USB Drive not being listed.....AAAAAAARGH!!!

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Fanum

Toubab
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I've got a couple of 250GB USB hard drives......they were both working fine, one slotted into a bay on top of the PC and the other standing by it connected by a lead.

I formatted the second one yesterday....for some reason it didn't work and the PC stopped seeing it....I plugged it into another machine and that PC DID see it, said it wasn't formatted and I did a proper NTFS format on the thing.

The second PC detects it immediately, assigns it a drive letter and the drive is fully accessable......when I plug it back into the main PC though, either in the hot swap bay or by lead (Into any USB slot...I have tried changing them), I get the 'bong' of a usb device being found but it stubbornly refuses to show up anywhere, apart from in USB Root controller lsiting where I can remove it.

I can't find the screen you used to get in W98 where you can control the number if drives visble.....could it be that?

It's driving me nuts.....it's the drive I want to usNorton Ghost on for full backups and I can't use it....

Any ideas??? :confused:
 
Fanum if you're using XP, the disk manager is in control panel -> admin tools -> computer managment -> storage -> disk management
 
Allroad said:
ntfs will not work with 98 needs to be fat32
Click to expand...

Are you using Win98?

If you are actually using WinXP, try right-clicking My Computer, choosing "Manage", "Disk Management". This will show all attached drives. It will also show the drive letter assigned to each. Find your USB drive and check its letter. Then go to My Computer and check to see if it is the same as a drive letter allocated to another drive (maybe a network drive?). If so, that is your problem.

To fix it, go back to disk management and change the drive letter allocated to the new drive to one that does not conflict with an existing drive.

If you are using Win98, ignore everything I have said and go out and buy a proper operating system!

GJ
 
Fanum said:
I've got a couple of 250GB USB hard drives......they were both working fine, one slotted into a bay on top of the PC and the other standing by it connected by a lead.

I formatted the second one yesterday....for some reason it didn't work and the PC stopped seeing it....I plugged it into another machine and that PC DID see it, said it wasn't formatted and I did a proper NTFS format on the thing.

The second PC detects it immediately, assigns it a drive letter and the drive is fully accessable......
Click to expand...

Sounds like the USB registry entries are all F*cked.

You need to completely remove the item from USB restart and then let the PC detect the item again. I am afraid these issues are amongst the most horrible to resolve!!!

In Windows 98 it may help to restart in Safe mode with the item connected. Then inspect the system properties. Locate the USB device that relates to this drive and remove it. Then unplug or switch off the USB drive and restart the computer. Reconnect the power/USB cable and see whether the system correctly identifies the drive. Ultimately you might need to edit the registry to make certain all traces of the drive are correctly removed from the system, otherwise the system will allocate it the corrupt entry and the drive will remain inaccessible to the operating system.

In either Win 98 or XP if the drive is not plugged in you will not be able to see the USB entries for it. You have to perform the removal of the drives with the device plugged in and powered up. (Mind you I am certain you knew that anyway :) :) )

I hope that this helps

Chris

The fact that if the drive is formatted NTFS - Windows 98 will not be able to access it is another matter!! That can be resolved by fdisking /mbr in the Windows 98 machine or formatting in the XP machine and then it will become accessible once it has been formatted FAT32.
 
I'm using XP...have been since before it came out ;)

(this is a legit one though)

Shugie and Glynn...cheers, I found the drive listed in Drive management......for some reason it hadn't been allocated a drive letter so I've assigned it the next one available (M) and the drive's now visible and usable.

I thought it may have had something to do with some virtual drives I've got mounted under Daemon tools, and indeed that may have caused it in the first place (I was messing around with it yesterday to try and get a clone DVD mounted)

Odd though...first time I've seen a USB drive not given a drive letter before :nenau

Cheers for the help...I can set Norton ghost to work now :thumb
 
And the drive's still there on re-boot, and behaves as it should when ut's disconnected/reconnected :thumb

:)
 
Fanum said:
Odd though...first time I've seen a USB drive not given a drive letter before :nenau

Cheers for the help...I can set Norton ghost to work now :thumb
Click to expand...

Seems to be that if I allocate a network drive to the first free drive letter after the CD drives, a USB drive does not appear, so my guess is that drive letter needs to be kep free.
 
Yep. Definitely the case. If there isn't a free drive letter between actual drives and virtual/network drives, USB drive will not be assigned a letter. Found that out the hard way at work.
 
Jimb said:
Dump Norton Ghost and use Acronis True Image V9, much better.
Click to expand...


Hmm ok ta.......

How is it better though just as a matter of interest??

Norton seems to do what I want......even if it is by Norton whose other (AV and management) software is a big pile of steaming cack :)
 
Fanum said:
Hmm ok ta.......

How is it better though just as a matter of interest??

Norton seems to do what I want......even if it is by Norton whose other (AV and management) software is a big pile of steaming cack :)
Click to expand...

$49.99 downloaded from

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

I have 2 copies here one on my pc and one on the wifes. Much better than the stupid Windows XP system restore point/NTBackup. Does a complete backup whilst you carry on browsing this site..............

Chris
 
another vote for acronis here.

ghost used to be good in the last DOS based version (ghost 2003?). then norton bought powerquest & ghost name was attached to PQ Drive Image 7 which was a pile of poo, i have personal experience of that failing :spitfire

restored from acronis several times, smooth as you like, as is making the backups in the first place :thumb :thumb :thumb
 
i have a similar usb drive problem now :spitfire

i can only see my usb hdd if i plug it into the motherboard usb 1 ports. if i plug it into the usb 2 pci card i bought specially for the job, it won't see it at all or sometimes incorrectly with no data on it.

i fitted the usb 2 card a while ago & it was ok then, device manager says it's ok but it won't run the new usb 2 hub i just bought either. runs my mouse ok though. 'spose that's what i deserve after buying the cheapest usb 2 card i could lay me hands on :rolleyes:

bollox :spitfire bollox :spitfire bollox :spitfire
 
Is your USB hub powered by a separate plug?
The reason I ask is perhaps the hub / usb drive is trying to draw too much power through the PCI USB card, I'm not entirely sure what it is but I know there is a limit on how much power can be drawn through a PCI slot
 
Cookie...I presume you've tried uninstalling the card in Control panel >add remove hardware or system/hardware ????
 
SOAA said:
Is your USB hub powered by a separate plug?
The reason I ask is perhaps the hub / usb drive is trying to draw too much power through the PCI USB card, I'm not entirely sure what it is but I know there is a limit on how much power can be drawn through a PCI slot
Click to expand...

it is self powered. i think the limit is 0.5 amp.

funny that it won't run the removable drive any more, visible via usb 1 ports :confused:

everything runs ok on my slightly more modern pc where everything (usb 2, sound, graphics, LAN) is built into the £27 motherboard :D
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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