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General discussion

external hard drive worked now it doesnt. any ideas?

Nov 12, 2006 1:42PM PST

i have a generic external case with wester digital 200 GB hard drive in it. i have had no trouble switching between computers until i let a friend borrow my external hard drive and it no longer shows up on my computer. when it is plugged into the computer, it will turn and then click a few times and then stop. it will show up on the safely remove hardware tab, but will not show up on "my computer" or on the "disk management" screen. i have a lot of important information on the drive that i need. is there a way to get the drive working properly again? its less than 6 months old and there really isnt much that i can do because i am on a navy ship off the coast of kuwait. i have tried switching between computers and switching USB ports. like i said before, it worked fine until i plugged it back into my laptop. i have a dell inspiron b130 laptop, 1.5 ghz, 1 gb ram. windows XP SP2.

thanks,
beau

Discussion is locked

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Many many posts in this forum with similar problems and
Nov 12, 2006 9:16PM PST

suggested fixes. I'd recommend starting there first.

If push comes to shove...might try removing HDD from the external enclosure and connecting internally jumpered as SL in another system.

Sail safe !

VAPCMD

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Common Issue with Hard Drive Enclosures
Nov 12, 2006 9:32PM PST

burlybiker,

The issue you are having comes from some type of error with the IDE->USB module on your external enclosure. Do not worry, your data is safe. You need to replace your enclosure. To make sure your data is safe, remove the HDD, and hook it up to a computer internally and see if it is detected.

The reason why I state that this is a common issue, is because I have seen this happen numerous times in the following scenario: Something happens with the device's firmware when it's used amongst different machines. The module inside the enclosure detects that attached hard drive and relays information through USB. This malfunctions and you have said error. This is assumption I have come to and not really if that is exactly the issue. Perhaps someone else can shed light on this, but your immeadiate resolve is to replace the enclosure.

Thanks!

-M

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anyone need a paper weight?
Nov 13, 2006 12:45AM PST

i tried a different case from a working external and i tried installing it as an internal. i think my drive is done. both times, same symptoms.

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Didn't spin up at all ? Bummer
Nov 13, 2006 1:01PM PST

....I know you'll give it a proper burial !

Sorry it didn't work for you.

Not many places to shop shipboard.

VAPCMD

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try Knoppix
Nov 14, 2006 5:05PM PST

Boot up with a knoppix CD and likely you can at least access your data. if you try to back it up, you have to do it to a fat or fat32 format hd. maybe you had NTFS format on the HD (?), which in my experience always causes problems