100 laptop, running Windows Vista Home > Basic.
> I
> have a Western Digital “passport” external hard drive, which has no
> separate
> power source, as it draws its power through the USB port. Sometimes the
> drive
> works okay, but I often have huge problems in accessing files on the
> drive.
> Opening a folder can make Windows “hang”. Opening a Word or audio file > can
> make Word or the audio software crash. Copying files often fails and in
> the
> process may make Windows explorer stop working. Recently I tried to > copy a
> 33MB file from the external drive to my laptop, and while it did this > it
> took
> over an hour. So all sorts of things can happen, none of them pleasant.
>
> Problems can happen whether the external drive is the only peripheral
> plugged into a USB drive (apart from an external mouse, which I always
> use),
> or whether the external drive is one of a number of peripherals plugged
> into
> my laptop - either separately or via a USB hub (either powered or
> unpowered).
>
> Does anyone know what is going on and how I can make my USB external > drive
> usable? I have two other external drives (powered by their own power
> source)
> and these work perfectly. Why, much of the time, does this drive limp
> along
> so badly as to be virtually unusable?
>

.

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