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XP Srvice Pack 2 problem or something

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by phoenixmg, Jun 11, 2013.

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  1. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    I've been having problems with my desktop and external hard drives: http://forums.afterdawn.com/t.cfm/f-111/possible_external_hard_drive_enclosure_problem-960560/. I was in the process of following scorpNZ's suggestion but I tried a brand new external hard drive on it and it gives an insert disk message to it too. I tried to use DVDFab too and it read normally but it won't go into subfolders for some reason. Is something else at work here? I've heard that XP's service pack updates could cause things like this but I don't have a clue as to what's going on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    P.S. The first drive was just put in a new enclosure and I tried it on other PCs and it gives the same insert disk error message and isn't recognized in device manager..
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2013
    phoenixmg, Jun 11, 2013
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  2. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    If it was placed in a new housing & you didn't use the same usb cable while trying it out on other computers it's not looking good for the hdd,you could attempt to use a linux live cd like puppy or zorin lite to attempt mounting the drive from linux,however best bet is still mounting hdd inside a computer
     
    scorpNZ, Jun 11, 2013
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  3. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    I used the same cable. I was going to try mounting the drive after backing up everything on another hard drive but it's acting almost as bad. How would I use linux? I never worked with it before.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 11, 2013
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  4. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    use another usb cable if that doesn't work you'll have no choice but to place hdd into the computer
     
    scorpNZ, Jun 11, 2013
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  5. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    I went and bought a new usb cable & got the same message. The desktop still isn't detecting the other hard drive either.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 13, 2013
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  6. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    if both hard drives(1 is new) & 2 different usb cables used but still getting same message then what is the common factor, external enclosure.
     
    ddp, Jun 13, 2013
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  7. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    One of the hard drives is brand new and fresh out of the box.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 13, 2013
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  8. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    it is the external enclosure that is causing the problem as you have same problem with 2 different drives & 2 different usb cables with same enclosure.
     
    ddp, Jun 13, 2013
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  9. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    The new one is a Buffalo 1 TB external drive. The other is a Western Digital. They're different sizes. The Western Digital was placed in a different enclosure.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 13, 2013
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  10. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    did you run disk management to partition & format the hard drives?
     
    ddp, Jun 14, 2013
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  11. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    [/quote]

    I tried to do that but it doesn't detect either drive but they do show up in the device manager as generic external drive or as mass storage device. I've tried updating the drivers for both but no go on either front.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2013
    phoenixmg, Jun 14, 2013
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  12. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    what does it show in disk management besides the current working drive(s)?
     
    ddp, Jun 14, 2013
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  13. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    It says there are no items to show when I click on generic mass storage device. It only shows that in the removable storage tab. The disk management tab only shows the C drive and the DVD that's in my burner.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 15, 2013
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  14. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    Try using a rear usb port or try other usb hardware you have, just to be sure usb is ok,shouldn't matter if your ports are usb 2 mine are as well & can read thru usb 3.0 housings on a desktop

    edit:nah hang on it still didn't work on other computers or at least one of them didn't

    most probably would be best to see if the newer hdd can be detected since that most likely should be fine hdd & housing wise
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2013
    scorpNZ, Jun 15, 2013
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  15. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    I tried the front & rear ports and neither detected the new drive.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 16, 2013
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  16. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    Your checking drive detection in device manager & neither show up so all that's there is disk 0 & dvd drive,there's no disk 1 or disk 2

    ok last shot highlight device manager,then right click on universal serial bus in the right column,click scan for hardware changes,now what happens you may need to wait for a bit,anything appearing in system tray to indicate usb device attached,error messages or anything showing in disk manager,still nothing,ok were there any drivers given with the new hdd are there any on the buffalo manufacturers website,if no the only option apart from attempting to try the new external & usb cable on a another machine preferably vista or win 7 is that the hdd's themselves are at fault or the interface in the housings are,only way to determine that is by placing hdd's into a desktop or another known working external housing
     
    scorpNZ, Jun 16, 2013
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  17. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    I think it may be the new hard drive. I've tried it on 3 different PCs and I'm on my way to another and it's not detecting and or giving error messages saying that the software can't be downloaded. I'm going to take it back to Staples for an exchange. I'll disassemble the WD one and put it in the tower.
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 17, 2013
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  18. phoenixmg

    phoenixmg Regular member

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    The Western Digital doesn't have any jacks or ports to rig up to the desktop outside of its enclosure. What do I do?
     
    phoenixmg, Jun 20, 2013
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  19. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    if not under warranty then open up the enclosure to remove the drive.
     
    ddp, Jun 20, 2013
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  20. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    You can check at WD's website whether it's still under warranty,regardless i'd still remove the hdd to see if it's working or not & extract any data & yeah i've done it & sent the unit back for a RMA
     
    scorpNZ, Jun 20, 2013
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