external hard drive error?

Raymond

im using an acer aspire 5552 laptop. my external hard drive was working fine till a few hours ago. its a western digital, my passport. it doesn't recognize it in "my computer", and constantly keeps popping up with a window telling me to format the drive. i try and that wont even work. the value of the external hard drive is "disk drive", don't think its so posed to be like that. its like the computer recognizes the drive but wont let me access it. could it possibly be something wrong with my computer? any ideas on how i could fix it?

Answer
try to isolate the problem.
try the drive on a different computer if it works it points to a problem on your laptop. if it doesn't then its either the drive or the cable.
Try switching to a different USB port . if it works then its the port.
Try a different cable if you have one that you know works. if it works then it was the cable.
Also check that the PSU for the external drive (if it has one) is plugged in/turned on.

looking for an external hard-drive?

Jonno51

Im looking for a good value external hard-drive, for under £50 if possible. I've never bought one before, but think im going to need one for a laptop. It doesn't need to be as large as 500gb, but as big as possible would be nice.
Can anyone recommend one?

Answer
An average size would be a 320 GB drive.
Of course, this depends on your need for storage and how much you plan on storing.
If you buy one that is too small, thinking it is big enough at the time, and end up running out of room, you will have to spend more and get a bigger one.
Or....you can archive your older files to CD/DVD, burn them, then delete off the external. There are also cases you can get that allow you to put a standard internal hard drive into a case that becomes an external.
Make sure you have a suitable warrenty in case the drive dies.
And, the ones I've seen are USB. Some come with backup software as well.

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Computer is not detecting external hard-drive?

Matt B

Hello,

I've had an external hard-drive (SimpleTech 300 GB) for about six months now, and up until now, have not had any problems with it. However, whenever I plug in the hard-drive, I hear the noise on the computer saying that it has detected it, but whenever I go to My Computer, the computer cannot recognize the D: Drive. I disabled the drive a couple days ago, but I went back and clicked, in the Start Menu, RUN: regedit>HKey local machine>system>Current control set>Services>usbstor, then clicked on Start on the right hand side, and changed the value data to 3, but it still doesn't seem to work.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
the drivers arent there-reinstall them
have ypou made any changes other than that?

do u have a 2nd pc/lappy?
with a usb port?
can you try it on someone elses 2 see its not the drive?

but the drivers are not responding 2 run the drive(hard drive)so id start with them
on an internal its a simple case of power off-unplug-plug in -power up =sorted!
try drivers im confident thats it if not another unforseen problem

external hard drive error?

Raymond

im using an acer aspire 5552 laptop. my external hard drive was working fine till a few hours ago. its a western digital, my passport. it doesn't recognize it in "my computer", and constantly keeps popping up with a window telling me to format the drive. i try and that wont even work. the value of the external hard drive is "disk drive", don't think its so posed to be like that. its like the computer recognizes the drive but wont let me access it. could it possibly be something wrong with my computer? any ideas on how i could fix it?

Answer
try to isolate the problem.
try the drive on a different computer if it works it points to a problem on your laptop. if it doesn't then its either the drive or the cable.
Try switching to a different USB port . if it works then its the port.
Try a different cable if you have one that you know works. if it works then it was the cable.
Also check that the PSU for the external drive (if it has one) is plugged in/turned on.

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looking for an external hard-drive?

Jonno51

Im looking for a good value external hard-drive, for under £50 if possible. I've never bought one before, but think im going to need one for a laptop. It doesn't need to be as large as 500gb, but as big as possible would be nice.
Can anyone recommend one?

Answer
An average size would be a 320 GB drive.
Of course, this depends on your need for storage and how much you plan on storing.
If you buy one that is too small, thinking it is big enough at the time, and end up running out of room, you will have to spend more and get a bigger one.
Or....you can archive your older files to CD/DVD, burn them, then delete off the external. There are also cases you can get that allow you to put a standard internal hard drive into a case that becomes an external.
Make sure you have a suitable warrenty in case the drive dies.
And, the ones I've seen are USB. Some come with backup software as well.

What's wrong with my external hard drive?

dudeguy28

My 1TB external HD is showing that it only has 472 GB free of 931 GB, but I only have about 150GB of content on it at the moment. Is this normal?

Answer
No it is NOT normal

My Computer >>> Right Click Your EXTERNAL HDD >>> Properties

Lets do some Maths Ok...............Capacity minus Used = Free Space

Your Capacity has to be right (after all you know you have 1TB HDD)
( But check Capacity IS WRITTEN / LOGED "HERE" Correctly)

Now this is the thing even if you know your USED amount is wrong make sure Used and Free both add up to 1TB.........( 931 GB Is about right )

NOTE 1TB =1,000 GB (Or Precise 1024 Base Unit)

Ok if all maths add up there is nothing wrong with the HDD it is REPORTING TRUE VALUES. However as previously said there may be hidden files , or strange back-ups, or whatever. Or SORRY to say maybe you have USED more than the 150 GB you think. If its none of these things read on..............

However the drive may not be formatted properly , it could even be divided into partitions. Personally If I know for a "FACT" my data equals 150 GB and there is only 472 GB FREE

That means 309 GB IS UN-ACCOUNTED FOR.

That is way to much to be "Missing" which is why we did our Maths test first , and for that reason I Strongly suggest you RE-FORMAT THAT HDD ASAP. Especially if the Reporting Values DO NOT ADD up using our formula.......

RE-FORMAT............... 309 GB Is Too Much........
(Of Course Back Up Your Files Elsewhere First )

OK We have Reformatted The HDD from scratch., so no data is now on the HDD, So check Capacity straight away , It should report 1TB ( 931 GB is about right)

(Note not exactly 1TB , most manufacturers work in base 1000 , computers think in 1024) But it certainly should NOT be 309 GB OUT .

If it is nowhere near 1TB ( 931 GB is about right) then the HDD IS faulty or corrupt or NOT a 1TB HDD..................................

Good Luck Hope This Is Useful To You And Anyone Else Reading This

Yours Sincerely

A. Thompson.

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My hard drive has run out of space. What are my options?

best external hard drive value image

chainsdest

I've thought of deleting stuff, but i dont really wanna do that, i value most of my content.
I've also thought of getting an external hard drive. what about getting more space inside the computer? any other legitimate options?

Answer
a second internal drive is an option

What the hell was the terrifying noise my hard drive was making?

Me

So a couple of hours ago I turned off all my computers and shut off the power to all my devices in my room, then went and turned the power off at the main switch so I could change an outlet.

A couple hours later, after I've already slowly turned everything back on, I go to my xbox to try and watch a movie and it can't seem to list any of the movies I've got. So I go to my desktop to find that my external hard drive isn't there.. even though it's on and connected. It's also stationary and hidden behind something so there's not a whole lot of tampering/physical wear to that external.

I plug it into my laptop to try and see what's going on. It starts making this endless loud screeching noise. None of that clicking that's usually associated with hd damage. It's not listed in my computers, and it shows up in Disk Management as "uninitialized" asking me to choose between two different partition types. After carefully disconnecting it and connecting it back, it asks me to format it, which I cancel.

I start googling about my issue, starting to accept the situation, torn as hell and helpless and just about ready to toss the thing.

Suddenly the screeching stops, after almost 45 minutes of it going, and Disk Management lists the drive as "Online" and "Healthy". Explorer pops up with all my files! I'm still being really careful with it and weary and treating it as though it's in fragile shape.

I've downloaded some S.M.A.R.T. software to read the values and everything is listed as "OK" . No reallocated sectors, no read errors, no seek errors. I also ran a quick self-test, which completed without error. Everything seems fine.

It looks to be a perfectly healthy external hard drive.

So what the hell was that about? Was it doing some sort of maintenance or self-test? How am I supposed to tell the difference? I would've undoubtedly killed the drive for sure if had it gone on a bit longer.

Answer
ANY unusual noises are the death rattle of a dying drive...

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Dragon Age is installed on an external hard drive. How do I install a patch?

best external hard drive value image

Evan W

I installed DA:O on my external hard drive because my main is getting full. I want to download the patch, 1.02a, but running the .exe tells me that Dragon Age is not installed. I'm assuming because the game is not installed on my C drive? Is there anyway around this?
@Jeff

How would I do that? I can't modify anything in the properties.

Answer
are you able to point the patch installer to your external drive?
try changing your regisry to default install programs to your external drive so that you can install, then just switch it back once its installed.
BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY and follow these steps

You may want to change the location of your system default folder (C:\Program Files) from C drive to another system drives (D or E drive). By default software setup will attempt to install program in C:\Program Files directory. It is good practice to make the backup of the installed programs, if you installed all your programs in other than C drive. If you have little knowledge about editing windows registry then you can configure your computer for this purpose.

Follow the given steps to configure windows registry:

1. Click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
2. Here navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion
3. In right side panel, double click on ProgramFileDir.
4. Now modify the value to any other drive (for example D:\Program Files).
Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

you may have to put dragon age folder on your hard drive into a folder called Program Files

What is the best external hard drive (upwards of 300 Gb) to buy?

Q. I want to back up my data and an external USB based hard drive seems a logical solution. I need a storage capacity of 300 GB and above, It should require no external power source(except the power drawn from the USB port), Long life and PErhaps the best in its Price range. Any help will be appreciated, perhaps u can leave links to verify ur reviews. thanks

Answer
The previous answer is correct, sort of. If you don't want an external power source, I would suggest going for a laptop external hard drive. A laptop external hard drive has the smaller 2.5 laptop drives inside and require less power. I recently bought a Seagate external laptop drive and it simply requires me to plug in two usb plugs. One plug serves as power and the other as data.

I'd recommend either a Seagate or a Western Digital branded device. They usually have substantial warranty programs, are durable, more compatible, and have high resale value if you later decide to upgrade.

Hope that helps.

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What is the best external hard drive to buy?

best external hard drive value image

Yo

Im looking to move my movies on my laptop to an external hard drive because they take up to much space. I have a combination of mp4 and avi files and im wondering which external hard drive to buy. Im looking for a portable one, I have 200 plus movies so im wondering which hard drive is best to buy and for the best value. Thanks for the help

Answer
they are all great if you get one over 1 terabyte(1024GB) and format the drive as an exFAT file system that way it would keep the drive working extremely fast and less fragmented!

Is it safe to play my iTunes library from my external hard drive?

Mellow Gol

Is it safe to delete my music files from my computer and play them straight from my external hard drive? Will my hard drive break if I use it every day? Will I lose my music? I just want my computer to run faster because my music files take up so much room.

Answer
Try to store your external hard drive in a dry place, well ventilated
the only enemy on external hard drives is overheating,
The heat generated by the disk and the usb controller card under it, makes a higher value f heat to handle, use it on a place where it can be as fresh as you can

Besides It, there is no other risk or damage by using it as your exernal musci library, even if it is to be used frequently

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