Error message using Toshiba 500GB hard drive

I don't know if the updates are installed. The computer automatically does updates. I'm not exactly a techie to say the very least.
Coeurdalene

To see what service packs are installed, click Start then right-click My Computer, then click Properties. You should see where it says something like "Windows XP Professional - SP1 or SP2 or SP3". If you're not at SP3, that's the first thing you need to fix.

Bob -my computer runs with Windows XP Pro SP3. I was intrigued by your comment that XP can't deal with external drives over 127 GB. I have a 500 GB Buffalo USB drive and an 300 GB Imation Firewire drive and they both work fine on my computer. In fact , I use them alternately to backup (clone) my computer using True Image on a regular schedule.

The 127GB issue is well documented and was corrected in a later service pack. When folk post they run XP, we believe them and have to check.

Like Schokers, I've got external hard drives much bigger than 127 GB working with XP SP3. On one PC I have a 1 TB and a 2 TB, and on the other one I have a 500 GB external hard drive. My foggy recollection is that the 127 GB limit was in the BIOS, but maybe we needed one of the XP service packs as well. Anyway that's why I asked the OP if they had all the XP maintenance installed.

That's different. The BIOS limitation was one where the BIOS couldn't boot the computer if the boot sector was beyond ~120GB or so. Which really only would affect people trying to dual boot. XP itself, one must remember, came out in 2002, and was in development for a couple years before that. So you're really looking at more like what the state of HDDs was back circa 2000 for what the XP developers were generally targeting. Back then, 20-40GB drives were about as big as it got. People very often forget just how old XP is and how much has changed since then. There were no dual core CPUs, let alone quad, 1GB of RAM was considered more than enough and all kinds of other things.

I think, though someone would have to double check, that it was SP1 that included support for drives over 127GB. Maybe it was SP2, but it was definitely before SP3. Of course that only was a limitation for the XP installer, it wouldn't affect the system once it booted. Really not worth getting that deep into the weeds. Anyone who cares to know why can research it on their own.

This is a Dell Ispiron 1520 Laptop on AC power. I've tried differet USB ports and the stored items load but then everythinng freezes and I get the error message. However, when I plugged it into my old Inspiron 1400 which I no longer use, the external hardrive loaded and stayed functioning. Thanks
coeurdalene

Boot up a Live CD such as Puppy Linux or DVD like Ubuntu. These are Live OSes with no need to learn or install them. This is a hardware test to see if the hardware works in another OS without touching the installed OS.

Remember we only know what is told and can't guess if the owner installed drivers from Microsoft (a common source of driver troubles) or if they read that bad advice about changing the USB legacy setting in the BIOS.

A lot of posts were expended learning which XP it was as it matters. XP is one thing, XP with SP3 is another.
Bob

Well, I have no idea what and where Puppy Linux is or Ubuntu for starters. I've never installed drivers of any type. The computer is as was when I purchased it years ago except for automatic updates. I went to Add and Remove and it shows windows service pack 3. Is that good or bad? Thank you.

coeurdalene

But at this point we need to test the hardware. Those titles on google gets plenty of detail. Here's a note I inspired years ago on this test.

-> http://tips.oncomputers.info/archives2004/0401/2004-Jan-11.htm

There is no learning or installing and it can test out where the issue is.
Bob

I have been gone,but thank all of you who tried to help me with my error issue. For some unknown reason the external drive is now working without my doing anything. Thank you. coeurdalene

So now we can move on to testing other things like Bob has suggested.