I have just bought a 2TB external Hard Drive, and used it maybe three times, now my computer won't even acknowledge that I have plugged it in. :bang::bang:

I have one of these that is the non working one, http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=260

And a 1 TB version that is working absolutely perfectly.

Any ideas?

bludvl_x19 said:

I have just bought a 2TB external Hard Drive, and used it maybe three times, now my computer won't even acknowledge that I have plugged it in. :bang::bang:

I have one of these that is the non working one, http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=260

And a 1 TB version that is working absolutely perfectly.

Any ideas?

Click to expand...

It could be wanting a drive letter that's already taken, if you have memory card slots try moving those letters nearer Z: etc. Also try it on other PCs.

Dom

Nope, the G slot that it uses is still open, I only have C, D, E and F drives.

Thanks for the idea though

bludvl_x19 said:

Nope, the G slot that it uses is still open, I only have C, D, E and F drives.

Thanks for the idea though

Click to expand...

what OS? Windows 7 by any chance?
does it show in disc management?

custard said:

what OS? Windows 7 by any chance?
does it show in disc management?

Click to expand...

Does it show up in device manager, under disks or USB devices?

To begin with, I just hope your external HDD has not crashed. Then with the computer off power plug it in. Switch it on and check whether it is recognised and/or reported by the BIOS during POST.
You might also want to try downloading a copy of Ubuntu Linux 10.10 Desktop edition from www.ubuntu.com, booting it directly from USB or CD and then check whether your drive is 'seen' by the computer or not.

@Cus: Its Vista Business.

@ skaramazoo: I did the startup thing, no mention of the drive. The light on it is on, and goes off when I unplug it from the usb port, so it is getting 'recognised' but not being able to be accessed?

@HC:No mention of it anywhere, My Computer, safely remove hardware, anywhere...

I dunno....ive had it two weeks, if I can't get it fixed by Friday, I'll take it back and complain it don't work.

Check Disk Management to see if eveything is as it should be. May just need attaching and a new drive letter assigning.

Ok, I got to Disc Management, and this is what I could see, with the problematic drive attatched.
Any ideas?

Tried a different USB port and cable?
Does it work OK in another machine?

Yes to the port and cable, no luck on either. Same deal with another computer, ive tried it in three laptops and a PC, more than 10 ports, and got nada from it

If it doesn't work on another PC, chances are more than likely that it is the drive that is knackered.

Above disk manager, go to device manager.

Have a look under USB devices, and go to the properties on each USB Hub to look at the connected devices.

Does the drive make any noise when it connects? Can you hear it spinning up?

Ucof said:

If it doesn't work on another PC, chances are more than likely that it is the drive that is knackered.

Click to expand...

More likely is the caddy will be dead. The drives tend to be more resiliant than the enclosures they are fitted to. Worst case scenario - take it to bits and connect the drive inside your pc (if you need to rescue something from it).

Well, I took it back to the place I bought it from today, and before they would replace it, they tried it in one of their demo laptops. Lo and behold, it worked I ran out to the car and grabbed my laptop, to see if it would work in mine. Nope...:bang:
So a replacement was grabbed off the shelf, and I asked if I could get the stuff I had on it, like the backup of my computer, and some other stuff I didnt want getting out Plugged both HDD into the store laptop, and only one of them worked between me and the tech guy, we figured out that WD use the same drivers for all their HDD, so only one would work at once. Bit of a design flaw there I reckon.

Thanks everyone for your help