[RESOLVED] USB Hard Drive kit

[chaszal]

Hi folks,
I'm trying out this device - it's an enclosure you put a hard drive into, hook it up, and plug it into a USB connection. Presto, extra moveable storage, supposedly. Problem is my computer can't see it, doesn't know it's there. I'm trying it on my laptop, WinXP. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Chas

[Steve R Jones]

Is the drive jumpered as Master?
Do you have all the XP service packs installed?

[SuperSparks]

Also, where are you looking for it? Windows Explorer won't see the drive until it has been partitioned and formatted. Look in Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Disk Management and see if the drive shows in there.

[chaszal]

Thanks for responding gentlemen.
Steve R Jones: There was nothing in the (sparse)instructions about jumpers; basically, it seems you just attach the connector and the power supply. Am I missing some essential step? I have sp2.
SuperSparks: It doesn't show up in Disk Management. It is a brand new drive, so not being formatted, I guess that would explain why Explorer doesn't show it. I'm new to XP, presumably I have to get to DOS to format it? So, how do I get there, or how else can I format it?
Thanks,
Chas

[SuperSparks]

Well you can partition and format the drive in Disk Management, but it has to show up in there first. Look on the back of the hard drive and jou should see some jumpers:



There will be a diagram on the drive showing the position of the jumpers, set yours to "Master". Then put the drive back in the enclosure and see if it shows in Disk Manamgement.

[chaszal]

Success! The jumper did the trick. The drive is being formatted (through Disk Management) as I write this. Many thanks to both of you.
Chas

[SuperSparks]

You're very welcome