Computer cant see external drive

[PURPLESWAN]

I am trying to access my Buffalo mini station external drive but the its not showing in my computer.

It is connected via usb cables and does have a light on the top of it - showing sometimes orange sometimes green.

Any advice appreciated as it does have important documents on it!

[NetworkGuy]

Have you much running on the PC ?

Have you tried plugging USB cable into a different socket on PC (warning, sometimes this will just cause the drivers to be searched for and other times, once found, the drive letter might be different so a 'default directory' setting using drive (say) L:\ might be drive M:\ when it is recognised.

Good luck !

[PURPLESWAN]

Ok - I unplugged my mouse & plugged it into the port at the front, where the drive is usually and it didnt work.

Moved both drive cables into the back ports but still nothing.

Windows picked up that I had moved the keyboard and mouse and asked me if I wanted to install them but did not register the drive at all.

Dont know if this is relevant but it registers generally in my computer as drive e & f - drive e is the one i use to actually access the documents and this is the one not showing - the computer is still registering drive f.

[PURPLESWAN]

Oh & in task manager I have a ton of processes running

[NetworkGuy]

Some of the processes might be standard (associated with anti-virus s/w, browser, miscellaneous background tasks)

Was asking in part because sometimes I have found some USB items (since they depend on driver software being run by CPU) get ignored if too much going on, so mouse can freeze, etc.

Is there any other PC you can plug the external drive into, to be sure the drive is working (and temporarily be able to blame the PC) ?

(Would allow you to take a copy of the important docs too!)

[PURPLESWAN]

Unfortunately the only other one I have access to doesnt have a disc drive.

[NetworkGuy]

Floppy disk drive or CD (Compact Disc!) drive ?
:)

Would you need one for the Buffalo to be installed, or might the drivers be online at the Buffalo website ?

Do you have a USB pen/flash drive (500 MB to 4 GB) that you could copy Buffalo software onto ?

[PURPLESWAN]

CD drive

The first thing I did was to uninstall the driver then try to re-install via the website - my computer gave me an error message which said the file was something like corrupt or invalid.

I then dug out the original CD and reinstalled it onto this computer from there.

I am currently trying to copy to a USB pen that the kids used to use for music - it was working but I panicked and stopped it halfway through...now its not co-operating so I may have to go out and buy a new one tomorrow morning.

[NetworkGuy]

Oh, OK. Hung around after the Snooker finished (16:30) in case there was an answer or phone call...

Sorry to read your USB pen gave you problems - hope all goes OK tomorrow.

Off for some food and then to watch the end of the Snooker from 8pm

:)

[PURPLESWAN]

Managed to get the contents of the disk on the lap top - turns out when you plug the ministation in to the usb ports it SHOULD fire up the driver itself - which it didnt.

Could I have a dud cable?

Hope you enjoyed the snooker!

[NetworkGuy]

Snooker restarts at 8pm, may go on until 1am...

Do you get the usual "boing" for something being plugged in ?

Even without the drivers installed on a second machine, plugging the cable in should get some recognition that a [new] USB device has just been plugged in.


If cable is duff, then it gets awkward to prove - probably would depend on which wire(s) damaged, IYSWIM.

[NetworkGuy]

I'll take the phone downstairs with me - can still watch snooker if you ring on the number sent to your inbox, but want to feed the cat and settle down soon, ready for start of play...

[PURPLESWAN]

Wouldnt have dreamt of interrruping your snooker would be like interrupting hubbys armchair fishing.

Dont know what you mean by "boing"

Neither computer is registering that its plugged in at all, although the green light on top of the ministation is on.

[NetworkGuy]

boing sound (well, OK, a sound) that indicates something new has been plugged in.

As for the snooker, OK, it went from 6-2 in favour of Mark Williams (Wales) to 9-10 with John Higgins (Scotland) winning the final.

I would not have minded the distraction - I switched over for a bit to watch CSI New York as I really wanted Mark Williams to win (partly as I am living in Wales) and when it was clear John was managing to struggle back from 8-5 down, my enthusiasm left me.

Is it a special cable from the PC to the Buffalo ? Some external drives use a pair of USB cables, to provide enough power from the PC. I assume yours has a separate mains power supply.

I've used a number of different devices, and while some have an 'arch' shaped connector (similar to a USB printer cable) others have a miniUSB connector. Either type can be bought in Poundland (for a pound!) so if it is either type you could get a cheap spare/replacement.

[PURPLESWAN]

Definately no boing - I thought that was what you meant (generally dont have the speakers on as I find it a distraction which is why I had never noticed that is what it should do)

Have given it another go on the laptop today

Opened TurboUSB of HD-PSU2

Said "yes" to do you want to allow the following programme to make changes to the computer.

Then select Enable

It confirms Turbo USB can be enabled and prompts me to connect the PSU2

When I plus it in it says

"Turbo USB has not been connected"

I guess before I get in to contacting Buffalo to see what I can do if its died I will try new cables just to eliminate that.

Sorry to hear about the snooker - love CSI New York and Las Vegas...last about 1 minute with Miami before wanting to throw something solid at Horatio

Thanks for your help

[NetworkGuy]

Not sure I have really helped, just explored some options!

Mmmm, Horatio can annoy - seems to be so much unexplained, then again, similar true for nearly every character over the several years those shows have been going.

While I enjoy CSI and Law+Order, NCIS is still my favourite though the NCIS Los Angeles series seems to be on satellite not Freeview, so missing out at present...