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HELP: After rebooting computer external hardrive disapeers


Anthony Baker 1080999
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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted

Can someone help after I rebooted my computer by external harddrive vanished ( it does not appeer in windows explorer or device managment). The hardrive has all my vatsim stuff on it: teamspeak,servinfo,vatspy,fsx,fs9,VRC.

 

OS: WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 32BIT

NO UPDATEs

 

Just installed 737 PIC before Restart (installed to external harddrive)

 

 

PLEASE HELP

 

Mods: move to appropiate fourm if nessicary.

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted

Any help

 

trying to get this fixed so ic an fly 2night

 

Edit: When a flash drive is put in windows recongize it.

 

But when the external is plugged in windows doesn't regconize it nor does it beep (like it does when a usb is added/removed.

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Larry Dowell 944865
Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm hearing desparation.

Look this over and see if anything helps. Read all before you try anything. Appears you are not alone.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/237743-44-vista-doesn-recognize-external-drive

 

And I'm sure someone will post after me with some help.

 

EDIT:

Why do you have the above programs you mentioned on an external HDD?

Edited by Guest

Larry, KSEA

AKA, Edge

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Ross Carlson
Posted
Posted

Did you try rebooting the pc again? Do you have another PC you can try hooking the drive up to? Or maybe try another USB slot?

Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
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ross yes i have tried rebooting my pc 3 times or so

 

 

afte ri shut down my pc afte rinstall of 737pic

 

my pc wouldn't boot up so after trying multiple times i turned off the hardrive (external) via the power button that worked my pc booted up

 

but now (and then) the external is MIA

 

this happened once before and after a month of so the HDD reappeered

 

other PC not really

 

have tried many other USB slots

 

edit: the programs are on the external to prevent any problems *knock on wood* from occuring to the main harddrive from one of these programs

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Reece Hunter
Posted
Posted

How old is the drive? About a year and a half ago or so, I had three (3) external USB drives malfunction on me within the warranty period. Over time, the reliability of the new and replacement drives we acquired seem to get better. The drives themselves are mostly reliable since often, they are the same drives as those inside your PC. They simply slap in a controller that plugs into the USB, Firewire, parallel port (sorry, old technology but I think they are still around), SCSI, etc.

 

If you are adventurous and if your PC has a free drive bay to hold the drive and connection to you internal interface, you can try moving the drive inside the PC. This will more than likely void the warranty so do so at your own risk. If you have an IDE controller/drive, don't forget to set this one as a slave.

 

Let us know how it turns out!

___________________

Reece Hunter

vACC Philippines Chief

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Paul Byrne
Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

A few things come to mind:

 

1) Dodgy USB cable. Check the drive with a different cable.

 

2) Dodgy USB port or hub. Check the drive in a different hub or USB port on the computer (as Ross said) and check the USB connection on the drive. Wiggle (technical term) it around a bit see if it makes a connection. If this is the problem, as Reece said you can remove the cover of the drive, get rid of the USB interface and you should be able to mount it on your motherboard

 

3) Dodgy hard drive. Check the drive in another computer (with a different cable).

 

When you say the computer won't boot up, is it that windows won't load from the log in page or the boot up doesn't get past the BIOS or windows loading screen? If it is that windows doesn't load, it is possible that it's a driver issue. If it's the BIOS, there's a good chance that the drive may have failed if the cable and hub/port aren't the problem.

 

Have you put your ear to the drive during boot up to listening to it? If you have confirmed it's not the cable or port/hub, you should hear the mechanisms spooling up inside the drive when you power up.

 

Cheers!

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted
Hi,

 

A few things come to mind:

 

1) Dodgy USB cable. Check the drive with a different cable.

will try 2 find one

2) Dodgy USB port or hub. Check the drive in a different hub or USB port on the computer (as Ross said) and check the USB connection on the drive. Wiggle (technical term) it around a bit see if it makes a connection. If this is the problem, as Reece said you can remove the cover of the drive, get rid of the USB interface and you should be able to mount it on your motherboard

 

3) Dodgy hard drive. Check the drive in another computer (with a different cable).

will trey if possible

When you say the computer won't boot up, is it that windows won't load from the log in page or the boot up doesn't get past the BIOS or windows loading screen? If it is that windows doesn't load, it is possible that it's a driver issue. If it's the BIOS, there's a good chance that the drive may have failed if the cable and hub/port aren't the problem.

the boot problem solved itself after i shut down the EXTERNAL HD

Have you put your ear to the drive during boot up to listening to it? If you have confirmed it's not the cable or port/hub, you should hear the mechanisms spooling up inside the drive when you power up.

YEA hear noise from external HD

Cheers!

 

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

ZAU S-1 Mentor

(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Paul Byrne
Posted
Posted

Hi Anthony,

 

Ok, when does the boot up fail?

 

1) BIOS (you don't even make it to the windows loading screen)?

 

2) Windows loading screen?

 

3) Start up screen when you click on your username?

 

Cheers!

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted

Paul

 

Windows currently boots up FINE

 

my only problem is that my EXTERNAL HARDDRIVE is not being seen by WINDOWs, it is like it has disappeered.

 

(still need to check the cords)

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Paul Byrne
Posted
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I know windows "currently boots up fine".

 

I'm asking about when it fails when the external is connected and powered up.

 

If it doesn't make it past BIOS, then it's probably a hardware (physical) problem.

 

Loading screen, either hardware or software.

 

Windows log in screen, probably software.

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
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my (external) harddrive is on (and appears to be connected) windows boots up fine

 

the problem is that WINDOWS DOES NOT SEE THE HARDDRIVE

AND THAT THE HARDDRIVE IS MISSING AND DOES NOT SHOW UP

 

which means ALL of my FS STUFF AND ATC stuff is GONE which will take 2-4 hours to find and reinstall everything on to my main harddrive.

 

and all of my stuff WILL NOT fit on my main harddrive

 

also a caution triangle apeard by the clock on the task bar thingy

 

but it won't let me click it and everything (except the external HD) is working fine

 

before this issue (HD MIA) i restarted ym computer after I installed 737 PIC (ON THE EXTERNAL)

 

and it didn't boot up then (made it p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ed bios but not p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ed windows loading)

 

so i turned off the external (unplugged it from the surge protector) when windows was booting up and than windows boot up (and ahs been) booting up fine

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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Gary Morris 1090995
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Anthony, the triangle you refer to in the taskbar, i believe, is an indication that the device is malfunctioning in the USB. Generally, this is due to a short circuit or a hardware failure within the External HDD.

 

Hope this helps,

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Anthony Baker 1080999
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Edit: there is a pulsing high pitch sound coming from the external harddrive

 

also tested harddrive (same cord (cannot find an alternate that will work) and no joy on the other commputer that has a working external in it

 

so by the looks of it either

a. cord is busted somehow (maybe)- as winddows does not play a sound whe i plug in the external

b. the external HD it self is messed up (doubtful but maybe)- high pitched pulsing sound coming from inside the casing

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

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(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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  • 8 months later...
Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted

bump

 

update:

 

Turns out the wrong power code was being used???

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Ernesto Alvarez 818262
Posted
Posted

is it a "tick tick tick" sound? those usually indicate hard drive failure, i just lost one not too long ago. different noises mean different things tho

 

heres a site thatll help maybe. helped me figure it out

http://datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php

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Anthony Baker 1080999
Posted
Posted

no, it works now, it was simple the wrong power code, I tested it with my dad's power cord and it worked fine

ZAU S-2, Major Certified

ZAU S-1 Mentor

(Disclaimer: the post above does not necessarily express the opinion or stance of ZAU or ZAUs training program, this view is made by me and me alone)

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