Re: Windows Explorer Not seeing external drive

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


"D.H. Cesare" <cesareDH@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23geB5PLIHHA.420@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm using the same version of XP Pro SP2 on both machines, "A" & "B".
"A" is 2.8GHz with 1024MB RAM and "B" is 500mHz with 640MB RAM.
Both have large HDDs and storage drives.
When I plug my 120G Western Digital HDD into the "B" machine's USB 2.0
port it works just fine; no problem transferring files, etc.
When I plug the external drive into my "A" machine I get the connect
confirmation, but when I open Windows Explorer the drive's not there.
Device Manager shows the device to be there and working properly. I've
uninstalled and reinstalled the driver.
I've run the Add Hardware Wizard and it shows the drive to be there and
working properly.
Why can't I access the WD drive in My Computer or in Windows Explorer
on the "A" machine?
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Be who you are and say what you feel....
Because those that matter.... don't mind...
And those that mind.... don't matter. "
------------------
D.H. Cesare


"Paul Mckenna" <Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:C51B07A0-1E95-4D97-9609-0B665ACCE919@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You probably need to assign it a drive letter, if you Right click 'My
Computer' then go to manage and select 'disk management' you should see
it, right click the partition to either assign it a drive letter or to
change the letter if it's already in use on your A pc.

Let me know if you need a more detailed instructions.

Paul


"Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
D.H.
Hopefully, as Paul points out, it may be just a matter of assigning your
USB device a drive letter using the Disk Management utility. Hopefully.

If you peruse this and related newsgroups for a while you'll come across
numerous postings similar to yours. This non-recognition of USB devices
(particularly external hard drives & flash drives) has reached epidemic
proportions in the XP environment.

We've become increasingly convinced that the relatively large number of
problems in this area involving the non-recognition of USB devices that
we've all been experiencing is an indication that there is something
seriously flawed with respect to either the USB 2.0 specifications,
possibly involving quality control issues affecting the manufacturer of
these USB devices as well as supporting components such as motherboards
and other USB-related components. Then too, we've become increasingly
suspicious of the XP OS as it relates to its recognition of and
interaction with these USB 2.0 devices.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's a listing of some "troubleshooting
tips" we've prepared that hopefully will be of some value to you if the
Disk Management drive letter assignment isn't the problem...

1. If the USB device is listed in Disk Management with an assigned drive
letter, right-click on its listing and select Explore from the submenu.
Hopefully, Windows Explorer will open and the device will be listed.
2. Connect the USB device *directly* to a USB port on the computer, not
via a USB hub. Try different USB ports should your computer have multiple
ports.
3. Avoid using a USB extension cable.
4. Try connecting a USB device (that does not contain an auxiliary power
supply) to a USB port both before and after the boot operation.
5. Where a USB (or Firewire) external HDD is involved, access Device
Manager, highlight the Disk drives listing and click on the Action menu
item and then the "Scan for hardware changes" sub-menu item. Do the same
in Disk Management > Action > Rescan disks.
6. Try alternate powering on/off methods. If the USB device contains its
own power supply, try booting up with its power on, then try powering on
only *after* the system has booted to a Desktop.
7. Try a different USB cable.
8. In the USB controllers section of Device Manager, uninstall all the
USB controllers listed and reboot.
9. If the device in question is not a commercial USB external HDD but
rather one in which you installed a HDD in a USB enclosure, jumper the
HDD as Master (or Single if the HDD is a Western Digital disk). A number
of users have reported that jumper configuration corrected their
non-recognition problem. In my own experience it didn't seem to matter
how a USB external HDD was jumpered. But it may be worth a try.
10. If the device in question is a USB external HDD, first check out the
HDD with the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic utility. If it checks
out OK, and you can remove the HDD from its enclosure (without voiding
any applicable warranty), do so and install the HDD as an internal HDD to
determine if there are problems with the drive.
11. If the USB device is connected to a USB 2.0 PCI card, try changing
the PCI slot to which it's currently connected to another one.
12. Access the website of the manufacturer of the USB device to determine
if there's any firmware update or info re the problem you're experiencing
or there's any possibility that the USB enclosure itself might be
defective.
13. Determine from the manufacturer of your motherboard whether there's a
BIOS upgrade affecting USB device recognition.

You might also want to take a look at
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtrouble_e.html
Anna


"D.H. Cesare" <cesareDH@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O5vsetMIHHA.1468@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There are no "jumpers" to set on this WD USB external drive. I've tried
most of the rest of this stuff with negative results. The XP operating
system is identical on both machines, same updates and everything. If you
have any other ideas, they're appreciated.
Thanx


I assumed from the way you described your USB external HDD that you were
using a 120 GB Western Digital HDD that you installed in a USB enclosure. If
that *is* the case (and you're *not* working with a commercial one-piece
USBEHD unit), then the HDD is accessible, is it not? If so, check the jumper
configuration and try it two ways - as Master and as Single. As I indicated
in the listing of "tips" I provided above, a number of users have reported
that by so doing their USB non-recognition problem was resolved.

Also, when you say you tried "most of the rest of this stuff" were you able
to install the HDD as an internal HDD in your machine? No problems that way?
Anna


.

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