External storage drive question

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 05:44 PM

I just picked up a new Maxtor OneTouch II 200 GB drive to use with my Dell 8400 that I bought last year. The computer is running Windows XP home and has really not given me any issues to gripe about.

So I installed the Maxtor software/drivers and then connected the drive to the computer via an open USB port. For the most part, all seems well and I have the correct icon on the desktop. But the damned unit is not visible anywhere except for in the "Device Manager" - where it shows under "Disk Drives". I have restarted 645 times and even un-installed and re-installed the software - all to no avail. If I look in My Computer or even in Windows Explorer, the device is not shown.

So after wasting hours on this, I went to Maxtor's website and read through all of the relevant FAQs. I saw repeated mention of something called partitioning, but feel that a device like this should install without too much fanfare - and not need a computer programming degree to get it up and running.

Is there something that I may be doing stupidly wrong, specifically with the USB ports? Is there a way to make sure that the available ports are indeed empty, and not assumed by the computer to still have an old device attached? The whole thing is driving me nuts - especially when it should be an easy plug-n-play installation! PLEASE HELP!!

Andreas

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kronicx · 08-01-2005, 06:02 PM

Your drive is being recognized, but since it is not formatted, you must format it to be accessible by My Computer.

click Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools. Double click Computer Management and then click Disk Management in the left hand column, and then you can format it in there.

Churnd · 08-01-2005, 06:49 PM

Or just right click the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and click "Manage", then find Disk Management in the left hand column. Just another option since the control panel can have different setups.

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 07:58 PM

Thanks for the thoughts. I've also thought that I need to format it - but I cannot figure out how to do it. Here is a screen shot of the Disk Management area. Disk "0" is the new drive:
:

Andreas

Churnd · 08-01-2005, 08:04 PM

If there's a CD or floppy disk that came with the drive, restart your computer and boot to that disk. There should be a program that will format it for you.

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 08:11 PM

Please elaborate.

The drive was purchased new today and came with everything necessary for installation - including the Maxtor software on CD.

Here is the drive in question: Maxtor

Andreas

Churnd · 08-01-2005, 08:19 PM

Ok, put the CD in the CD drive, then restart your computer. Depending on what kind of computer you have, it should start running from the CD instead of going straight to Windows. If it doesn't, post back here and we'll figure out how to get it working to where it will.

If it does, just follow the steps on the screen to format the drive. MAKE SURE YOU'RE FORMATTING THE USB DRIVE!!!!! I cannot stress that enough. Just look at the size of the drives listed and find the one that represents the USB drive. I have accidentally wiped out a USB drive thinking it was the main hard drive before, so it's very possible. Failsafe way is to look at the drive's model number and compare with the list on the screen, but the drive's size should give it away pretty quickly. So find the right drive and format with NTFS, then reboot and take the CD out of the CD drive so it'll start to Windows again. Once that happens, Windows *should* recognize the drive. If it doesnt, you might have a bad drive.

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 08:37 PM

Upon restart, the computer came up again as normal. The Maxtor CD spun like a madman in the drive, but it did not affect how the computer started up. I really have no experience with formating, so I have a hard time understanding how to get there. I understand the concept, but do not know the steps to take from the disk management area.

The computer is a fairly new Dell 8400 desktop with no other issues. I know my way around, but only so far... Keep it simple

I have spent at least 5 hours of my day trying to get this thng working

Andreas

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 08:44 PM

Interesting read:

Conversion

Andreas

Churnd · 08-01-2005, 09:01 PM

Ok, when the computer starts up and you see the "Dell" screen, is there something that says "F12 - Boot Menu"? If so, hit the F12 key until you get to the boot menu.

If not, hit F2 repeatedly to get into the BIOS setup. Once you've done that, you need to get familiar with how to navigate around. There are usually tabs at the top of the screen that contain different pages of information. If I recall correctly, the boot settings are on the second or third tab. Find the right page then go to where it says "Boot Sequence" or something similar. Once you get to that sub-page, you'll want to move the CD-ROM above the main hard drive (the C: drive). Now your BIOS will look for something from the CD-ROM first. Hit escape and save your changes (don't change anything else in your BIOS). It'll reboot, then either boot straight to the CD or prompt you to hit any key to boot to the CD, which you should go ahead and do. Let me know if that works. If my directions aren't clear enough, you should be able to find documentation on Dell's website... http://support.dell.com

Oh yeah, and it's not a problem with whether or not the drive is NTFS or FAT... Windows will recognize both. However, larger drives can't be formatted using FAT, and I'm assuming you have a pretty large drive, so NTFS would be the format of choice.

aowRS · 08-01-2005, 09:03 PM

Thanks Chris - will try.

Andreas

***Corey*** · 08-02-2005, 02:37 AM

I have the Seagate external 200 GB Once Touch USB/Firewire drive, and I believe I formatted it right from XP when I instaled it.

It too came with a CD, but I can not remember if I used it or XPs formatting.
Anyway, you want to format it with NTFS.

I think you can do this via Windows.

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 06:58 AM

Update. This morning I turned the computer on but left the external drive off. I happened to be in "My Computer" and decided to turn the drive on. Suddendly it appeared as drive "G". Interesting. So then I tried to simply save a file to it - should be easy enough?! Then I get this warning at the bottom of the screen:

Oddly enough, the file did save to the drive, but not without these death threats. I still think that the drive needs to be re-formatted, but I'm not comfortable with doing it, and I question why the hell the unit comes configured in such a manner that one has to go through these headaches in the first place.

Any thoughts on why the drive suddenly decided to appear the way it did?

Andreas

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 07:10 AM

UGGGH!!!

I restarted the computer and guess what - the drive is no longer visible in "My Computer". How can it be there one moment (previous post) and now disappear?

Signed,
Pissed in Maryland

Churnd · 08-02-2005, 07:28 AM

I agree with you that the drive needs formatting. The best way to do it is through a bootable floppy or CD, such as the Maxtor.

Read over this to see how to configure your boot settings:

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc....htm#wp1052309

v8sport4runner · 08-02-2005, 08:04 AM

I just installed a new maxtor drive last week, it was not external tho. anyways the software that came on the CD was called maxblast4. I was able to just run the software from windows to format.

Put the disc in and open maxblast(hopefully its on there). It should detect the drive since it is showing up in device manager. From that software it should easily step you thru how to format it. It should only take a couple minutes.

If maxblast is not on that disc you can download a copy from their website. The downloadable one will make a floppy boot disk that will take you to the format screen when you reboot the computer. Hope this helps. Good luck

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 08:13 AM

Just got off the phone with Maxtor's tech line. We went through all the steps to get the drive to format. By unplugging the power and the USB, and re-attaching, we were able to make the drive appear in the device manager. When I then right-clicked in the space to the right of the drive, an error message appeared and I was not able to format. He suggested I take it back and try again

:walk:

So that is what I will do now...

Andreas

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 10:20 AM

Replacement drive is on the desk.

Churnd,
In EWAYota's recent post regarding setting up an external drive, you seemed to indicate that one may be able to simply attach the drive and have it work - without the hassle of loading the supplied software (Maxtor in this case). Did I understand this correctly?

Andreas

Churnd · 08-02-2005, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aowRS

Replacement drive is on the desk.

Churnd,
In EWAYota's recent post regarding setting up an external drive, you seemed to indicate that one may be able to simply attach the drive and have it work - without the hassle of loading the supplied software (Maxtor in this case). Did I understand this correctly?

Andreas

An unformatted drive should be recognized through disk management, yes. However, it doesn't seem to like USB too much, which is why I just recommend using the CD. Plus, disk management takes a LONG time to format the bigger drives.

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 11:40 AM

Chris,
Well, the frustration level has hit its zenith! I went through all the same steps again and had the same results. I spent an additional 40 minutes on the phone with their tech support and got nowhere. In the end, Maxtor believes that the problem rests wityh my USB controller, and suggested I try to install an additional USB 2.0 PCI controller card.

Before I hop in the car AGAIN, does this sound plausible? The tech thought that the Dell-installed controller is simply not able to handle the demands of this drive.

Confused. Pissed. Exhausted. And damn near ready to give up on this fecal matter.

Andreas

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 01:09 PM

OK, I have now officially pissed away the entire day on this! After Maxtor's latest suggestion, I hopped in the car AGAIN and picked up a USB 2.0 PCI 3-port card. Undid all the cables, opened the case, installed the card, and put everything back together again.
Everything works fine, except the ability to delete the partition and format this drive.

I give up.

Andreas

Churnd · 08-02-2005, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aowRS

OK, I have now officially pissed away the entire day on this! After Maxtor's latest suggestion, I hopped in the car AGAIN and picked up a USB 2.0 PCI 3-port card. Undid all the cables, opened the case, installed the card, and put everything back together again.
Everything works fine, except the ability to delete the partition and format this drive.

I give up.

Andreas

What are you using to delete the partition and format the drive?

aowRS · 08-02-2005, 04:17 PM

It's done. Another 45 minutes on the phone with Maxtor and we went through and redid all sorts of stuff. The drive is formatted and up and running. In the end my computer had all sorts of conflicts, and the drive was fine. I can't say enough positive words about their tech support.

Now I need to look into the "Primary IDE Channel Conflicts" which I was told is a serious matter.

How's that for a day?

Andreas

Churnd · 08-02-2005, 07:24 PM

Wow... never would have thought of that. Glad it's working though!

calg3 · 08-02-2005, 08:58 PM

Wow, that sucks, Andreas. Wish I was on here earlier to help you out. Glad you got it worked out, hope no new problems crop up. If you need any more help with it, let me know.

08-01-2005, 06:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
kronicx Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: CA Posts: 484	Your drive is being recognized, but since it is not formatted, you must format it to be accessible by My Computer. click Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools. Double click Computer Management and then click Disk Management in the left hand column, and then you can format it in there. __________________ Matt 2003 V8 Titanium Limited 4x4 X-REAS

08-01-2005, 06:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Or just right click the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and click "Manage", then find Disk Management in the left hand column. Just another option since the control panel can have different setups. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

08-01-2005, 07:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Thanks for the thoughts. I've also thought that I need to format it - but I cannot figure out how to do it. Here is a screen shot of the Disk Management area. Disk "0" is the new drive: : Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver Last edited by aowRS; 08-01-2005 at 08:03 PM.

08-01-2005, 08:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	If there's a CD or floppy disk that came with the drive, restart your computer and boot to that disk. There should be a program that will format it for you. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

08-01-2005, 08:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Please elaborate. The drive was purchased new today and came with everything necessary for installation - including the Maxtor software on CD. Here is the drive in question: Maxtor Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-01-2005, 08:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Ok, put the CD in the CD drive, then restart your computer. Depending on what kind of computer you have, it should start running from the CD instead of going straight to Windows. If it doesn't, post back here and we'll figure out how to get it working to where it will. If it does, just follow the steps on the screen to format the drive. MAKE SURE YOU'RE FORMATTING THE USB DRIVE!!!!! I cannot stress that enough. Just look at the size of the drives listed and find the one that represents the USB drive. I have accidentally wiped out a USB drive thinking it was the main hard drive before, so it's very possible. Failsafe way is to look at the drive's model number and compare with the list on the screen, but the drive's size should give it away pretty quickly. So find the right drive and format with NTFS, then reboot and take the CD out of the CD drive so it'll start to Windows again. Once that happens, Windows should recognize the drive. If it doesnt, you might have a bad drive. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

08-01-2005, 08:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Upon restart, the computer came up again as normal. The Maxtor CD spun like a madman in the drive, but it did not affect how the computer started up. I really have no experience with formating, so I have a hard time understanding how to get there. I understand the concept, but do not know the steps to take from the disk management area. The computer is a fairly new Dell 8400 desktop with no other issues. I know my way around, but only so far... Keep it simple I have spent at least 5 hours of my day trying to get this thng working Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-01-2005, 08:44 PM	#9 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Interesting read: Conversion Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-01-2005, 09:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Ok, when the computer starts up and you see the "Dell" screen, is there something that says "F12 - Boot Menu"? If so, hit the F12 key until you get to the boot menu. If not, hit F2 repeatedly to get into the BIOS setup. Once you've done that, you need to get familiar with how to navigate around. There are usually tabs at the top of the screen that contain different pages of information. If I recall correctly, the boot settings are on the second or third tab. Find the right page then go to where it says "Boot Sequence" or something similar. Once you get to that sub-page, you'll want to move the CD-ROM above the main hard drive (the C: drive). Now your BIOS will look for something from the CD-ROM first. Hit escape and save your changes (don't change anything else in your BIOS). It'll reboot, then either boot straight to the CD or prompt you to hit any key to boot to the CD, which you should go ahead and do. Let me know if that works. If my directions aren't clear enough, you should be able to find documentation on Dell's website... http://support.dell.com Oh yeah, and it's not a problem with whether or not the drive is NTFS or FAT... Windows will recognize both. However, larger drives can't be formatted using FAT, and I'm assuming you have a pretty large drive, so NTFS would be the format of choice. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website Last edited by Churnd; 08-01-2005 at 09:03 PM.

08-01-2005, 09:03 PM	#11 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Thanks Chris - will try. Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 02:37 AM	#12 (permalink)
*Corey* Co-Founder/Administrator Staff Join Date: May 2002 Location: Auburn, Washington Posts: 26,071	I have the Seagate external 200 GB Once Touch USB/Firewire drive, and I believe I formatted it right from XP when I instaled it. It too came with a CD, but I can not remember if I used it or XPs formatting. Anyway, you want to format it with NTFS. I think you can do this via Windows. __________________ Corey 2007 FJ Cruiser Built for 4wheelin', expedition, camping, and overlanding use PNW FJ Cruisers ☺ Detailing 101 ☺ Join Topsites ☺ Muffler Comparisons ☺ Maggiolinas In The Wild FJ Cruiser Buildup ☺ New Roof Top Tent ☺ Video Of My Penthouse Part II ☺ Rehinge Your ARB/Engel Fridge Blog About Roof Top Tents ☺ FJC Magazines Online Review Of My Tent ☺ 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Pro

08-02-2005, 06:58 AM	#13 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Update. This morning I turned the computer on but left the external drive off. I happened to be in "My Computer" and decided to turn the drive on. Suddendly it appeared as drive "G". Interesting. So then I tried to simply save a file to it - should be easy enough?! Then I get this warning at the bottom of the screen: Oddly enough, the file did save to the drive, but not without these death threats. I still think that the drive needs to be re-formatted, but I'm not comfortable with doing it, and I question why the hell the unit comes configured in such a manner that one has to go through these headaches in the first place. Any thoughts on why the drive suddenly decided to appear the way it did? Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver Last edited by aowRS; 08-02-2005 at 07:02 AM.

08-02-2005, 07:10 AM	#14 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	UGGGH!!! I restarted the computer and guess what - the drive is no longer visible in "My Computer". How can it be there one moment (previous post) and now disappear? Signed, Pissed in Maryland __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 07:28 AM	#15 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	I agree with you that the drive needs formatting. The best way to do it is through a bootable floppy or CD, such as the Maxtor. Read over this to see how to configure your boot settings: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc....htm#wp1052309 __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

08-02-2005, 08:04 AM	#16 (permalink)
v8sport4runner Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 199	I just installed a new maxtor drive last week, it was not external tho. anyways the software that came on the CD was called maxblast4. I was able to just run the software from windows to format. Put the disc in and open maxblast(hopefully its on there). It should detect the drive since it is showing up in device manager. From that software it should easily step you thru how to format it. It should only take a couple minutes. If maxblast is not on that disc you can download a copy from their website. The downloadable one will make a floppy boot disk that will take you to the format screen when you reboot the computer. Hope this helps. Good luck __________________ -Grant 2004 4Runner V8 4x4 Sport (Galactic Gray) -2004 Sequoia Rims Powdercoated Black Look Here -Wild Country TXR's 265/70/17

08-02-2005, 08:13 AM	#17 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Just got off the phone with Maxtor's tech line. We went through all the steps to get the drive to format. By unplugging the power and the USB, and re-attaching, we were able to make the drive appear in the device manager. When I then right-clicked in the space to the right of the drive, an error message appeared and I was not able to format. He suggested I take it back and try again :walk: So that is what I will do now... Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 10:20 AM	#18 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Replacement drive is on the desk. Churnd, In EWAYota's recent post regarding setting up an external drive, you seemed to indicate that one may be able to simply attach the drive and have it work - without the hassle of loading the supplied software (Maxtor in this case). Did I understand this correctly? Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 11:40 AM	#20 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	Chris, Well, the frustration level has hit its zenith! I went through all the same steps again and had the same results. I spent an additional 40 minutes on the phone with their tech support and got nowhere. In the end, Maxtor believes that the problem rests wityh my USB controller, and suggested I try to install an additional USB 2.0 PCI controller card. Before I hop in the car AGAIN, does this sound plausible? The tech thought that the Dell-installed controller is simply not able to handle the demands of this drive. Confused. Pissed. Exhausted. And damn near ready to give up on this fecal matter. Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 01:09 PM	#21 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	OK, I have now officially pissed away the entire day on this! After Maxtor's latest suggestion, I hopped in the car AGAIN and picked up a USB 2.0 PCI 3-port card. Undid all the cables, opened the case, installed the card, and put everything back together again. Everything works fine, except the ability to delete the partition and format this drive. I give up. Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 04:17 PM	#23 (permalink)
aowRS Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 908	It's done. Another 45 minutes on the phone with Maxtor and we went through and redid all sorts of stuff. The drive is formatted and up and running. In the end my computer had all sorts of conflicts, and the drive was fine. I can't say enough positive words about their tech support. Now I need to look into the "Primary IDE Channel Conflicts" which I was told is a serious matter. How's that for a day? Andreas __________________ 2001 SR5 4Runner 4WD, Dorado Gold, 184,XXX miles 2007 Volvo XC 90 AWD V6, Silver 1995 Porsche 993, Polar Silver

08-02-2005, 07:24 PM	#24 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Wow... never would have thought of that. Glad it's working though! __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

08-02-2005, 08:58 PM	#25 (permalink)
calg3 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Old Line State Posts: 1,042	Wow, that sucks, Andreas. Wish I was on here earlier to help you out. Glad you got it worked out, hope no new problems crop up. If you need any more help with it, let me know. __________________ 2006 Subaru Outback, miss my 4Runner! 2006 Mazda3, zoom, zoom... Look at my previous truck(s) in the Yotatech gallery: http://yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=42494

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