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External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

I use an external hard drive and tonight when I plugged it in to my laptop it isn't working! Cry Cry
I have attached the cables , the power is on but I can't get the hard drive to run!  Usually I plug it on, switch it on, hear it whizzing and its usually really easy!  Can anyone get an idea if the problem is cable, or the hard drive itself?Huh
I have noticed that the LED on the mains /ac adapter box shows a constant green light when connected and power on at the mains but when I then switch the hard drive on the light starts to flash green instead where it usually stays green!
Does it matter which type it is without gettng the box out of the attic all I know is it is a Maxtor and I believe a SATA?
One of the cables that goes into my Laptop via the USB is the same as my printer and scanner cables I have tried to change that but with no joy, as well as trying all my USBs on the laptop. The other I don't have a clue what it is called, where it goes in to the hard drive it is labled as 'DC Jack', I don't have another one to try  -- it is round with little pins and a black plastic's stick, for anyone I have confused I have made a little picture attached below! Huh
Now it is out of warranty I don't know where to turn to get it mended, if it is just a cable issue that I can buy myself that would be great, and as External Hard Drives are so popular I wondered if anyone could suggest what it might be!
Thanks for any suggestions I do appreciate the time and effort members make for us 'not so computer clevers'!! Kiss
25 REPLIES 25
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Thanks Guys, for anyone who is reading this and may have some advice.  But I was panicking and awake all night thinking I would loose years of photos so decided to take it to a Computer Shop and ask them to sort it out for me. 
Thanks anyway peeps,
Santiago
Grafter
Posts: 3,291
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎10-08-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

If you have all your photos stored just in one place  (your external drive?) you should set up a back up for safety.
There are lots of options from an external drive through to memory sticks and even DVD.
Maybe your computer guy might be able to help you.
Alex
Community Veteran
Posts: 5,500
Thanks: 921
Fixes: 13
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

A friend of mine had a problem with an external drive.
He took the physical drive out the enclosure and plugged it into a PC internally.
Luckily for him, the physical drive and its contents were fine .. it was the external controller at fault.
samuria
Grafter
Posts: 1,581
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎13-04-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

A lot its just down to the new sata specs and it has to negotiate the speed with systems that dont support the new sata specs as a result of this its slow to connect and can then appear to be faulty.
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Yes, thanks i do agree and do have back ups of Photos etc before Feb this year on DVD, typically I was trying to make copies of the Hard drive photos after that to DVD when this problem appeared, and My Brother in law had stuck a load of Photos on that he hadn't bothered to either save on his laptop or make DVD copies of, and as always left it to me!!
I took the drive into a PC shop and they told me the problem was a little plastic stick in the power cable- where it goes in to the hard drive casing had snapped off, called a PS2(apparently doesn't stand for Playstation!)-(its the end my little picture shows), and that you can't buy them seperately??  Does this sound right to anyone -It surprised me!  They have managed to sell me a new casing - another £35.00 but having got it home I have found it doesn't have a cooling fan that my current one did and I specified I wanted so as I am returning it tomorrow!  before I do  I thought you kind people wouldn't mind me asking if anyone knows if I can just buy power cables with a PS2 end, it's a lot of money to pay  if I don't need the new casing! They also told me that an idea I'd had of buying another hard drive of the same spec and with the same aluminium housing etc, so I could have 2 hard drives and swap them in the housing as and when I needed was not 'logical' and so not possible. I Just thought as my instructions for my Maxtor tell me how to connect a Hard Drive inside the casing it might mean I could use more than one?  Given a new complete set isn't much more than I paid today for casing only (and tomorrow I imagine one with cooling fan will be more expensive again), it made £££'s sense to me but i am probably wrong!!?
Sorry to have to ask for help again, I try my best to find things out myself but I've made mistakes in the past doing that I don't want to repeat!
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

A "Personal System/2" or PS/2 was a PC made by IBM and dates from the late 1980's
I have a PS/1 (made in mid 1990's) and the connectors for non-USB keyboards and mice are still known as PS/2 connections.
I find it confusing when people refers to PS1 or PS2 and they are talking about some games gadget.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Problem resolved, after a lot of searching I found  somewhere to buy a replacement for the power cable with the correct connector - at £8 a lot cheaper than having to replace the entire casing/housing!
As always, thanks to anyone who tried to help  Cheesy
Santiago
Grafter
Posts: 3,291
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎10-08-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Now do the back up! Today Crazy
Not applicable

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Quote from: Santiago
Today Crazy

And every other day that you use your computer too! :mand:
Midnight_Caller
Rising Star
Posts: 4,167
Thanks: 15
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎15-04-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Thanks for the reminder I need to do a Backup to Nite, norty me I haven't done one for som time.  Embarrassed
bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Yes, I've definitely learnt my lesson on that one- I bought a pile of DVD's yesterday to make sure everything is covered that I don't want to lose!
As I am backing to DVD from the hard drive I am never sure whether I should use the Windows Vista to add files (I know that I should choose 'Mastered' format doing it that way), or use the Roxio Media Creator.  Does it make much difference to how viewable the contents-mainly the Photographs become as I change laptops or want to see those with Photos on a TV-type DVD Player?  
Does it make much difference?
Cheers
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Trial and error with the DVD player.
Make sure your backups can be restored and accessed on a non-Vista PC.
Don't forget DRM problems!
If you have any super-valuable documents consider storing them additionally as attachments on something like gmail.
Content security must be considered as void though.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

bubbalicious
Grafter
Posts: 174
Registered: ‎26-09-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

Thanks for the tip - typically my Parents DVD Player seems to show photos using The Roxio and My Sisters won't!!
Seems I'll be having to back up using both programs - oh joy!!
Thanks again,  everyone,
I'll try to be a Good girl from now on! Crazy
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: External Hard drive not working - anyone got an ideas please???

high Sally, if you find out which program your sisters takes, it is more than likely your parents will take that, I would think your sisters player is an older model, most new players are multi function.  Some dont like one of the disc forms, nothing to do with the program.  Also the Disc has to be finalised