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How to resolve external disk drive problem?

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5 replies

by rayfoxxe

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I have a Samsung S2 Portable 500gb external hard disk drive. When I plug it into my computer unit (running on Windows XP Pro SP3), the unit doesn't detect it. The light on my drive just blinks but the computer doesn't seem to detect it, even if I wait for several minutes (hours even). The drive is working perfectly and the computer detects other external drives, but cannot detect my Samsung S2. Any suggestions/solutions?

5 replies

by oh smeg

You need to use either a USB Y Cable and plug both USB Plugs into different USB Sockets on the computer or different USB Sockets on a Powered USB Hub or if there is an option to do this plug in an external power supply.

If you are already using a Y Cable the USB Plug in the middle of the cable needs to be plugged into the Computers USB Socket preferably one directly on the M'Board and not connected with a Fly Lead. This is a Power & Data Plug where as the other Plug on the end of the lead is just a Power Plug it doesn't have the wires for a Data Connection.

Col

by rayfoxxe

Already tried using a Y cable and the USB port is already a built-in port on the motherboard, it still doesn't get detected by the system. The drive's light just keeps blinking but the system doesn't detect it, even if I leave it on for a few minutes or an hour.

by oh smeg

It has to be a Driver issue with the Chip Set of the Interface Card between the USB Lead and HDD not being supported by your OS.

So you either need to use a Different Chip Set Interface Card or install the correct drivers for that Chip Set and your OS. ;)

Not sure what you actually have there so if you didn't get any driver with the drive you should check Samsung's Web Site for Drivers.

Of course it's always possible that they are making this drive type to only be compatible with the new OS's in use and not support the almost obsolete older OS's that M$ made like XP.

Col

by rayfoxxe

My Samsung S2 Ex-HDD is compatible with XP. Probably it's just the chip set driver as you said. I'll try updating the USB Bus Controller driver and the processor driver as well as the motherboard driver to see if that fixes it.
Thanks for the suggestion! :3

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