Usb disk not automatically showing up

Question

I have an Usbdisk (external) in an Dimension8400 pc with windows XP (tried both pro and home). When the system is starting up (the led in usb disk is blinking) and i log in to the system. Opening explorer and the usb disk is missing. When i turn the power off and on again the disk is ok and ready to use. Okey this is not a problem you say, but I share some files in my local network on that disk and the sharing is not visable after power off/on så I must put them back on. This is realy frustrating me.   I have vacumcleaned internet but can not find any soultions that look like my situation. Is there anybody out there that has fixed a problem like this??   Another hint is: If i (under boot) turn on the usb disk when (windows xp starting up screen is showing) then it si displayed correctly in explorer and shares are intact.   (It might be a Bill Deamon living in my Dimension8400, I don´t know) Please help me

jmwills · Answer

Did your external hard drive come with any sort of software?  What brand is this hard drive?

Rum58 · Answer

Thank you for response. The drive is inside a plastic case with (Microstorage combo) typed on it. it is a USB/1394 firewire compliant. made in china. There is a 160gb WesternDigital drive inside, connected to a printcard with no vendorname on it. And yes there were a diskette delivered with the unit but it was designed for windows9X.

techsupport4fre · Answer

okie,now after a reboot and when the drive is not seen go to device manager,click on action,scan for hardware changes.after doing this let me know if the drive is detected or not..

also let me know what other usb devices have you connected to your computer and how many usb ports does your computer have.also is thedisk drive powered by one of the computer's usb ports or does it have a seperate power supply.

may be it needs a powered usb ports and might not be conected to he right port.but do let me know.

there seems to be some challenge associated with your issue .i would love to take it up.

Rum58 · Answer

Hello.

reboot, device manager +++ ( no change) disk missing.

other usb devices,Printer,flatbedscanner,usbhubwith connection to phone/camera++)

The usbdisk has its own power and is directly connected to Dell dimension8400(nothing in between)(have also tryed another usb cable with the same result.)

when speaking about challenge, I have been working with pc´s since 1987 and this problem i cant handle, so if you can put me back on track it would be nice.

I do have another pc with windowsXP and I will try to check the usb device on that machin to morrow, but if you can think of anything else please write.

(another info; I have also reinstalled windows twice with the same result)(but it worked with the preinstalled windows(but that is some tine ago)).

jmwills · Answer

Is this plugged into a port directly on the machine or an external USB hub?

Rum58 · Answer

Directly connected with a usb cable, and i have also tryed another usb cable with the same result

Rum58 · Answer

I have tryed another usbcable, same result.   I tried a (compaq)laptop with xp , started up, logged in, (xp did not find the disk (becaus it was powerd up before xp started)). I turned the disk off and on again, and it  showed up i explorer. I made a share on the disk. Powerd all off an on again, and after logon the disk was active. conclusion : disk/usb cable is ok.   There seems to be a problem with USB on the Dell pc.(dimension 8400) (timing or whatever). I have also installed the last drivers and bios (A07)updates. (as shown in 'readme' with the bios updates Dell is trying to fix some usb related problems(I do not know which)).   So if there is some Dell folks out there who has beta release of some drivers ++ , please give them to me, I can do the testing.

jmwills · Answer

I don't think you need a 'beat' driver. Have you tested other USB devices on those ports? Have you run the Add New hardware' utility?

Rum58 · Answer

Add new hardware has been done, no change. other usb units  is,flatbed scanner, web cam, digital photo cam, videocam, mobile phone and printer. no problems with other equipment. It is no problem with the disk if i turn power off and on again but then all my shares is gone.   If I 'when starting up the pc' power off and on the usb disk all shares are 'back' again.   But this is a very strange way to start up a machine.   As 'typed earlyer' in this forum i tested with another hardware and then it worked. Strange. Another tip. When the pc is starting there is a sound in the scanner so some kind of communication is happening from the scanner/pc when powerd up. but there is nothing happening (seems not) from the disk.   I have a usbhub with own power, tried the usbdisk  there also with the same result.

jmwills · Answer

How many total USB devices are running and what is the total power requirements?

techsupport4fre · Answer

sorry my mistake .i didnt read one of your previous posts about you havng tried it out on a compaq. the issue defnitely is with dell .. ummm

techsupport4fre · Answer

you were supposed to try the same usb disk on another computer running xp on it.did you try that??

whatz the result.

also on this machine get into the system bios to see if USB is turned ON.by default it is always on but just check it out once.

again let me know if the disk behaves the same way on a different machine as well with same symptoms

Rum58 · Answer

yes. Directly . and the cable has been changed also.

jmwills · Answer

And the USB drive is connected directly to the PC and not the USB hub, right?

Rum58 · Answer

additional. The rare problem is that everything (exept shares) is ok when windows is up and running and the unit has been powerd off and on again.

Windows General

Usb disk not automatically showing up

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