I reformated my computer and my plug-and-play hard drive doesn't appear in the list of hard drives in "My Computer." Why can't I access the information inside, even though the computer realizes that there is a drive connected to it. Even though I formatted, I downloaded all the updates I could from microsoft. Thanks for the help!
2007-09-04 07:16:00 · 6 answers · asked by rienos 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
before the comp would just recognize it as a hard drive.
windows xp
2007-09-04 07:22:45 · update #1
Thanks DZE for letting me know that! Its not initialized and it has to be but....
Will it erase the contents of my hard drive if I initialize it? I found various sources that says it will, but some say it won't. Please help!
2007-09-06 03:04:59 · update #2
rytclick on my computer and go to manage disk management and see if maybe it needs to be initialized or detected .. just see what it looks like there ..
2007-09-04 07:23:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are several ways you can determine the fault here.
1) It may have the same drive letter as one of your other HDD or CD/DVD drives. This cause a conflict and one of them will NOT show.
To check this - go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Under where it says "Storage" - click on Disk Management ...
It will show you the HDD and CD/DVD drives on your computer along with the drive letters assigned to each.
2) I don't know which OS you are using, and if you are using Win 98 you may have to install the software for your computer to recognize the HDD.
I know XP recognizes it by Plug n play.
2007-09-09 16:44:26 · answer #2 · answered by palerider_2006 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How do you access the files if it doesn't show up ?
It might simply show as a "removable drive" or "external drive"
Check the drive manufacturers site, they might have a driver specific to it that lets windows see it as a proper hard drive.
2007-09-04 14:20:49 · answer #3 · answered by stu_the_kilted_scot 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What OS. There is a problem with the security in Vista where accessing an external HD can be a headache.
2007-09-04 14:21:03 · answer #4 · answered by ○Freeman○ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will be listed as an external device way down the bottom of Windows Explorer.
2007-09-04 14:21:12 · answer #5 · answered by John K 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Did you forget to install the CHIPSET drivers for your Windows installation?
2007-09-04 14:21:14 · answer #6 · answered by MikeTwo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋