1.) Verify that the external hard drive is actually turned on/running...check the indicator light and feel it for vibration to see if the drive is actually spinning.
2.) make sure that the connections are firm for both power and USB/Firewire. Try using a different outlet and port if necessary.
3.) The drive may simply be hidden in My Computer. Download TweakUI, install/run it, expand My Computer, select Drives, and make sure that the drives are checked. Also, try just typing F:\ into the address bar of Windows Explorer and see what it says.
4.) Go Start->Control Panel->(Performance and Maintenance)->Administrative Tools->Computer Management. On the next window select Disk Management and see if the drive is detected...the top half detects logical drives while the bottom half detects physical drives.
Let us know.
John
I have a Maxtor 100GB external hard drive. Beacause I leave in Florida we have numerous electrical storms. I shut down my computer and pulled the electical cord out of the wall socket so not to have any outage problems. When the storm was over I booted up again but could not access my external drive. Checked MY COMPUTER and did not see the f: drive,(which is where the external drive is housed). Can anyone help me.
JC

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic