Re: USB connected HDs


Ron Sommer wrote:
"Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uddnO7lPHHA.4172@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anna wrote:
"Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uTCCuGgPHHA.1248@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I purchased a Sata/IDE to USB Adapter to work with 6 old IDE hard
drives I accumulated from other PCs over the years. I connected
the included external power adapter to the HD and the USB
adapter to
the USB 2 ports on a PC running XP SP2.

These PC USB ports work perfectly with other backup external HDs
I own and with USB flash drives. But: I cannot get my old HDs to
show up on the PCs using the
adapter cable.

I tried this with 2 different PCs, both running XP SP2 and had
the same problem with ALL my old IDE hardrives (set with jumper
as "MA") using the adapter, so I do not think it is a case of
the HDs being bad or the PCs and their USB ports being
bad.

What happens in all cases is:
1) the lights light up on the adapter showing it to be connected.
2) the icon showing that a USB device is connected shows on the
Windows taskbar, and when hovered on says there is a storage
drive connected. BUT,
a) no drive shows up in "My Computer", even on repeated refresh.
b) Computer management / Disk Management / does not reveal the
presence of the USB adapter connected HD
c) Device Manager shows (under USB controllers) that a storage
device is present and enabled and working correctly.

*Do I have to do anything in XP to make My computer show the HDs
attached to the PC with the USB adapter?

Thank you.

Jeff


Anna wrote:
Jeff:
I'm assuming you're working with one of these small,
"hold-in-the-palm" adapters.

It could be the adapter itself. As a matter of fact it probably
*is* the adapter. Our experience with these type of devices has
been, by & large, quite negative. To the point where we rarely
recommend
them. In our experience, we've come across too many defective
adapters in
that they didn't work at all or worked fitfully. Hopefully, you
have return privileges for the device and if so, you may want to
exchange it for another one - trusting that that one will work as
advertised. Anna


"Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e26vuQlPHHA.3624@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes I am. Actually it is a Vantec SATA/IDE to USB Adapter I picked
up at
MicroCenter for $29. There was another one also sold at MicroCenter
for the same price made by a different manufacturer that I could
try. I just have a sneaky feeling the problem is not with the
adapter but with my jumper settings.

I can easily return it but I am only using it to access these old
HDs from long gone PCs that I want to be able to wipe clean so I
can safely throw them out. Using an IDE-USB adapter seemed to be
the
only easy way I could get to wipe these old HDs.

Jeff


Jeff:
As it happens...Vantec is one of the more reliable brands in our
experience so perhaps the problem is not with the device as I
suspected. The type of adapters I was referring to was primarily the
ubiquitous no-name generic "brands". But since you indicated this
non-recognition problem exists for all six (6) HDDs and with two
different PCs it was (is) hard to escape the conclusion that a
defective device is the culprit, inasmuch as you've indicated that
there's no problem with device-recognition affecting your other USB
devices.
We're assuming in all this, of course, that you've properly
connected the device to your HDD(s) both with respect to the gizmo
itself and
the auxiliary power supply connector.

I really don't think HDD jumper configuration is at the root of this
problem as you suspect in another of your posts. And since you also
indicate that all you want to do is "wipe them clean" before junking
them, why don't you simply install each as an internal HDD in one of
your machines and use Disk Management to perform that operation and
be done with it? Anna

Thanks Ana

That is what I will end up doing. It just "seemed" seductively
easier to just connect the USB adapter than open the case, remove an
installed HD and add the old HD, etc. Had I gone that route, I
probably would have been all finished by now <grin>.

Ah well.

Jeff


"Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ul9svNnPHHA.3552@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It is not necessary to physically mount the drive in the case.
The simplest is to use the DVD/CD cable.
This eliminates having to mess with the jumpers on the old drive.
Just support the drive so there is no chance of touching the
circuitboard on the drive to the computer case.
Formatting by its self will not clean the drive.
Format, then write zeroes to the drive.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/SDelete.mspx


"Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ul9svNnPHHA.3552@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes I am aware that formating or just deleting are not sufficient. I was
planning to over write them with a wipe utility.

By "DVD/CD cable" do you mean the cables that are presently connected to
my CD and DVD drives? Will doing that permit me to use a wipe utility
(sDelete or others) to overwrite them?

Jeff


Jeff:
Ronald's suggestion is a good one. We do this all the time. But we're a bit
leery about recommending that approach to someone who has had no experience
fiddling around with the "innards" of a machine. We've encountered too many
situations where the user lost his or her HDD because it wasn't propped up
securely against the machine. A HDD that falls to the floor is not a
desirable thing. But if you're careful, it's certainly an expedient way to
go.

Anyway, what Ronald is apparently referring to is the IDE (signal/data)
ribbon cable that's used to connect IDE devices such as the ones connected
to your other HDD and your optical drive(s). Use whatever is available and
is relatively easy to get to. If, for example, you have only your boot HDD
connected to a IDE cable and the middle connector of that cable is free (no
Slave connected), then you could use that for a connection to the HDD you're
planning to format. Doesn't matter in this case whether the HDD is connected
as Master or Slave - just jumper it accordingly.
Anna


.

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