USB External HDD Problem

I didn't think you could partition an external hard drive?

Plugging any form of external storage into a USB socket gets the computer to recognise it as an external drive (drive F in my case) and not as more than one drive...

I could be wrong though... Sorry not much help?

John,

I am using an external hard disk with partition and i haven't experienced the problem as stated in the blog.i am using windows XP as my operating system.i am just sharing my experience.

crm

agfrank,

I do not know how comfortable you are opening up the external HDD's case, as well as your PC's case; If you are comfortable with that sort of thing, you may want to try disconnecting the external HDD from it's case and temporarily hook it up directly to your PC's HDD ribbon cable as a secondary, "slave" drive.

You will have to set a couple of jumpers on the back of both you primary HDD and the "slave" HDD, so that the PC knows which to boot from. Most HDDs have a label on their case denoting the proper jumper position for master or slave operation. If not, an internet search at the HDD's manufacturer's web site should get you the info you need.

Of course you should power down (AND unplug) both devices before proceeding with anything, and be sure to observe proper ESD (static) control procedures.

I hope this helps...

Yes, that's the best and safest way.

Its just plug and play i dont even power down the system when i plug in i dont know how it works.

crm

Plug and play. True!

But there are some precautions you need to observe with USB devices (external HDD included).

When a USB device is plug-in, wait for the OS to identify the device, sometimes it takes few seconds. Be sure the Safely Remove Hardware icon shows up on the Taskbar. Now the device is officially recognized. Before unplug, close all documents/folders, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon, then click the drive. A pop-up "Safe To Remove Hardware" safely completes the process.

Remember not to just unplug USB devices improperly for this will create problems with your device, worse yet your files.

Just a heads up, but my external hard drive has a tamper evident tape on the housing that states that the warranty is void if the case is opened...

Good idea, the best so far....

Try Norton SystemWorks (from ver. 2003 to the latest available, no installation required) run from CD.

Select Launch Utilities from CD then click Norton WinDoctor. Follow instructions to Perform all Norton WinDoctor tests. The process will scan your computers HDD(s) including the USB External HDD for problems. Complete scan (will take several minutes depending on the condition of your HDD(s)/files/sizes), will show no. of problems/problem categories. Click Repair All for Problems Found.

I have done this several times on my computer and it worked. It may help solve your problem.

Good Luck!

It will depend on what is on the partitions - I have one partition for UNIX, and Windows cannot (will not) see it.

Whenever I have disk problems, I boot my handy Ubuntu Live cd. It has an awesome partition tool called qtpartd(?) and supports external USB mass storage devices. Another tool to use is the smartmon tools which communicates with your disk controller and reports back the S.M.A.R.T. data and lets you run tests (Both of which are free). It is possible the USB to ATA device is broken. The solution to this is buy a DIY external hard drive kit and recycle the working hard drive from your broken unit. If this is confusing, just find your son or daughter to help you!