External maxtor harddrive in accessible

[GRIFFIJ]

Hi

I have 650gb maxtor external hard drive that I am have huge problems with When I click on it it says "G:\ not accessible"

It works on an XP machine, when you plug it back in to the vista machine same message. The snag it it does work in Safe Mode on the vista machine but has I say not in normal mode.

It worked two days ago nothing on the machine has changed I have tried a couple of restore points to no avail I have removed it also from device manager restarted the machine, it reinstalled properly but when you click properties and see the hard drive it has no size.

But it does in safe mode and on another machinegranted the other machine is XP

Any ideas Joel

 

[BadBigBen]

Any ideas

use a powered USB hub, or the special USB cable (Y cable) to give that drive extra power, it plugs into TWO USB ports and one device, the extra USB delivers extra power...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[GRIFFIJ]

If it doesn't have enough power wy does it work in Safe mode?

 

[goombawaho]

Did you assemble the drive from a separately purchased hard drive and an external case or was it something like a Western Digital Passport type of device. Give us the model number of the external drive.

It is possible if you assembled the external drive as I mentioned that it needs more power. Often the external drive cases have one USB for signal and power and another one just for power, requiring two cables and two USB ports to make it work as Ben suggested.

 

[GRIFFIJ]

The hard drive is not self assembly it was bought as is "Master Basic Desktop. I seems odd thst it works in Safe mode but not normal mode

 

[BadBigBen]

If it doesn't have enough power wy does it work in Safe mode?

because VISTA has the ability to truncate power on USB ports, and does not do it when it is in SAFE MODE...

USB device not detected by Windows
Perform the following steps to troubleshoot the USB port when the computer does not detect a USB device:

1. Check Device Manager to see if the device displays under the USB section or the Other Devices section. To do this, follow the procedures below:
a. Click Start , right-click Computer , and select Properties .
b. Click Device Manager .
c. Click the ( + ) plus sign next to the Universal Serial Bus controllers and next to Other Device section.
Check for the USB device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers or under the Other Devices section.
d. If the device is found under Universal Serial Bus controllers or Other Devices , click the reference name for the "unknown" device, and then click Uninstall icon to remove the device.
e. Close Device Manager and restart the computer.
f. If the USB device that is having problems came with software and it was not previously installed, install the software now following the manufacturer provided instructions.
g. Reconnect the USB device that was having problems and test it to see if it works.
The device should now work properly. Continue if the device name cannot be found in Device Manager .
2. If the USB device is missing, double-click the USB Root Hub , click the Power tab, and then click Power Properties (if it is shown). The available ports and power usage is shown. If the displayed power is over 500mA, remove the devices and use a powered HUB. To check the properties of a HUB, double-click HUB and the HUB information window opens.
3. Remove high-speed USB cables that are over three meters and use high-speed cables that are less than three meters.
Only use high-speed cables less than three meters with high-speed USB devices (Multifunction devices, scanners, and cameras).
4. If the USB device is connected to a USB port on a keyboard, unplug it and plug it into a USB port on the PC or into a powered HUB.
5. There may be an issue with the USB port. Try plugging into a different USB port. If the USB device displays in Device Manager after plugging the cable into a different port, then uninstall and reinstall the USB device software driver.
6. Consult the manufacturer of the device for support if the device still fails to display.

and

USB devices are detected by Windows but are not working properly
Perform the following steps to troubleshoot the USB port when a USB device is not working properly:

1. Unplug all USB devices connected to the computer. This includes thumb drives, printers, and video cameras. If you are using a USB mouse and keyboard, temporarily use PS/2 devices if available, otherwise leave them connected.
2. Click Start , right-click Computer , and select Properties .
3. Click Device Manager .
4. Click the ( + ) plus sign next to the Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
5. Select USB Root Hub , and then click Uninstall icon. Continue until all USB Root Hubs are removed.
Figure 2: Device Manager window with USB Root Hub selected
6. Close Device Manager and restart the computer.
7. If the USB device that is having problems came with software and it was not previously installed, install the software now following the manufacturer provided instructions.
8. Reconnect the USB device that was having problems and test it to see if it works.
The device should now work properly. If problems persist, continue using these steps.
9. Click Start , right-click Computer , and select Properties .
10. Click Device Manager .
11. Click the ( + ) plus sign next to the Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Double-click the device or USB Root Hub.
On the General tab, one of the following four conditions is displayed:
* Unknown Device - If the device displays as an unknown device, check the following items:
o If the USB device is connected to a USB port on a keyboard or hub, unplug it and plug it into a USB port on the computer.
o The device may not be getting enough power. If other USB devices are connected to the system, remove all other USB devices (except keyboard and mouse) and try a different available USB port. If this solves the issue, use a powered USB hub to power more devices.
* Other Device - If the device displays under Other Devices the USB ports are working but the device software drivers need to be installed. Unplug the USB device and install the software drivers.
* Device Name Displays - If the name of the device is shown, the USB port is working properly. There is a physical problem with the device or there is an issue with the device software drivers. Try disconnecting the USB device, uninstalling the device's software (if any), and then reinstalling the software. Restart the computer and try connecting again. Refer to the manufacturer of the USB device for more information.
* Device Not Listed - If the device is not listed at all, continue to the next section; USB device not detected by the system.

Source: HP and Compaq Troubleshooting USB Connections in Windows Vista



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[manhunter2826]

Is the drive visible in Disk Management within Windows?

Control-Panel->Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Storage->Disk Management

 

[GRIFFIJ]

thank you yes it is visible

 

[manhunter2826]

Have you tried the suggestion by BigBB above.I had the same problem recently with a virtually brand new Fujitsu external drive. The problem was that I was plugging the power usb cable into an unpowered usb hub. After plugging it directly into the laptop's usb port (as suggested to me by BigBB), everything was super fine.