Vista post SP1 can't see my external HDD-help!

Hi All,
Since I installed SP1 for Vista HP 64x I can no longer access my external hard drive/media player.
When I connect it via USB I get a message saying I need USB to IDE drivers. Windows then offers to search the internet etc but cannot find any. As a result Vista cannot see the drive and I am prevented from accessing nearly 300GB of my photos, music and movies.
This is a personal disaster. My best photographic work is on that drive.
I have had the drive for about a year and it worked perfectly before SP1. It's sold by a firm called Envizage but I believe they are just importers.
I contacted them and they replied that no drivers are required for Vista.
I was not even aware there was an IDE drive in there but I believe it is a 400GB Samsung. Can't check now obviously.
Can anyone help? Is it just me?

Thanks, John

John,

My best advise to you is to have the guru's at Microsoft work this out for you. Since it is an SP1 related issue, they will give you free tech support. Here's their website: https://support.microsoft.com/oas/de...4&gprid=500921

I hope this helps.

Hi John,

Are your other USB devices working? I also have an external USB HDD which I had connected previously but which I had disconnected before reinstalling Vista in January. Until yesterday, I hadn't reconnected it, but I haven't had any problems with it. In fact, the data transfer rate is very much improved with SP1 compared to what it was previously.
Dwarf

Hi Dwarf, Thanks for your input. Yes I have a USB mouse, keyboard, card reader etc and they are all working fine. john

Hi John,

I presume that you have checked the obvious things such as the physical cable connections and that you have tried alternative USB cables. Checking the Envizage website, the external drives seem to use SATA drives internally, so why you are being asked about USB to IDE drivers is a bit of a puzzle. However, there is another way for you to access your data if you aren't afraid of getting your hands dirty. Have you tried removing the drive from the external enclosure and mounting it internally in your machine? It is possible that the interface circuitry on the external drive has failed, in which case this method might help you retrieve your data. Please note that should tyou do this, then you proceed at your own risk.
Dwarf

Hi Dwarf. Thanks very much for your efforts. I had hopes you might be right but I just mailed Wayne at Envizage and he tells me it is an IDE drive in there.
I have tried different cables etc. Also the drive still functions as a media player and plays movies on my TV so the thing seems to be working as it should from that perspective.
So it boils down to two choices- uninstall SP1 or get the drive out and put it inside my box.
I don't really want to do either. SP1 has benefited my system in other ways and if it's as hard to get off as it was to get on then that's a problem.
The second choice I think is beyond my skills. I have two SATA drives in my box and it's pretty crowded and I wouldn't know how to do it. Would it be compatible, what plugs do I use etc?
I'm really fed up about this, John

PS how do I get a cool image on my posts like you and others have?

Hi John,
Can you access the contents of the drive when connected to your TV? If so, then it looks as though your unit is not compatible with your computer after it has had SP1 installed. In this case, I agree with .Joe's advice.

Your other question is easy to answer. The next time you are logged in to the forums, click 'User CP' at the top of the screen. This brings up the 'User Control Panel'. On the left hand side, there is a section headed 'Settings & Options'. One of the items in this section is 'Edit Avatar'. Select this option. You can then select an image from those provided to use as your Avatar. When you are happy with your selection, click 'Save Changes'. You can then leave the 'User Control Panel' and return to the forums themselves.
Dwarf

Thanks Dwarf. I'll rattle off a mail to MS. This is a real piss off. John

Hi John,

Keep us posted as to how you get on. P.S. Like the Avatar.
Dwarf

Dwarf! Amazing! Mr Terrykim Jin at MS has solved my problem in just one email. He wrote suggesting I try this fix or uninstall SP1. The fix worked like a charm. No idea why but here it is for anyone experiencing this issue or similar:

"Step 1.Show hidden folders
=========================
1. Click the Start button, Click "Computer" -> "Organize" -> "Folder and Search Options".
2. Click the "View" tab. Under "Hidden files and folders", click "Show hidden files and folders".
3. To display other hidden files, uncheck the "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" check box.

Step 2.Rename the USB inf relate files
=========================
1. Click the Start Button, type "%windir%\inf" (without quotation marks) in the Start Search box, and press Enter.
2. Please locate "Infcache.1" file, right click on it, click Properties, select Security tab, click the current User Account name, click Edit, check Full Control checkbox as Allow, then all the checkbox will be checked as Allow, click OK, click OK.
3. Right click the Infcache.1, select Rename, please type infcache.1-bak in the text box, press Enter. Then Infcache.1 would be renamed to infcache.1-bak.
4. Please locate all the files beginning with "oem", for example: oem0 and oem.PNF. Please follow the steps above to rename all the files.
5. Please restart the computer.

Please plug in a USB device to test the results."


I,ve sent off my thanks last night. I'm not sure whether I need to go back and undo those permissions etc but I'm well pleased.
Glad you like the avatar, I took it at an owl sanctuary. You can use any of your own pics just reduce them to below a MB.
Cheers, John