External Hard Drive Help Please

2008-05-01 19:53:30

#1

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

I have a standard Western Digital 80G hard drive Unformatted in a casing to be used as an external hard drive

It is connected through the USB and powered seperately.

When I turn it on, via the external casing's ON switch, Windows (XP Pro SP2) Recognizes a USB device, but when I go to "My computer" I cannot find it.

So, How do I get it to recognize, or format it, what ever is first.

Basically, I am admitting that with USB devices, I don't know shit.

I had formatted Hard drives before... but forgot how, and have never formatted an EXTERNAL hard drive.

I gotta run, but weill be right back.

I know I could google it, and I did, but I can't find what I really truelly need. Google is just not helping.

Thanks and Karmas.

2008-05-01 19:57:37

#2

Volatile: Member; +252|6975|Sextupling in Empire

I installed a 500gb drive recently and the only way the system would detect it was by installing seagates software to format the drive.

2008-05-01 20:18:26

#3

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7013|London

Right click "My Computer" then Manage, then under storage you should see Disk Management.

You should see it there, just right click on it and make it active.

2008-05-01 20:20:21

#4

jamiet757: Member; +138|6893

You have to do what dauntless said, and create a partition, that is why it does not show up under my computer, if it has no partition, it is just a blank piece of hardware.

2008-05-01 20:27:22

#5

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

Dauntless wrote:
Right click "My Computer" then Manage, then under storage you should see Disk Management.

You should see it there, just right click on it and make it active.

jamiet757 wrote:
You have to do what dauntless said, and create a partition, that is why it does not show up under my computer, if it has no partition, it is just a blank piece of hardware.

I was a fraid of that.... that's whar google said... and all I see is my main hard drive... and two CD drives.....

I just may fold and put it in the daisy chain of IDE drives...format it... remove it...and go from there.

But.. for knowledge's sake... anyone else have any other ideas?

Last edited by RoosterCantrell (2008-05-01 20:31:53)

2008-05-01 20:28:59

#6

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7013|London

Did you restart since you first plugged it in?

2008-05-01 20:32:16

#7

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

Dauntless wrote:
Did you restart since you first plugged it in?

hmmm. no. brb.

EDIT: RESTART

Now, I have four "USB devices" but those four... i am pretty sure... are my multi card reader. The 3.5 drive that reads camera cards and such. I have them all the time.

The wierd thing is, I ALWAYS have these things listed. But once i plugged in the external drive the card reader slots dissapeared.

so confused... but i am a rooksman at these thing so.....

So... back to square one....

hmmm.

Last edited by RoosterCantrell (2008-05-01 20:43:04)

2008-05-01 20:44:28

#8

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

2nd edit and shameful bump

The external hard drive is registereing as J : / (in the taskbar pop up) but i cant find it anywhere. I try to locate it and it comes back as non-existant.

Last edited by RoosterCantrell (2008-05-01 20:45:25)

2008-05-01 20:49:52

#9

bugz: Fission Mailed; +3,311|6583

I've been having similar problems with my USB flash drive. I would plug it in, it would show the pop-up saying it found it, but when I clicked my computer there was no icon for it. I switched USB ports and restarted my PC. Fixed my problem.

Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/ebug122

2008-05-01 20:58:48

#10

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

ebug9 wrote:
I've been having similar problems with my USB flash drive. I would plug it in, it would show the pop-up saying it found it, but when I clicked my computer there was no icon for it. I switched USB ports and restarted my PC. Fixed my problem.

That's similiar to my problem. Although restarting didn't fix it.

So, I have to despise you for having it fixed, and my problem not .

2008-05-01 21:05:22

#11

Volatile: Member; +252|6975|Sextupling in Empire

Your drive didn't come with any software?

Have you tried formating the drive by plugging it directly into the MB?

2008-05-01 21:12:50

#12

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

Volatile wrote:
Your drive didn't come with any software?

Have you tried formating the drive by plugging it directly into the MB?

Newegg.com sends OEM Western Digital drives in nothing more than the bare drive and bubble wrap. No disks, no manuals.. nothing. I am about to do what you said, just plugging it into the mobo.

I am sure that will work, but it's a pain in the ass. I have set up the wiring and spacing in my computer that doesnt allow quick add ons. The biggest reason I DON'T do that is to see if anyone else has a way to format it AS AN external drive. For knowledge's sake.

2008-05-01 21:18:36

#13

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6872|132 and Bush

Did you not try the software at WD's site?
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2008-05-01 21:32:23

#14

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

Kmarion wrote:
Did you not try the software at WD's site?
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp

NO, but I read your post, and tried it.. even thier program does NOT recognize the hard drive....

Thanks but... it didn't work

2008-05-01 21:46:51

#15

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

I gave up. Hooked it up to the Mobo and am currently formatting.

However, I am still VERY curious to know the answer to my origonal question: How do you format, or even acknowledge an extternal drive TO format it?

anyone?

2008-05-01 21:47:41

#16

Volatile: Member; +252|6975|Sextupling in Empire

I'm curious, is it because the drive is not formated that the system won't detect it? Like I stated above, the drive I recently installed(died 2 days ago, lol) would not show up in the device manager until I installed the manufacturers software and formated the drive.

If the software doesn't work and the system doesn't detect it even when plugged into the MB what do you do? The only thing I could think of is to format the drive with my windows installation disc. Is there something else that is easier?

2008-05-01 21:58:12

#17

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6872|132 and Bush

RoosterCantrell wrote:
Kmarion wrote:
Did you not try the software at WD's site?
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp
NO, but I read your post, and tried it.. even thier program does NOT recognize the hard drive....

Thanks but... it didn't work

There is something screwy about their ext hd's. If i unplug mine at work it stops recognizing it even after I plug it back in. I usually have to reinstall their stuff. Is it showing up in your device manager?

Did you allocate it?

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2008-05-01 22:00:28

#18

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

Volatile wrote:
I'm curious, is it because the drive is not formated that the system won't detect it? Like I stated above, the drive I recently installed(died 2 days ago, lol) would not show up in the device manager until I installed the manufacturers software and formated the drive.

If the software doesn't work and the system doesn't detect it even when plugged into the MB what do you do? The only thing I could think of is to format the drive with my windows installation disc. Is there something else that is easier?

It was a raw, unformatted hard drive. Now that I have hooked it up to the M obo, it sees it as an unformatted drive, and am currently formatting it. I was just asking if there was a way to recognize, and/or format an external hard drive.

Surely there has to be a way. ( i am calling no one shirley btw).

Last edited by RoosterCantrell (2008-05-01 22:01:20)

2008-05-01 22:25:47

#19

RoosterCantrell: Goodbye :); +399|6751|Somewhere else

UPDATE: Hooked directly to the mobo, formatted, took it off the mobo, through it into the external case, hooked it up... and there it is. everything's kosher.

Once again though, I still have the same question, is it possible to recognize and format an EXTERNAL Drive?

My computer sees it as a regular hard drive..... I am not sure I can "eject" it... no... I can't.

so now I have another question... is it safe to unplug the hard drive only AFTER shutdown?

2008-05-01 23:35:53

#20

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6872|132 and Bush

RoosterCantrell wrote:
UPDATE: Hooked directly to the mobo, formatted, took it off the mobo, through it into the external case, hooked it up... and there it is. everything's kosher.

Once again though, I still have the same question, is it possible to recognize and format an EXTERNAL Drive?

Of course. I've done it a few times.

RoosterCantrell wrote:
My computer sees it as a regular hard drive..... I am not sure I can "eject" it... no... I can't.

so now I have another question... is it safe to unplug the hard drive only AFTER shutdown?

I told you I had issues when mine came unplugged while the computer was powered up. There is probably fix but it's not a big deal for me.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

BF2S Forums External Hard Drive Help Please

Dauntless wrote:

jamiet757 wrote:

Dauntless wrote:

ebug9 wrote:

Volatile wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

RoosterCantrell wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

Volatile wrote:

RoosterCantrell wrote:

RoosterCantrell wrote:

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