External Hard Drive

[bev&kev]

I've bought an external hard drive (the simplest one on the planet, according to friends) and I can't figure out how to work it! :o

The set up was easy - all went perfectly.
Then, I am supposed to:

"Launch the software with the drive attached"
????
I've clicked on every file/icon connected to the thing and nothing is happening. What does "drive attached" mean?
If it means plug in the external hard drive - I've done that, all its lights are on and seems to be working fine.

I know I'm being dead thick here .......... :D

[James]

Did you get a disk with drive?
You are saying you have files attach to the disk?
Have you tried clicking on my Computer to see if it shows up on one of your USB options?

[James]

I have an external drive and just plug it in and it is ready to go.

[bev&kev]

Thanks James. I have made some progress!

What confused me was the next line of the instructions:

"On one side of the screen will be a list of all your files and documents on your hard drive, and on the other, the files and documents in your external hard drive".

That's what I was expecting, but no, thats not how it looks! It's actually a little box in the middle of the screen with a blank space and browse option at the top for my hard drive and the same at the bottom for the external hard drive.

So far so good. I put one little file (brave aren't I??!!) from my hard drive to the external hard drive.

Then I plugged the drive into my other computer and tried to retrieve my little file. But I can't. Doesn't seem to be there, so I've done that wrong.

I'm going to persevere, it can't be that difficult. :(

[Elizabeth Herts]

Terry, on my brother-in-law's recommandation I've just ordered an external hard drive from Amazon - a Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition!

It's for all my work (lots of that) and my genealogical research plus my photographs.

I'm lucky as my sister and b-i-l are coming over on Sunday and hopefully it will have arrived an b-i-l is going to set it up for me. All I have to do is ply him with food and drink! :D

I hope you've set it up successfully now!

[bev&kev]

Not really Elizabeth.

It took me ages to figure it out, but did it eventually ........... except when I press the magic "Back up Now" button, it says "USB Hard drive not found"!!!
Even though the hard drive is plugged in, and its lights are on.

Its doing this on both my computers, no idea why.

I got mine from Amazon too, now I'm wondering if it just isn't working - risk you take when you get stuff like this through the post.

Hope you have better luck with yours.

[Elizabeth Herts]

Is there a support number you can phone? I bet it is something obvious - it always is when I can't get something to work!

If mine doesn't work I shall get b-i-l to sort it - I am buying it at his suggestion, after all! He is also a computer whizz (he used to design radar systems for airports).

[bev&kev]

Snap! Got this on computer expert son's recommendation.

I was really, really tempted to ring him at work today ............. :D

Decided to do the decent thing and wait till he gets home!
He will know what to do.

[Guest]

Find Your Missing USB Drive on Windows XP :: the How-To Geek

see if this helps

[bev&kev]

Thanks for that Val.

As my poor little USB drive isn't even listed in the Disk management window probably says it all! It's broke.:(

[Guest]

have you tried plugging it into a different usb port ????

[bev&kev]

Yes Val, I've tried all USB ports on 2 computers.

[Guest]

wonder if it needs configuring????

[rob123]

I have also recently bought a external hard drive. Have formatted it to remove the built in software and now use it live a hugh memory stick, drag and drop everything I need to back up. I never use the built in software on external hard drives. I have a hugh 600gig for my laptop and my wifes laptop as well

[Elizabeth Herts]

Terri, if I get any hints from b-i-l on Sunday I'll pass them on.

Was your son able to sort it out for you?

(Perhaps those sentences should be in reverse order!)

[James]

Hi Terri, when you click on "My Computer" on the start list does it show up when it is plugged in?

[bev&kev]

AAAGH!!! I could scream!!!

Son has just been. He plugged the external drive into the computer, clicked on what I'm sure was one of the icons on the bottom tool bar; a little box came up saying Found New Hardware, and VOILA!!! the hard drive worked!!! All son said was that the computer needed to be told it was there.

Now son has gone home and for the life of me I can't find what he clicked on, so I still can't make it work! *sob sob*
I'm going to have to phone him and he's going to think I'm such a computer prat! :o:D (more than usual that is!)

JAMES - no, it isn't showing on My Computer, but it did when son tried it!

[Elizabeth Herts]

Terri, I really sympathise! I'm useless with knowing how people do things. I bet it is really simple to do, but unless someone lets you do it yourself it is very hard to remember what they did.

Our younger daughter is such a whizz on the computer - she was always doing things for me when she lived at home and she made it look so simple!

People may remember I had lots of problems trying to scan and copy images onto a disk for my sister's 60th - my brother-in-law talked me through it on the phone! He discovered I have things stored all over the place, which is why he suggested getting an external drive and storing everything in one place. Luckily he is going to re-organise my computer for me!

On it I have:
work (loads and loads - technical translations)
family history software - PAF and
family history files for every branch of my family and OH's family
Italian lessons and notes
My Olympus photos on Olympus software
Photosmart from printer
Scanned photos
Downloads - photos and certificates other people have sent me
Downloaded wills etc.
and so on
but it appears that the photos are in various different locations!

[Guest]

have you looked in my computer ?? it should say it there

[James]

Replug it in, the computer should make a sound reconising it, it should automatically show find new hardware, if not try all the icons on the task bar and see if you can find the one he click on, failing that ask him what he did!!
Try opening My Computer and replug the drive in again and see if it appears.