External Hard drive problem

Headshot

Im having problems with the Medion drive-n-go

Basically it just wont show up on my laptop. I know it works because my tv recognises it but my computer wont. I plug the usb cable in and the laptop beeps and the light on the drive is on but not showing up in my computer

anyone know what's up ?

Nothingbetter2d

open up control panel > management console then look under disk management. does it appear there? if its not formatted it will should up as drive "x" and "XXX Gb" unallocated space

if u see it there u will need to right click on it and create a "primary" partition

then let windows format it. it should then appear when its done

Headshot

thanks for the reply

is this what your talking about Nothingbetter2d

Nothingbetter2d

well its listed as driver installed so u will need to open control panel

then look for management console (administrative tools if xp)

then once loaded look for computer management

then disk management

then it will list all drive partitions available to u.

it should also list your external drive as "unallocated space" if its not been partitioned yet.

Headshot

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

well its listed as driver installed so u will need to open control panel

then look for management console (administrative tools if xp)

then once loaded look for computer management

then disk management

then it will list all drive partitions available to u.

it should also list your external drive as "unallocated space" if its not been partitioned yet.

im not that sure what im doing
sorry for the large pic

Nothingbetter2d

it should look like this (sadly this is a work pc so ive not got permissions to take it further )

Headshot

the disk one is my usb drive it seems

Nothingbetter2d

yeah your c drive will be disk 0

then disk 1 is next for any additional drives

Headshot

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

yeah your c drive will be disk 0

then disk 1 is next for any additional drives

so what do I do now ?

thanks btw for all the help so far

Nothingbetter2d

u will need to select the drive and create a primary partition. then choose ntfs and format it. (use the max size u can - default amount it shows)

Tomo87

Headshot wrote: »

Im having problems with the Medion drive-n-go

Basically it just wont show up on my laptop. I know it works because my tv recognises it but my computer wont. I plug the usb cable in and the laptop beeps and the light on the drive is on but not showing up in my computer

anyone know what's up ?

Hey just wondering if you had any luck with this?
I had same hd medion 250gb drive n go stop working just kept beeping and click but not 'spinning up'. think it overheated and died! but urs is probably not that bad as the lights still on!

ricman

I format c ,partition 0, 70gig, then if i reinstall windows i still have all my data on partition 1 , and its safer in regard to virus protection .It saves time ,i just use c for podcasts, installing programs ,game demos.thats assuming the drive is 200 gig in size.

\when you reinstall windows it saves time too.windows likes at least 5gig free for swapfile,disk cache etc

Tom087 if you remove the drive ,hardisk put it inside a sata caddy ,it,ll likely work fine, the external pcb board is damaged ,or theres a loose connection to the board ,inside the case.

Tomo87

ricman wrote: »

Tom087 if you remove the drive ,hardisk put it inside a sata caddy ,it,ll likely work fine, the external pcb board is damaged ,or theres a loose connection to the board ,inside the case.

Thanks for the tip, have heard the solder on the power connection can go as you say, but have tried that by directly connecting it to sata usb adapter and power supply, and it still wouldn't spin up, Data recovery shop next stop i think! place in phibsboro told me 45 euro for investigation and then that will go towards recovery cost if its possible to recover data, I wonder does anyone kno what bill could come to (ballpark), it is usually priced per gb recovered?
thanks again

ricman

tomo87 ,its pretty easy to remove the drive ,from the unit, put it in a caddy ,its probably sata drive.Buy a sata caddy, do not touch the hardrive,pcb, underside of the hardrive at any point.Cost 20euro.Plug usb cable into caddy, other end into pc after windows is loaded,it,ll take 1 to 4 mins to detect the drive.
the external drive pcb ,could be damaged, bad capacitor or resistor.
the chances are the drive ,itself is fine.
as long as you are gentle ,do not touch pcb, or drop the drive its unlikely you ,ll damage the hardisk.Make sure disk pcb does not touch ,caddy metal,
try and get an all plastic, caddy, metal caddys can short out the drive pcb.

RainyDay

ricman wrote: »

Tom087 if you remove the drive ,hardisk put it inside a sata caddy ,it,ll likely work fine, the external pcb board is damaged ,or theres a loose connection to the board ,inside the case.

I think I have the problem with the loose connection. The USB connector is physically quite loose, and is moving in and out by maybe 5mm.

How do I crack open the case to get the drive out?

riclad

you may need to use a small philips screwdriver,
or flat screwdriver,theres usually 4 screws on the case.

RainyDay

riclad wrote: »

you may need to use a small philips screwdriver,
or flat screwdriver,theres usually 4 screws on the case.

Thanks for getting back to me, but no - there are no visible screws. It seems to be a solid plastic case, with a seam on one side only. I've tried poking round at the seam to pop it open, but it isn't coming easily. I'll try to post a few photos later and see if this helps.

riclad

SEE http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/19669
enclosure as I would like to use this HDD in my laptop.


Quote;Does anyone have an idea on how to open the enclosure?



xXiCEXx on 10/12/2009 - 21:42
remove the 4 feet on the bottom and your see screws = )


+1 vote
bennib0i on 10/12/2009 - 22:33
i c ic…
removing the screws seem to be a pain

looks like screws maybe hidden under feet, end quote.

remove 1 foot,, or loosen it,do you see a screw top,
be gentle,dont wanna shock the drive platters.

RainyDay

riclad wrote: »

removing the screws seem to be a pain

looks like screws maybe hidden under feet, end quote.

remove 1 foot,, or loosen it,do you see a screw top,
be gentle,dont wanna shock the drive platters.

Thanks - that was it - they are hidden under the rubber feet.

So it looks like the USB connector has disconnected from the circuit board. Is this just a bit of a soldering job?

Or would I be better off getting a new SATA enclosure or docking station like this http://www.dabs.ie/products/best-value-emprex-eds-001-hard-drive-docking-station--2-5----3-5---861J.html?q=sata%203.5&src=16? If so, how do I separate the drive from its inner case and the circuit board?

riclad

If drive is sata just take it out of sata slot .buy 2.5 in caddy 15 euro in shop .if drive is 3.5in you.ll need a caddy with power supply more expensive than ,2.5 unit.
POst a pic . Of drive unit .can u just push usb cable back in to unit.

riclad

riclad wrote: »

If drive is sata just take it out of sata slot .buy 2.5 in caddy 15 euro in shop .if drive is 3.5in you.ll need a caddy with power supply more expensive than ,2.5 unit.
POst a pic . Of drive unit .can u just push usb cable back in to unit.

its hard to answer question


without seeing a pic

RainyDay

Thanks for that - here's some pics - any further suggestions are very welcome.

bonzodog2

Any screws on the underside, or the sides ? Should be on both sides about 1cm in from the ends if so. Or try gently levering at the end where the Seagate name is, the edges of the inner case look a bit like springy clips.

riclad

Those PICS are very dark, specifically the lower end, from what i can see, theres 2 or 4 screws ,on top, open screws, put em in a box.
gently release drive from case , ie pull drive from sata connector,it should slip out,
put flat,cushion underneath drive, case be4 u start.
it,d be nice to see pics brighter ,and closer, closeup of drive bottom end,
where it plugs into a pcb,or sata connector.
look underneath, sides,release all screws holding drive inside metal case.
THEN put drive in caddy,
if drive is 3.5 ,it,ll need a powered caddy, with its own power unit.

RainyDay

OK, it's me again! I've done some better photos today. The screws on the drive case a bit funny. They seem to be hexagonal Philips head screws, if that makes any sense. Like a Philips head, but with six arms on the start instead of the usual four. Do I need some special screwdriver for these?

The circuit board at the end can be pulled in and out by about 5mm.

riclad

That.s a standard sata drive, is there screws underneath ,or at side holding in the drive to steel cage.
if so take em out,
then gently slide hd out of the cage.
in my experience 3.5 inch drives, need a caddy with its own psu power supply,
ie simply caddy using usb to pc will not work.
if drive is 2.5 inch,caddy usb, will be fine.
CAN you post close up pics of ,cage sides, and underneath,


showing any screws.

can u just remove the vertical pcb,
then Gently take out the bare hd,
i have sata hd 3.5 its held in a cage by 4 screws at the side.
the hd has to detached from pcb, and cage in order to go into a caddy.what size is the hd.
2.5 , or 3.5inch ?

i can see only six screws on top,
they are part of the hd, dont go near em.
your task is remove hd gently,from thin outer cage,place IN caddy,
OR even plug into a pc unit , that has sata,data,power cables,
IF DRIVE IS 3.5 INCH.
2.5 inch size,just buy caddy 15 euro ,any pc shop.
PLACE tape ,over underside hd pcb, do not touch pcb.
THIS is to stop electrical damage ,short circuits.
if metal cage is thin,you could probably bend it abit,lower part of the cage,end ,
to detach the small interface board from hd,
or lever it out ,using a long nose pliers.
Thats assuming you dont mind destroying the board.
ie its about 1/ tenth of an inch wide, lower part of pic,
it s plugged into hd sata interface ..


heres a hd sata with no cage,
http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/955/wd_scorpio_black_sata.jpg

i cant tell,
there may be 4 screws underneath ,holding drive to cage.
Hopefully we can solve this problem in the next few days.
re get hd connected to a pc.

six screws on top ,
are part of the hd,DO NOT REMOVE THEM.
is there screws ,underneath, or at the side of the cage.
its nice to see close up pics well lit.

you,ll have to take out small lower pcb first,to remove hd,
or just slowly bend the cage, lower part, back,
using long lose pliers,
if the cage,is flexible,.then remove hd slowly.
try 1st, take out pcb gently,
its covering the sata hd ,interface ,by 1mm approx,
ie sata data interface is partly inside pcb unit.
just BE REAL Gentle ,you dont wanna damage the sata interface.
on my hd ,the pcb was heldon to cage,by 2 screws ,underneath.
my hd cage, has 2 screws on each side, left,right ,ie 4 screws in total.
plus 2screws holding pcb board.
pull pcb down,away from hd, to release separate it from hd.

riclad

heres a better pic,
http://www.geeks.com/techtips/2005/Images/sidehdd.gif
as above most hds have 4 or 6 screws on top,
do not touch them.
you just need to remove screws that hold hd inside cage ,
assuming theres screws on sides ,or underneath cage.

yoyo

The screws on the drive are some form of Torx screw I think. You won't want to be removing the HD top screws though as these are keeping the drive itself closed. Try pulling the circuit board back from the hard disk as far back as possible and then investigate the sides and bottom of the caddy for screws. If no screws are present the drive is probably only secured by the metal sheeting folded around the caddy, gently lift the drive up by sticking a thin object (credit card?) at the top of the drive, as mentioned above where the seagate logo is. This is because there should be no circuit board at the top of the drive. Take care not to have the front HD connectors be under any pressure where they could break, as this would make things much more complicated

Nick

riclad

A THIN plastic or wooden ruler may be used to lever out the hd ,try and remove small, pcb first,you,ll have to undock it,ie the sata hd interace is slightly inside the pcb board slot.
thats why the pcb can be moved 5mm,
so first move pcb ,back,away from hd as far as it goes.
first check for screws ,on side,or underneath, hd,
also remove screws holding pcb,IF theres screws underneath holding pcb.
if theres screws ,they are likely to be standard philips, easily opened.
doesnt matter if you break small pcb,
as above post,
you don,t want the hd rear sata connector to goes inside the pcb under pressure,as it might break.its a few mm in length.
as long as the hd sata interface is not damaged.
if theres no screws at all,TO remove, you could use a mini hacksaw, 4inch saw,
to partially cut, the back steel cage,that holds the pcb in place,
to remove it,DO this
AS a LAST RESORT.cut it abit from the outside, then bend it back,
in order to take out the pcb.

RainyDay

Thanks for your patience, guys. We're getting places now. I think I've got the drive out of the case. I removed the circuit board at the end, and it lifted out quite easily. See pics of the case, the broken cable connector (resting in the case), the circuit board, the drive, and a tape measure for scale. The drive is about 100mm x 70mm - is this a 2.5 or a 3.5 drive?

Thanks in advance.

yoyo

RainyDay wrote: »

Thanks for your patience, guys. We're getting places now. I think I've got the drive out of the case. I removed the circuit board at the end, and it lifted out quite easily. See pics of the case, the broken cable connector (resting in the case), the circuit board, the drive, and a tape measure for scale. The drive is about 100mm x 70mm - is this a 2.5 or a 3.5 drive?

Thanks in advance.

2.5" Hard Disk. SATA drive so you could just connect a SATA power and data cable to it to use the disk

Nick

bonzodog2

Its a 2.5, thats the width in inches. You can get an enclosure for 2.5 SATA for < 10eur if you can wait 2 weeks to get it from HongKong, or have a look in PCWorld, I think I saw one in there recently for not much more. If you have a modern tower PC, it may have a SATA Dvd drive, you could use the cables for that to test the 2.5 drive. Other alternatives are a 'dock' that you can slot the drive into on a temporary basis, or a USB/SATA cable like this one (0.99+2.29 GBP)

RainyDay

THanks guys - I'll go for this case from Hong Kong so.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-5-SATA-Aluminum-Hard-Drive-Disk-External-Caddy-Case-/200784347464?pt=UK_Collectables_HardDriveEnclosures_RL&hash=item2ebfae0148#ht_4169wt_1271


Cheers

riclad

2.5inch drive its unlikely to need a power supply,
put plastic tape on underneath on hd,pcb,install it in caddy,
plug it into pc,after pc boots up.
tape stops a pcb short circuit ,from metal case.or a static damage,do not touch pcb.
i always get plastic caddys ,no risk of short circuit .
do not plug power cable into hd, unless it doesnt work in the caddy.
it should work fine via usb,takes power via usb cable.
be careful ,hd pcb must not touch metal case,otherwise pcb will be damaged,destroyed.
put plastic tape on pcb, 50 cent in any shop.
in pic you have pcb hd, facing upwards.
have a look on ebay for a caddy with a plastic case.

yoyo

riclad wrote: »

2.5inch drive its unlikely to need a power supply,
put plastic tape on underneath on hd,pcb,install it in caddy,
plug it into pc,after pc boots up.
tape stops a pcb short circuit ,from metal case.or a static damage,do not touch pcb.
i always get plastic caddys ,no risk of short circuit .
do not plug power cable into hd, unless it doesnt work in the caddy.
it should work fine via usb,takes power via usb cable.
be careful ,hd pcb must not touch metal case,otherwise pcb will be damaged,destroyed.
put plastic tape on pcb, 50 cent in any shop.
in pic you have pcb hd, facing upwards.
have a look on ebay for a caddy with a plastic case.

It's SATA so it will need a power supply, 2.5" SATA uses the same connectors as the desktop SATA counterparts

Nick

riclad

i ,ve got ten sata 2.5 inch drives, they all work in
my caddy ,no power supply, needed.
ie they work off usb cable that goes into caddy,
usb cable other end plugs into pc.

MY advice get standard caddy,2.5inch sata,
it should work.
if it doesnt work you can always get a caddy with a power supply.
in my experience sata drives over 500gig 2.5 ,or 3.5inch may need a power supply.
i used a 350 gig drive sata,no power unit,just usb.

i,m not saying its not possible, you MAY need a power supply.
i think its SAFER to try standard usb caddy sata unit first.
I THINK all 3.5inch drives need a power supply to
work properly.
all my drives were formerly laptop drives 2.5inch.
THATS a metal case,be sure and cover with plastic tape,hd underneath, to stop short circuits.
the pcb is usually green, with all circuits and metal points on it.

yoyo

riclad wrote: »

i ,ve got ten sata 2.5 inch drives, they all work in
my caddy ,no power supply, needed.
ie they work off usb cable that goes into caddy,
usb cable other end plugs into pc.

MY advice get standard caddy,2.5inch sata,
it should work.
if it doesnt work you can always get a caddy with a power supply.
in my experience sata drives over 500gig 2.5 ,or 3.5inch may need a power supply.
i used a 350 gig drive sata,no power unit,just usb.

i,m not saying its not possible, you MAY need a power supply.
i think its SAFER to try standard usb caddy sata unit first.
I THINK all 3.5inch drives need a power supply to
work properly.
all my drives were formerly laptop drives 2.5inch.
THATS a metal case,be sure and cover with plastic tape,hd underneath, to stop short circuits.
the pcb is usually green, with all circuits and metal points on it.

Fair enough with the caddy, I use one of these where you must also power the drive:

Same goes for mounting it in the computer, you'll also need to power the drive

Nick

bonzodog2

For anybody looking for a dock, this one http://www.ebay.ie/itm/320998453915?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 is the cheapest I've seen, just under eur17, free post. 2.5/3.5 IDE + SATA + multi card reader

The cheap SATA 2.5 enclosures are just that, I've had a couple fail, but for under a fiver, thats not so bad unless you have constant access needs.