Western Digital External Hard Drive not Recognized by Windows XP: Does not show up in My Computer or Device Manager.

Anonymous
2010-05-13T01:16:46+00:00

My external hard drive does not run automatically when plugged into my USB port on my computer.  It is not recognized in my computer and it does not show up in Device Manager.  I have applied a hot fix for this problem and it was stated that problems are detected but after applying the hot fix the problem still exits!  HELP.  I went to Western Digital for this problem and they stated in their FAQ's that it is a Windows problem and that the drivers might be corrupted.  This is probably true as the device works perfectly on other computers.  Now what do I do?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2010-08-11T06:46:44+00:00

Here’s the actual steps needed to get your external USB drive assigned a letter in Windows XP if it does not show up in Windows Explorer:

1)     Right-click on “My Computer”

2)     Click “Manage”

3)     Double-click “Disk Management”

4)     You will probably see Disk 0 and Disk 1 for your primary hard drive. Go to lower right portion of box and scroll down until you see Disk 2. It is probably your USB drive without a letter.  It should show the size of the drive.

5)     Right-click in the left portion of that drive box (Disk 2)

6)     Click “Initialize” and “OK” in the next dialog box. This takes just a few seconds and it should now say “Online” in the “Disk 2” box.

7)     Right-click in the box to the right side of the “Disk 2” box (where it shows your disk drive size and says “Unallocated”.

8)     Click “New Partition” and a “New Partition Wizard” will open up.

9)     Click “Next”, then select “Primary Partition” and click “Next”.

10) Verify partition size (use entire disk size available unless you are creating multiple drives) and Click “Next”.

11) Assign drive letter (“F” is typical if CD-Rom is E) and click “Next”.

12) Format this partition with “NTFS”, “Default”, “New Volume” and click “Next”.

13) Then click “Finish” to exit the wizard and start formatting.

14) Be patient… this can take awhile (it took just over an hour for a 320GB drive).

15) When done, you should see an icon for your drive in Windows Explorer!

Hope this helps!!

Doc

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  1. LemP 74,990 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2010-05-19T19:12:47+00:00

    Sorry, I'm out of ideas. From your descriptions, it sounds most like a problem with the drive itself, although I know that you said the drive worked on other computers.

    At this point, I'd suggest taking both the computer and the drive to a reputable local computer repair shop. Don't go to a big chain store or "geek squad" place.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-05-18T18:51:50+00:00

    LemP

    I tried plugging the hard drive into the back of the comptuer( I only have 2 usb ports back there, this is a DIY computer, put togeter by a friend. )

    When I connected the drive into the back of the computer, it made a sound, the icon appeared on the right side of the taskbar for 2 secs, then it

    made the sound again, and disappeard.)   It kept doing that intermittedly for at least 2 mins, or until I connected to write this reply.  Also, a message

    appeared that said  "there is a problem with the installation of your hardware, and it may not work properly." (uh..no kidding!)  then it quit and  the

    drive is still not showing  in My Computer.  ( I have a jump drive and it works fine in this USB port and also my daughters iPod, although she has had

    "sync" issues. ) (I am talking about the front port, although I just got the most response from the back port)

    I hope this information helps you to help me get a solution to this problem.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-05-17T22:07:07+00:00

    hello

    according to the wd website you are not alone with this problem see this explaination of this note the link to microsoft to do a sfc /scannow

    External Drives:

    If your WD external drive is not recognized, it can be caused by one of the following problems:

    1. Your driver may be corrupted. The symptoms of this problem can vary - The majority of the time however, the drive may request a driver, or will not appear as a connected device. You will need to contact Microsoft or your System Manufacturer for assistance in resolving this issue, as we are unable to provide assistance in diagnosing your OS. Important Information: It has been reported to us that some users have been able to resolve this issue using the SFC Command in a Command Prompt. When contacting Microsoft or your System Manufactuer, providing them with this information may assist in resolving this issue. Please note that WD Technical Support cannot assist with the usage of this command line program, and is not responsible for any damage to your system or data it may cause.
    2. Your drive may be damaged or have failed. A good test for this is to try the drive in another system. If the issue continues to occur, than this is most likely the case. For assistance replacing your drive under warranty see Answer ID 8: How can I replace a product under warranty?.
    3. In some cases you may need to install a drive in order for your drive to be recognized. Check the table below to see if your model drive requires a driver to be installed besides the one that is included in your Operating System. Please note that this table includes any drive that has a driver for any reason.In most cases the drivers listed are not required for the drive to function, but add some additional funcationality that the OS supplied driver cannot provide. If an OS is not listed in either column, your WD external drive is not supported on that OS. If a driver is available, select the OS in the list to go to the download page for that driver.

    Please click the Check Mark As Answered On This Page If this post helps to resolve your issue as it helps others who need quick access to Answers THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-05-17T14:46:03+00:00

    I  still have to try the back of my computer.  However, yes sometimes it makes a noise when I plug it in and sometimes it does not!!  I noticed a noise the other day, when I plugged it in, and said to myself, well it knows something is connected.  However, on Sunday, I did not get the same noise.  That is why I am so confused the symptoms are not consistent.  The hotfix that I installed was the one that you suggested in your answer.  It just doesn't work.  Yes, I have SP3.  I will check the USB troubleshooting too.  My computers are networked but to me that should make no difference, and the drive works perfectly fine on the other computer.  Thank you for your suggestions so far, and I will just keep trying.

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