USB Hard drive problem

This could be a number of things, nackered disk, broken electronics etc etc. easiest way to find out is to take the disk out of the usb caddy and plug it straight into the computers internal ide interface and see if it shows up in the bios and in your operating system. if it is a 2.5" hard disk, you will probably need an adapter, you can usually pick these up off ebay for a couple of quid.

I have this problem once. The problem could be that your laptop cannot provide enough power to the USB HD so it was unable to read the data. even though the OS recognized that a USB device is plugged in. I suggest that you get a 5V power supply that fits your USB HD (I have two types, one USB drive have a small coaxial plug for power input, the second type have a USB cable with 3 connectors and the third connector was connected to a POWERED USB hub.). I think USB ports are spec'ed to supply 500mA max, and your HD may draw more, thus the problem you are seeing.

The sequence: power up the USB HD, then hook up tp your laptop.

Indeed. Usually when this condition occurs, you can hear the drive click repeatedly. Some of these come with a dual USB connector at the computer end for additional power.

try plugging into another PC

Seany, is this your question over on c-net?

If it was me I'd just remove the hdd from the usb enclosure and plug it into the IDE cable in a working PC.. Make sure to set the jumper to slave on the hdd if your are hooking it up with another device that is set to master.

- Mike

My experience with USB hard drives: data corruption after data corruption. Especially the Genesys Logic USB-IDE bridges are terribly buggy. I would recommend against putting anything important, especially work-related, on one.

I've had no issues at all - perhaps you're doing something wrong?

It's important to notify Windows before disconnecting a device. It's also important to use quality USB 2.0 cables.