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

Anonymous

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?

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

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

0 comments

42 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-05-13T17:47:12+00:00

hello

have you initialized the external hd http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/advanced/ntfs.mspx

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
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2010-05-13T19:18:57+00:00

This is truly a splendid answer with good step by step procedures, however, because I can't visually see the drive anywhere, on this computer I can't try the steps you have suggested. I want to use this computer to transfer the files to a partitioned drive, the drive is 250 GB, and has room so that I can transfer files, and then format if I wish. I guess I could use another computer to do this but my other one only has an 80 GB hard drive and is a much older computer, I could try Converting to NTFS, because as I said I already have files on the disk I would rather not erase. but my computer skills are limited. Thank you, coork, for these suggestions, and I will let you know if it works!
Was this answer helpful?

3 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2010-05-15T23:23:30+00:00

hello

i hope it works out for you

thank you for your response

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
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
LemP 74,990 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2010-05-16T00:24:20+00:00
If the drive doesn't show up in Device Manager, the steps in that article are not going to help (as you noted).

First, make sure that it isn't the USB port. Try connecting the drive to a different USB port, one which you know works (because another USB device works there). Also, if this particular WD drive does NOT have its own power supply, disconnect from the computer as many USB devices as possible (obviously, you'll have to leave a USB mouse and/or keyboard).

[Where did you get the "hotfix"? From Microsoft or WD? Please supply a link.]

If connecting to a known good USB port doesn't solve the problem, try the following:
1. Disconnect the drive and turn it off.
2. Follow the directions here to make "phantom" devices visible in Device Manager. Uninstall all instances of your external USB drive. Report any entries in Device Manager that show a yellow exclamation (!).
3. Go to Western Digital and IF there is a USB driver (which is not the case for most of WD's external drives), download it and follow WD's installation instructions. You didn't specify which model WD disk you have or what WD FAQ you looked at. If this is the FAQ you are talking about, see the "Important Note" (in red type). Unless you have one of the WD drives listed in the table as requiring a driver, it is highly unlikely that the driver has been corrupted, regardless of what WD says. That same driver is used for all of your hard drives, including the internal one(s). If the file was corrupted, you would likely have a lot more problems than just not being able to see your external drive.
4. Plug the drive's power supply directly into a wall outlet, not a power strip or Uninterruptible Power Supply (you can try plugging it into a power strip or UPS later, once you know it works, but this may cause problems). Connect the USB cable directly into the computer (not into a USB hub). Connect the other end to the drive.
5. Report the messages that pop up while you're doing Step 4. Please don't paraphrase. Also, please identify which WD drive you have.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments