External hard drive problem

[KMD]

Can I ask for some help with a problem I'm having please. I have just changed from a Dell computer running Windows Vista at home, to a HP Compaq CQ1110UK, which has an AMD and runs Windows 7.

Connected to the Dell was a Maxtor one touch Firewire 400 USB external hard drive with a 300GB memory, which worked fine, was accessible, and all functions were in order.

The Maxtor was then connected to the HP, software loaded etc and......nothing. Or not very much anyway. The programme has loaded, the icon for the device is on the desktop, the device is properly connected but when I click for it, a message appears 'No Maxtor device found' If I go into my control panel and search disks, it brings up the computers own, and a window which shows 'Disk 2' with 279 GB on it (which is the Maxtor) and a message saying 'Unallocated'

So it appears that the software has loaded, that the computer knows there is an additional disk, but is failing to communicate with it. I have re-connected the drive to the old computer to check it still functions, and it works no problem. I'd be grateful for any help.

 

[shugie]

Go into Administrative tools on the start menu (in right hand column under your avatar pic), choose computer management, then disk management under the storage tab when the computer management screen starts.

After a short wait, you should see the various disks listed, and you should also see one without a drive letter. Place the cursor on that volume, right click on the mouse, select 'change drive letter and path", then allocate the letter of your choice to the drive. Close everything down, and you should be able to see your files.

 

[KMD]

Thanks Shugie. I'll give it a go. Will the pictures etc that are stored on it be safe or will it get wiped?

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Doing what Shugie says wont harm the drive or the files on it.

Might already be fecked, of course, but it wont make it worse.

 

[KMD]

Might already be fecked, of course, but it wont make it worse.

Can't see how it can be, when it's connected back up to the old poota it works fine. Tried Shugie's suggestion, no joy. When I right click it says it's not initialised, and unallocated. Try to initialise and it brings a dialogue up which says it's 'write protected' And of course being a poota-phobe I don't even know what these terms mean.

 

[richie]

search in ggole for drivers for that disk... maybe

 

[shugie]

Can't see how it can be, when it's connected back up to the old poota it works fine. Tried Shugie's suggestion, no joy. When I right click it says it's not initialised, and unallocated. Try to initialise and it brings a dialogue up which says it's 'write protected' And of course being a poota-phobe I don't even know what these terms mean.

Did you use Bitlocker in Windows Vista to encrypt the drive? If you did, can you access the old machine to reconnect the drive and turn Bitlocker off?

It could be a driver setting issue, if write protect is enabled on the drive by default, is there a Maxtor software utility for the drive?

 

[inazone242]

I have a had a similar problem with windows 7 and USB external drives, with thew drive connected make your way to "Device manager" which is found by "right clicking" on "my computor" in the progs menu and on the window that appears chose "Device manager" and you should see your device listed in the tree like structure and in my case the error message was "WPD file system volume driver" with a small yellow triangle all this meant was the correct driver for my drive was missing, the only way round it for me was to down load a " WPD" driver for vista as the win7 just wouldent work, just try googling "WPD file system volume driver" i may still have the link for the driver i used, will look later on.

 

[KMD]

I'll need to ask the person who originally installed it on the old computer Shugie, but my instincts tell me that's likely. I still have the old unit and can connect back up to make any necessary adjustments. Thanks for your suggestions, appreciate it.