WD external hard disk not recognised

My WD external hard disk doesnt show up in my computer(windows xp). The safety remove hardware appears when it is connected and i can hear the hard disk starting up and also the blue light though it doesnt blink, just lights up. But it doesnt appear in the disk management, although it is at the device manager but the device status states that it is working properly. any help?
i dont want to reformat as i want to retain the info. i’ve tried uninstalling the USB, connecting to different computers, using different USB cables but there’s no difference.

i’ve also searched on the net but cant seem to find any solution. HELP?