Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Format External USB HD in Windows XP

0 helpful
5 replies

by george bosela

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
I am trying to install 120 Gb Seagate hard disk in an External UJSB2.0 Enclosure for 3.5" Hard Drives. I have set the jumper for Channel Select. My XP system recognized the drive and reported the capacity as 111.7 Gb. I used the disk management function under comptuer management under Administrative Tools in the Control Panel. I was able to partition the drive as a single primary partition and assign a drive letter. I then tried to format the drive within Disk Management. The format process proceeds through the entire disk (100%) and at the very end I get an error message: "Unable To Complete the Format". I tried to format by right clicking the drive in My Computer with the same result. It seems that the system is recognizing the drive and acting on it, but for some reason it can not complete the format. What action do you recommend?

5 replies

by thechas

I might be wrong, but unless the manual for the external enclosure states to set the drive to cable select, I recommend setting the jumper to Master / Single.

With cable select, unless the cable is specifically a cable select style cable, the drive controller can be confused as to what the drive actually is.

Chas

by george bosela

Even though the cable select setting seems to be correct, this comment led me to re-examine the situation. Consequently, I found that the jumper was not set as I had stated in the original question.

by george bosela

I am following up to clarify the problem I was having. In going back through the procedures I followed, I found that I had the drive jumper setting at slave rather than cable select. When I changed the drive jumper setting to cable select I was able to format the hard drive and access it with no problem. Sorry for the mistake in describing the situation and thanks to those who spent any time trying to deal with it.

This discussion is closed to new replies.