External hardrive USB driver malfunction

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by jsparke, Mar 2, 2008.

  1. jsparke

    jsparke Member

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    My External USB hardrive is suddenly not recognised by my PC. It works on my laptop and all the stored files are ok, but I can not get any responce from my PC. I have re-booted and unplugged etc....but nothing has helped, it still comes up with 'the usb devise is not recognised by window and may have malunctioned.....
    It seems to have lost the driver for it some how (and I don't think I have a CD for it either!!)
    when I try to update the driver it cannot find one and it says there is nothing insalled when I try to roll back the driver.
    If I somehow find the drive I need, and uninstall the driver from my PC (somehow!!) will I loose any info/file I have stored on the external hard drive. I have no where else to store them so I don't want that to happen.
    Does anyone have any clue as to what I should do.'
    i'm running windos XP btw.
     
  2. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

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    On the computer that the drive does work on, I suggest you back it up if you can or if that's not possible, atleast run a diagnostic of the drive. Could you let us know exactly which drive/enclosure it is?
     
  3. jsparke

    jsparke Member

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    I think it's FNet that came iwth a cd that has PCCloneEx Lite.
    And it's in a case that says Vibe???
    If that means anything???
     
  4. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

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    That doesn't help. I bet the enclosure is going bad. Do you think you can take the enclosure apart. You should be able to take the hard drive out of the enclosure and put it in another enclosure
     
  5. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    core, as it works alright with the laptop then unlikely is the enclosure is the problem.

    jsparke, do a system restore to before you had this problem.
     
  6. jsparke

    jsparke Member

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    Ok so I've done a system restore and it hasn't worked.
    I have also tried some other USB devises in the same 2 USB ports at the front of my tower.....getting the same message:-
    "One of the USB devises attached to this computer has malfunctioned & windows does not recognise it"
    I know these devices are working cause they work elswhere.
    So looks like a problem with the actual USB ports / the driver for the unused USB ports? It seems to have been an over night thing cause it was working yesterday. I did leve it running over night, so may be something has happened?
    Is there a way to install/update/repair the USB drivers on the actual PC??
    I'm not really sure what I'm doing here???
     
  7. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    use the motherboard cd if pc is not a namebrand like dell or hp. what is the chipset of the motherboard as in via, sis, intel or whatever?
     
  8. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

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    Is it built or bought? What Model is the PC? If you have another hard drive available or enough space on your existing one, partition it and reinstall the OS to see if its a hardware or software problem. Use "G Parted Live CD" to partition without losing data. Its a free Linux utility. Does the drive work in the back USB port?\
    http://gparted-livecd.tuxfamily.org/
     
  9. eelledge

    eelledge Member

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    Try plugging the drive into the back of the computer. Let me know if it works.
     

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