external harddrive - please help

KiKi

Have you tried another USB 'hole', or another computer? Might just be a dodgy connection. Also, take out anything else in the USB 'holes' (don't know the technical name!) as they might be interfering with it.

ETA - port, that's the word!!! Hole! My memory stick won't work if my MP3 player is plugged in.

KiKi

mumto2loves

yes tried it in a different hole and just tried it on my kid's laptop. just the same.

debitcardmayhem

Are there any lights on it, and have you got a spare cable ? I know nothing about that model but lets start with the basics

Lifeforms

when it's plugged in, does the HDD itself make any noises? (humming, buzzing, clicking etc)

It might not be terminal, it could just be the case/power plug etc that's dead. If this is the case, and the HDD is fine, you should just be able to get a dock, caddy, or even throw it in as an extra drive in your computer (depending on size/computer etc)

SteveJH200

Plug the external disc in to a USB socket. Click Start, right click on My Computer, left click on Manage, left click on Disc Management. You shouldbe able to see the disc there. Tell us if it has a letter assigned to it - For example 'E'.

googler

What you isn't a hard drive itself, but a hard drive within a USB enclosure, and as said above, it could be the enclosure at fault.

As a last resort, you can open the enclosure, remove the hard drive itself and place that in another enclosure (often called a caddy)

If you have a spare drive bay in your (desktop?) PC, you could also take the hard drive and install it as a secondary drive within the PC.

Don't protest that this sounds 'scary' and that you don't know what to do. Time to learn.

mumto2loves

Lifeforms wrote: »

when it's plugged in, does the HDD itself make any noises? (humming, buzzing, clicking etc)

It might not be terminal, it could just be the case/power plug etc that's dead. If this is the case, and the HDD is fine, you should just be able to get a dock, caddy, or even throw it in as an extra drive in your computer (depending on size/computer etc)

no no noises, but it does have a green (power?) light

SteveJH200 wrote: »

Plug the external disc in to a USB socket. Click Start, right click on My Computer, left click on Manage, left click on Disc Management. You shouldbe able to see the disc there. Tell us if it has a letter assigned to it - For example 'E'.

ok, i've got 3 little pictures
1= has nothing written right next to it then under the next columns simple basic healthy
2= has (c: ) simple basic NTFS healthy
3 = SYSTEM simple basic NTFS healthy

then further down Disk 0
and
CD ROM 0
DVD (D: )
can't see anything obvious with an E

googler wrote: »

What you isn't a hard drive itself, but a hard drive within a USB enclosure, and as said above, it could be the enclosure at fault.

As a last resort, you can open the enclosure, remove the hard drive itself and place that in another enclosure (often called a caddy)

If you have a spare drive bay in your (desktop?) PC, you could also take the hard drive and install it as a secondary drive within the PC.

Don't protest that this sounds 'scary' and that you don't know what to do. Time to learn.

(silence:o)




Thanks for all the help you've been great but I really really have no idea at all about computers and 'stuff' I have no idea if i have a spare drive bay in my desk top lol. Its all waaay above my head!! really its like reading a foreign langauge that last post means nothing to me at all!

SteveJH200

mumto2loves wrote: »

ok, i've got 3 little pictures
1= has nothing written right next to it then under the next columns simple basic healthy
2= has (c: ) simple basic NTFS healthy
3 = SYSTEM simple basic NTFS healthy

then further down Disk 0
and
CD ROM 0
DVD (D: )
can't see anything obvious with an E

Does number 1 have the size of the disc. For example 250Gb??

Number 2 will have the size of your internal hard drive for example 500Gb and number 3 will have another amount such as 160Gb - this is the partition with the system on it.

When you click on Number 1 hopefully you will see the size of your external hard disc.

pww2004

Buffalo drives come with two usb cables, one of which is used as extra power if needed. Just to check you are using the right cable :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2M-HI-SPEED-USB-2-0-CABLE-LEAD-A-MALE-MINI-B-5-PIN-/260379700320?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3c9fd6ec60

The other one (with a round pin) is used for extra power

andy2004

the cable pww2004 is only used on 2.5in externals and not on 3.5in externals. the leads on 3.5in externals are usually the same cable you use on a printer to pc.

How to connect a usb external to the computer, 1. plug in all cables into the usb caddy not the pc yet, 2. power on the caddy by A. plug and B. the switch on the caddy, 3. connect usb caddy to computer via usb lead.

once the usb lead is connecting the Operating system should automatically see they external is connected and a window should open asking what you want to do, if the drive contains music, video, pics, it will give you options to open these filetypes.

if you get no window 4 possible reasons,:
1. data cable is faulty, fix, try another one.
2. caddy is faulty or the connection inside the caddy. requires a purchase of a new caddy, but check hdd first. cheap to buy around £8 from novatech.
3. the drive inside the caddy has come loose from the connection inside and needs reconnecting. take caddy apart and check internal connection.
4. hdd has gone bad, faulty. depends if the external has been dropped, mishandled. take caddy apart, and connect the internal 3.5in drive, probably a sata to a spare sata connection inside the pc if it works then its the caddy.
NOTE: usually when you connect the external to the pc the light on the external should FLASH to say its accessing the data.

how to take the caddy apart. depends on the manufacturer. some have 4 screws hidden under the rubber feet, undo the screws, and case should come apart easily. others like the WD enclosures have no screws but need to be pried open with a thin screwdriver.
the novatech enclosure uses no screws and doesnt need prying,, it has 2 slide on either side, under which there are 2 buttons one either side which need to be depressed, and then the drive can be pulled out.
you can problably find the instructions via youtube on how to take apart the buffalo enclosure.