Topic: External Hard drive malfunction-HELP!!!

[thfcmad]

Hi, firstly to anyone that reads this and offers advice thankyou!!

I have a 120gb external hard drive connect to my PC by USB 2 cable.  I am running windows XP.

I have turned my hard drive on today and as normal it powered up and started humming as normal, then a little thing came up in the corner of my PC saying "USB DEVICE NOT RECOGNISED, one of the USB devices attached has malfunctioned and windows does not recognise it".

I dont know what to do, the hard drive is still under warranty so i can easily get it replaced but what about all the data i have stored on it.  Am i going to lose it?  Is there a way i can get the data off the external drive back onto my internal one??  I have alot stored on it that i really dont want to lose.  The external hard drive is a maxtor 120gb.

If anyone can help me i will be very greatful.

Thanks to all in advance.

[joudi]

Hi thfcmad and    

Is your external HDD removable?

I mean:  Did you buy it already enclosed inside the external box,

or        you've bought an empty external box, and then you fixed the HDD inside it?

If you've fixed it manually inside the external box, you may remove it and fix it inside your coputer case to try it there, and see whether the HDD is falty or the external box.

I don't like to discourage you, but I have to tell the truth:  I'll never buy again an external HDD. I lost last year about 130 GB of data. It destryed comletely two HDD, and I saved the third on time before it was too late.      

[Clive]

How did that happen Joudi?  I was thinking of getting one myself!

[Lona]

Just a thought thfcmad, have you tried plugging it into a different usb socket?  I used to get that with my printer more than often and there was nothing wrong with the printer.
Changing the usb connection sometimes does the trick.

[joudi]

Well, Clive, I don't know    

Maybe I wasn't lucky,

Maybe there was a fabrication problem in the external box (inside which, I myself fixed the HDD manually).

The first HDD which was inside was working correctly. I sent it to a friend, who told me that the HDD is not working at all.

I replaced it with a new bigger one. Just a month or two after that, it stopped working.

I sent it to Maxtor to get a new one. few weeks after that, the new one started to give a strange noise, (exactly what my friend told me about the first HDD). I understood then that it wasn't problem in the HDD, but in the external box.

I couldn't get the replacement for the external box (another society). They didn't care. They just told me that there's now another model if I like to buy.     :curse:

useless to say that I lost all that data, and, neither Maxtor nor any other HDD fabrication take it on their responsibility to get you back your lost data. You have to send the HDD to a special society to get your data back. In that case, you have to pay them a considerable amount of money if you don't like to loose it eternally.    

[Clive]

That's not a very good advert for them is it?  I may have to reconsider my plan to buy one!

[joudi]

Loosing data in that way is not really a good experience. I don't wish it to any.

Fortunately, most of my lost data was coming from downlods. It was for me a matter of patience again to download most of it again. Now , I'm ok, but learned the lesson.

Of course that  may happen even to internal HDD too, but I think, by that experience, that the external one is more fragile.

[joudi]

That's not a very good advert for them is it?  I may have to reconsider my plan to buy one!

I was in a shop today Clive, and the seller told me that the external drive is not made to run continuously. He said that you can run it few houres each day (maybe four or five houres), but not all time.

If you're still thinking to buy one Clive, I even suggest that you use it even less than that. My opinion is to use it only as a storage media, when you need things from it.

It seems that my precedent problem with mine (which I use no more) was because of running it as long as the PC is switched on, not because of the encloser model, (according to that seller, if I must believe him).

[Clive]

Thanks for that information Joudi.  I must say that I have decided not to go ahead with buying one anyway.  I've just been away for the weekend and borrowed my son's Sat Nav system which I fell in love with.  I now have to buy one for myself (naturally!) and my aim is to get the best possible deal on one!   FYI Cammy, it's a Tom Tom GO I'm after.  Amazon have it for £399 with a UK memory card.  But Staples have it for £369 with a 16 country memory pack.  Unfortunately you have to actually go to a store to get one as Staplesonline are not participating in this deal.  I will be near one on Friday but I somehow smell a rat and doubt if they actually have any for sale!  

[Camstop]

That is a very good price Clive and i'd go woth that if you can get it  :wink:


Just remember they are launching a updated "GO" range next month :whistle:

[Clive]

  In which way are they being updated Cammy?  That suggests that the current model is about to be given away in corn flakes packets.   I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use and how accurate it was.

[Camstop]

This site will help you and the info you need is about 3/4 way down..>>>

[Clive]

Oh that's good Cammy!  It looks as if current models can be upgraded for free.  

[Clive]

I called into Staples in Cardiff at 9 am this morning and they had plenty of Tom Tom's in stock.  But the price was £419 which was £50 more than the offer.  When I asked a sales assistant about it he smugly told me that they had gone back up again today!  He refused point blank to do a deal with me even when I told him I could get it cheaper elsewhere.     Looks as if I will have to go to Amazon after all.

[Camstop]

Well in that case you can pre-order the new one for £369.99 inc Vat here..>>>


http://www.superetrader.co.uk/tomtom-go-300-p-285.html



Or Dixons have the current model and a £35 off any order over £350 code making it £361 ..>>

Code: cantbarsed35350



Dixons tom tom go


The thing with the Dixons one is they only stock a few in the morning each day so you gorra be quick to get one   :wink:



This is a review of the new range..>>


http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/tomtom-go-new-hardware.php


I hope one of these deals works for you Clive