Windows Vista Forums

External USB hard drives
  1. #1


    Mike Guest

    External USB hard drives

    I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??



      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  2. #2


    freddy Guest

    RE: External USB hard drives

    Mike,

    The following is the officially recommended procedure
    for connecting external USB drives, quote:

    IMPORTANT: Failure to connect the drive using the procedure below may result
    in your system not recognizing the drive. Also, not disconnecting the drive
    correctly could result in data corruption or data loss.

    To connect your external hard drive to your PC computer:

    Turn on your computer and allow Windows to load.

    Plug in the power to the external hard drive and let it spin up.

    Connect the data cable to the drive first and then to the computer.

    You should see a new icon appear in the system tray and the drive should
    appear in the Device Manager

    If you haven't tried doing the connection in the way indicated, try it to
    see what happens. Other than that, that's all I have for now.
    --
    freddy


    "Mike" wrote:

    > I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    > Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    > with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    > with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    > the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??


      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  3. #3


    freddy Guest

    RE: External USB hard drives

    Mike,

    I found the following on the Web while searching for something else. Take a
    look to see whether any of it is good for you:

    Problem: My USB hard drive works in WinXP but not in Vista.

    Solution: Access to external USB drives appears to be a hit-or-miss affair
    in these early Vista stages, but there are a few tricks that could get your
    drive up and running. First, try updating the drivers for your USB host
    controllers. Right-click Computer, click Properties, and click Device Manager
    in the left panel. Click the plus sign beside Universal Serial Bus
    Controllers to expand that section and then search for any host controller
    listings (for example, Standard Enhanced PCI To USB Host Controller or
    Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller). For each listing, right-click it,
    click Update Driver Software, click Search Automatically For Updated Driver
    Software, and select an Internet option to instruct the wizard to search
    online for drivers. Follow the wizard’s instructions for installing the
    driver.

    If updating drivers doesn’t enable your drive, check your PC’s BIOS (Basic
    Input/Output System) for a USB legacy support option and disable it (if you
    find this option and it’s enabled). To enter your PC’s BIOS, you’ll need to
    repeatedly press a key as soon as you start your PC, so check your computer
    or motherboard manual to find out which key to press. Use the arrow keys to
    navigate the menus BIOS but check your motherboard manual if you’re not sure
    where to find this setting or how to make changes. Don’t alter any other
    settings in the BIOS, because unintended changes can have
    --
    freddy


    "Mike" wrote:

    > I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    > Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    > with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    > with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    > the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??


      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  4. #4


    freddy Guest

    RE: External USB hard drives

    Mike,

    Here is something written for WinXP, but the ideas can apply to Vista, too:

    http://www.pchell.com/hardware/usbcode10.shtml

    Onward and upward.
    --
    freddy


    "Mike" wrote:

    > I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    > Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    > with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    > with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    > the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??


      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  5. #5


    freddy Guest

    RE: External USB hard drives

    Mike,

    Here is one written by HP for its customers having similar issues:

    http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/f...name=c00820197

    I think this is enough for now. Post back and let everyone know how you
    made out.
    --
    freddy


    "Mike" wrote:

    > I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    > Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    > with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    > with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    > the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??


      My System SpecsSystem Spec

  6. #6


    Mike Guest

    RE: External USB hard drives



    "freddy" wrote:

    > Mike,
    >
    > Here is one written by HP for its customers having similar issues:
    >
    > http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/f...name=c00820197
    >
    > I think this is enough for now. Post back and let everyone know how you
    > made out.
    > --
    > freddy
    >
    >
    > "Mike" wrote:
    >
    > > I have an iomega 80 gig and a western digital 250 gig drive. I am running a
    > > Dell xsp pc with Vista Home Preimum. I can connect any of the drives to a pc
    > > with windows xp and they are immediately found. When connecting to the dell
    > > with vista they are not found and when searching both the web and the pc for
    > > the drivers, they are not found. Any suggestions??


      My System SpecsSystem Spec

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