USB hdd problem 1

[prcv]

I recently bought a 2.5" usb hdd case and a second user laptop hard disk. When i plug the case into the usb sockets in my computer, it is detected correctly as a hitachi 30gb hard disk, however when i look in My Computer the hard disk drive does not show up. I'm using windows xp. I wonder whether i need to set the disk to slave, or if it is because it is unformatted (although i don't see why this would stop it showing up). Unfortunately i haven't a laptop it can be tested.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated, Thanks.

 

[Freestone]

It won't show up in My Computer until formatted as you suspect. You can do this through Disk Management - Start, Run, diskmgmt.msc

 

[prcv]

Problem solved, thanks for your help!