WindowsXP SP3 Does Not Recognize External Hard Drive

[BobH]

For the first time in months, I'm posting here from my old HP 530 Laptop Business PC. Whatever the problems were with the hard drive seem to have been overcome although some problems with the machine persist. The primary problem is that I cannot get the system to recognize that my WD Passport external HDD is connected. Looking at My Computer the device does not appear. I am trying to restore an Acronis image from the external HDD rather than reinstalling and updating all my applications.

Can anyone tell me how to get the OS to recognize the device under plug and play? Is there a command or wizard that will do this? I looked at CP/Add New Hardware but it seems to want to deal only with drivers. I need for the computer to recognize that the USB port is connected to the external HDD. I have plugged the HDD into a USB port on a desktop and the device was recognized and the backup image I made appears in File Explorer.

TIA

[viking33]

For the first time in months, I'm posting here from my old HP 530 Laptop Business PC. Whatever the problems were with the hard drive seem to have been overcome although some problems with the machine persist. The primary problem is that I cannot get the system to recognize that my WD Passport external HDD is connected. Looking at My Computer the device does not appear. I am trying to restore an Acronis image from the external HDD rather than reinstalling and updating all my applications.

Can anyone tell me how to get the OS to recognize the device under plug and play? Is there a command or wizard that will do this? I looked at CP/Add New Hardware but it seems to want to deal only with drivers. I need for the computer to recognize that the USB port is connected to the external HDD. I have plugged the HDD into a USB port on a desktop and the device was recognized and the backup image I made appears in File Explorer.

TIA

Is it a powered USB port?
Is it the only USB port on the machine? ( if not, try another )
Try Device manager and click> Scan for new hardware?

Just a few basic checks.

[jonwallace]

To add to Bob's questions: Does it "Bingbong" when you plug the HDD in or unplug it?

If so maybe there's something odd about the drivers loaded for that drive. I've had a bit of success using USBDeview to hunt down any possible drivers for recalcitrant hardware and uninstalling them. Then reboot and try plugging the HDD in again. (I don't think you can do any real damage with this as any drivers you zap "accidentally" will be reinstalled next time the system sees the device.

As I understand it, the USB subsystem "remembers" devises that've been plugged in looonng after you've thrown them out, if I run USBDeview, I usually take the opportunity to kill anything that I don't still own.

[Jim Cone]

Maybe...
"My Drive does not appear in Windows Explorer view"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330140
'---
Jim Cone
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.mediafire.com/PrimitiveSoftware
(Lottery Numbers.xls...  Excel picks numbers for 14 state/national (USA) lotteries - free)

[BobH]

Thanks for the responses. The laptop now fails to boot. I think there are problems as yet unfound and unfixed.