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Cannot "see" files on external USB drive..

My lappy runs win vista with NTFS file system.

I bought a samsung M3 usb external drive,plugged it into my lappy and backed up the files which are contained on a buffalo linkstation NAS.

When i look at the properties of the usb drive in windows vista > my computer> drives i can see that a section of the usb drive is now used with the backed up files but browsing the usb drive,they are not visible.. I wonder why?

thanks
Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..

Comments

  • emptybox
    emptybox Posts: 442 Forumite
    Did you use the software that comes with the drive to backup these files, or did you manually copy and paste?

    I was reading a review here which talks about "secret zone" software, which suggests it makes a hidden partition or something.
    Is it possible you used that by mistake?

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B008PABFX8
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,668 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I initially tried plugging it into the USB port of my buffalo linkstation and running the backup routine within the linkstation NAS web interface but it wouldnt run for some reason.

    I then installed the samsung software on my lappy,plugged the usb drive into the lappy and ran the backup routine . As i say it appeared to work and the drive does have used space but they just arent viewable!
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
  • emptybox
    emptybox Posts: 442 Forumite
    edited 9 March 2014 at 7:27PM
    When you plug the drive into your laptop, and look at it with Windows Explorer, presumably it gives it a drive letter (or drive letters).
    Is that drive(s) empty, and does it account for the full space of the drive?

    The other thing to do is bring up Disk management and see what that shows of it.

    It may be that you can only view the backed-up files through the Samsung software?
  • S0litaire
    S0litaire Posts: 3,535 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It might be the NAS is not using a format Windows knows about! Buffalo NAS use a version of Linux.

    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4910520

    Check the firat part of my reply! if the device is listed as "RAW" or "unformatted" in a Windows machine then try this :
    http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/

    That should let it read a Linux partition (so you can get data off of it!)
    Laters

    Sol

    "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,668 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I can access the buffalo Nas via the network using my vista pc and view/use/anything on it..
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
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